The sun is out, and summer is in full gear!  So how do we deal with the bright sun?  Here is a Photo-Recipe that I did for you and our SOAR! gals.  I’ve got five easy steps to improve your outdoor photos when bright sun is breathing down your neck.  And yep, it’s the second Monday of the month which makes this post our July SOAR! Photography Exercise!  Follow the SOAR! blog this week to see what our recipients learn regarding outdoor lighting!

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The key to working with outdoor lighting is slowing down.  We’ve got to take a deep breath and slow ourselves down before we start shooting.  We’ve got to become aware of where the light is, the direction the light is coming from, and how the light looks on our subjects.  When we don’t slow down and pay attention to the light, we end up rushing into photos that look like this!  Look familiar?

Step 1: Slow down—breathe.  Resist putting the camera to your eye until you’ve taken note of the sun’s position.

Step 2: Ask your subject to move out of the harsh tree shadows.  Try again.

There are two types of photos that a lot of people send me during the summer.  One is the first shot with the tree shadows.  Two, is the bright nosed shot.  Uh-oh, not good!  That shadows are a little better than the first image, but the dark eyes and bright nose aren’t going to work either.

Step 3—Try a different spot where the sun is behind your subject’s head.  And since it’s the second time you are moving your subject, don’t beat yourself up if they feel like they’re going cross eyed with all the moving.

The more attention you pay to the sun, the less you’ll have to move people.  Right now, it’s important to practice moving people which helps you slow down.

The above photo of Pascaline and the bright sun is better than the first two.  But we can get it even better if we hang in there.  See the bright sun on her nose and cheek?  I want to get rid of that if possible, so that the light is balanced on her face.  Notice that the two patches of bright sun aren’t super big, they are small “hot spots” on her face.  This means, I don’t need to move her to a different spot.  I just need to have her shift a little.

Step 4: Have your subject shift in one direction or the other to get rid of those small hot spots.

If you notice in the photo before this one, Pascaline was standing face on.  For this photo, I had her shift to the side so she was standing at an angle.  The hot spots on her nose and cheek are a little bit smaller now, but let’s shift just a tad more.

Step 5:  Shift again!  I will sometimes have my clients shift four, five, six times until BAM! I see the light on their face that I’m looking for.

I purposely took these photos at 1pm when the sun was in the WORST spot for the sake of this learning experience.  See how the sun is still making hot spots on the top of her head?  I can’t escape that because the sun was right over our heads.  Some people use reflectors to create a natural shade, but I don’t like carrying anymore with me than I have to.  And to tell you the truth, I can live with the hot spot on her forehead because her face has a great, even light.

Finding the best light is a process.  Let it be a process.  Give yourself freedom to slow down and watch the light change on their face—with every shift you take.

Sometimes we feel like we need to shoot fast, to prove to ourselves and the subject that we “know” what we are doing.  But as our confidence builds, we can give ourselves more and more freedom to slow down and enjoy the process of searching for the best light.

For this month’s SOAR! Photography Exercise, get out in the bright sun and trouble shoot the light.  Take a couple photos of what you don’t want so you can study them, like I did above.  Then try moving to open shade or turning your subject’s back to the sun.  Remember to not stop there but to shift the subject ever so slightly until you see the light you are looking for.  And then, lift your camera to your eye and take the shot!

When your done, post your Before and After photos on the SOAR! forum, SOARORITY!  We’d love to see them and give you feedback!

More to come this week!  Including 7 Photo Tips for shooting weddings!

Enjoy your outdoor lighting this week!  And Happy Monday friends!

xoxo,

Me Ra

*All photos were shot at 100 ISO, 2.8 Aperture and 1/1600 (or 1600) Shutter Speed.

For more SOAR! Photography Exercises, CLICK HERE!  For more Photo-Recipes and Tips, CLICK HERE and scroll down!  To watch our award winning DVDs with lots and lots of Photo Exercises that anyone can do, CLICK HERE!