Photographing in Texas sun

[darktiger]

Okay what are the best settings/techniques(other than waiting) for outside between the hours of 10am-4pm when taking pics of people and white structures in the bright texas sunlight?

[johnastovall]

Originally Posted by darktiger

Okay what are the best settings/techniques(other than waiting) for outside between the hours of 10am-4pm when taking pics of people and white structures in the bright texas sunlight?

Wait. As John Shaw said in a video of his that's the time to be scouting locations to shoot later or the next morning.

It's not just the Texas sun but the sun anywhere.

[Andross]

If you absolutely have to....

1) Find shade. Anywhere. Shade will always give a soft even light - just be careful about blowing out the background.

2) Use fill flash. You will be able to balance the ambient exposure in the background while getting a nice even light in the foreground (your subject).

Overcast days, window light, and sweet light hour are still going to be the best looking shots in the end though...

[Marbean]

Most of the time I shoot with a Polarizer or I sometime use a neutral density filter by Hitech. I'm not one to wait.

Marvin

[johnastovall]

Originally Posted by Marbean

Most of the time I shoot with a Polarizer or I sometime use a neutral density filter by Hitech. I'm not one to wait.

Marvin

Give it a try sometime, waiting. You'll see much nicer and richer colors and shadows with the low sun angles of early morning or late evening.

[Gordon]

Shoot them in open shade.

Use a reflector to bounce some light in.

use fill flash.

But essentially 'wait' is the best solution.

[Bill]

The most important technique is to stay hydrated. You and everyone else. Really.

If you take a reading, as is, off a white building, remember that the meter thinks it is looking at a mid-gray subject. You will have to open it up 1-2 stops for it to look bright mid-day white and not gray. Bracket the exposures.

On the overexposure end, watch out for blown highlights. Chimp a lot if the LCD on back of camera shows hot spots. My D70 does and it is easy to use.

White buildings are all shades of white but you think they are all the same. If you want the building to look white, use it to set white balance, not a color card or gray card.

You can take advantage of that harsh downward light by looking for angles that would benefit. For example, white painted wood on a vertical wall can look pretty flat if light comes from the front. If light comes from above at a slight angle, you might be able to show some relief caused by the wood grain or multiple old coats of paint. Also works on brick, stucco, other low relief textures.

Top light can be used beneficially with polarizers, too, which give maximum effect at 90 degree angle from light source. If it is windy, you can get good saturated flag photos.

Look for sharp shadows to shoot.

It may be too bright and require too fast a shutter or stopping down too much. Use a low ISO. Use polarizer at minimal effect as a neutral density filter. May need a neutral or graduated neutral density filter to lower light levels.

May need highlight and shadow exposures that you then merge in Photoshop to capture bright and dark details.

May need a diffuser screen and reflector to soften the light on a person. Richard Avedon used the side of buildings in his great American West series. Look for broad overhangs in mid-day. Check out http://www.digitaljournalist.org/issue0406/wilson.html and definitely click on the Gallery link after the text. You will see Avedon and team at work.

And finally, hydrate.

Bill

[Russell]

I agree with everyone else and a flash or reflector is a great idea. However, if you have to shoot at midday, the sunny 16 rule is a good one:

f16 at a shutter speed that closest to your ISO setting. If you don't want to shoot at f16, you can adjust off this starting point.

-Russell

[JohnT]

Originally Posted by johnastovall

Wait. As John Shaw said in a video of his that's the time to be scouting locations to shoot later or the next morning.

It's not just the Texas sun but the sun anywhere.

Bryan Peterson says this as well. Maybe he got it from John, or maybe John got it from Brian. Or maybe neither.

[iCe]

I suppose it's too late to say wait?

How about.... go ahead and shoot... in the end you probably won't like the results but it will motivate you to go back and shoot again

[MyKey]

We use a lot of fill flash on ETTL under expose the subject by a stop in the camera and yes we shoot at f/2.8 ALL THE TIME even outdoors during the midday sun. The key is using fill flash and reflectors (if you like) to get the light where you need it.


"shamless plug alert"
This is some of the stuff we will be going over and allowing you the student hands on learning in our workshop (The Light Workshop). Real models with YOU shooting them in all lighting we can find so you make the mistakes in the workshop and when the time comes to capture the shot in real life, you will know what to do and how to get it.

[iCe]

Originally Posted by MyKey

We use a lot of fill flash on ETTL under expose the subject by a stop in the camera and yes we shoot at f/2.8 ALL THE TIME even outdoors during the midday sun. The key is using fill flash and reflectors (if you like) to get the light where you need it.


"shamless plug alert"
This is some of the stuff we will be going over and allowing you the student hands on learning in our workshop (The Light Workshop). Real models with YOU shooting them in all lighting we can find so you make the mistakes in the workshop and when the time comes to capture the shot in real life, you will know what to do and how to get it.

"shamless plug question"

When and where?

[Gordon]

If you don't want to wait though, the real key is to have a good understanding of how light is recorded on a camera - know how a shadow will look, know how light moves and be aware of shadows falling on the subject. Then put them in the best light available to you.

This picture that I posted in another thread was one I shot on a bright, clear Texas afternoon. Last Sunday about 3pm. Not a cloud in the sky. It's shot outdoors, without any light modification/ flash or reflectors. I just asked her to stand in the right place.

Now learning where 'the right place' and having the subjects facing the right direction takes a bit of sensitivity on your part to notice how light falls, how it curves in to shaded areas etc.

You can go a long way by looking at your hand in the light - noticing the light parts, the shadows and how that changes as you turn it - the same thing will happen to your subjects.