3 Tips For Shooting On Bright Sunny Days

Most people think that sunny days are the best for photo shoots, but it really depends on your concept. If you prefer harsh light and shadows then you are lucky indeed. But the photographers who love to work with soft light have to be creative to with create good photos during a bright sunny day. Here are my 3 tips to make it a little easier!

Play with shadows

Already since I started with photography (almost 10 years ago, I’m getting old!) I loved shooting with the combination of sunlight and shadows. It allows me to make creative images and it gives the model different opportunities to pose, because she has to play with the sun and shadows as well. Keep in mind that the contrast in your photos will be hard.

Models, chin up!

If you choose to shoot in bright sun like I did in the photo above, ask your model to put her chin up! The light is coming from above so always remember to have her face pointed to the light source, in this case the sun. If she is looking down, her eyes and the most part of her face are covered by shadow what is not pretty at all the most of the times..

Try to find the shadow

For the portrait shoot above, I wanted to create the feel of studio lighting so I found a location where we had shadow at the left and sun at the right. The contrast in the photos turned out beautiful. If you prefer a soft light for your portrait, try to find a wall or a tree that is completely covered by shadow and there you go!

Extra tip 1: Wait for the sun to go down, in the afternoon or during the golden hour the sun is beautiful for portraits!

Extra tip 2: Use the sun as a backlight!

What is your favorite light / weather for outdoor shoots with daylight?

♥