Make flattering portraits in the most unforgiving light
Many non-photographers have the mistaken impression that high noon is a good time to go out a
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Make flattering portraits in the most unforgiving light
Many non-photographers have the mistaken impression that high noon is a good time to go out and take pictures of people and things.
Most likely, they’re also the same type of people who think Velveeta is real cheese.
But photographers know that the noonday sun is the worst possible light. It’s an extraordinarily hard light that casts horrible shadows, and people wind up squinting.
In the ideal world, you steer these people to either earlier or later, preferably during the “Golden Hour” when the sun is low in the horizon and the light is better.
But sometimes, circumstances will force you into shooting someone outside in the worst possible circumstances. So, what can you do?
Gavin Hoey, one of YouTube’s great photography educators has some tips.
While Hoey made this video for OM Systems (formerly Olympus), some of the tips work with other camera systems.
https://youtu.be/CXnqVJjZhXg?si=os3nxEFg9c68FKdd
Among the camera-brand-neutral suggestions are to move the person into the shade of a tree, which can present some problems if you’re not paying attention to how the light is coming through the tree, putting them in a shaded area or use something to diffuse the sunlight.
I’ve used the tree technique before once on the job with satisfactory results.
In this photo, I had to get an environmental portrait of someone for a profile piece, and this person worked in transportation for a food-bank network. The problem was, the only time we could meet was around noon, and to get a shot of him with one of the trucks involved going outside.
I had brought an umbrella with me anticipating an indoor shot, but when we were outside, I pulled off the reflector, turning it into a shoot-through umbrella, which I positioned to soften the harsh sunlight.
It worked well enough that the photo was included in an exclusive, subscriber-only section of the publication highlighting professionals in the community.
Another option is to build a scrim, which is basically a large diffuser. One of the easiest I saw was using PVC pipe as a frame for a fitted crib sheet.
If you want to see something larger, here’s a video by Droi Media on how to build one.
https://youtu.be/h0onCLUDn-c?si=W9VL7FX4e26idbiX
#Diffuser #DIY #GavinHoey #Lighting #Noon #photography #Scrim #Sunlight
