Full Sun by Becky Gardner
As photographers, we often refer to full sun as harsh light. But, the surprising thing is, we are the only ones to view full sun this way. Most people who walk outside their home at noon and see big blue skies and the sun shining say, “Oh, what a beautiful day!” What if we too started seeing full sun for what it really is- a beautiful day. Beautiful days where our stories keep unfolding, parades go marching by, pools and beaches are enjoyed, hiking adventures occur, and the little every day moments that we love to remember. So, here are some tips for capturing those Beautiful Day moments...
Go Big
My oldest leaping across the stones in a lake. ISO 100 f4 1/1250
SOOC
Go big--Big settings, big frames, and big stories. One nice thing about shooting on a beautiful day is you can capture all these stunning details. You can open up that f stop and capture mirror like reflections and stunning clarity in camera. Then, take the image in to lightroom and boost that dehaze slider, maybe brush on some texture- your image will thank you for it. For this shot, I was up on a bridge above a dam and used my 70-200 mm lens which I often like for the creamy background it gives, but when I open it up, it also does a fantastic job of capturing intricate details from very far away.
Unexpected Beauty
Blowing Bubbles on a flooded tennis court
When we open up our f stop and capture more detail, we capture all the details. There are no shadows to hide a messy room in, no bokeh to blur out strangers who wandered into our frame- it’s all out in the open. Embrace it. This is where good composition comes in to play. This was taken on a flooded court. Chain link fence in the background, top of a concession stand building visible, mismatched outfit, and well, it’s a tennis court. Not an ideal location by any stretch of the imagination. But, with a beautiful day mindset and seeing a story unfold, I got down low and captured his reflection and absolutely love this image.
Watching his bubbles float away
Walking around the court- letting the chain link fence work in my favor and give me some awesome lines and framing
Storytelling
Telling a great big story to a captive audience
As I said, when we open up our f stop, we capture more details, which is a perfect platform for some really good storytelling. Crisp focus on many levels adds life to the story we are sharing with our viewer. I shot these with an f5 so everyone in my image is in focus, all the way back to the trees. My composition takes your eye right to my dad in his bright white shirt waving his arms around telling the kids a funny story. In the left corner, you can see my mom putting her hands over her face because she knows the punchline. Go down the line and everyone is listening with rapt attention, especially my oldest Noah. Now, the next image- you can see my dad and Noah sharing a big belly laugh over the end of the story. That big beautiful sky and all the vivid colors just enhance a fun storytelling moment.
Sharing a big laugh, and oh that beautiful sky
Make No Apologies
f 9, 1/400 ISO 160 Watching the light shimmer on the water
Listen, I am not saying schedule a session at 1pm this week, but what I am saying is stop worrying about shooting during full sun. Embrace the beautiful day you have been given, up your f stop, compose, and capture the stories unfolding throughout your day. As photographers one of the gifts we give the world is transforming the ordinary into a thing of beauty. What’s more ordinary than the middle of the day? So, boldly go out and document all the beautiful days with your beautiful people.
Watching the waves on a chilly June beach day, 1/1600 f2.8 ISO 100
Troubleshooting
Blown out sky- up your aperture and go to a higher f stop. I like to meter down when I shoot in full sun since a little underexposure is easier to fix in post.
My sky looks awesome, but my subject is too dark- have them turn towards the light or lift their face up just a bit. Since you are exposing for the sky they will be darker SOOC, but then in post you can apply a radial filter and bring up the shadows and exposure on them.
When I took the picture the sky was a pretty blue, but it looks gray or white in camera- Use a linear filter in lightroom. I like to slide down the highlights, exposure and temp and drag it down until it meets the horizon. Then, I use the range mask (it will light up after you apply the linear brush), and slide the slider to the right so only my brightest parts of the images get toned down.
27mm f 2.8 1/1250 iso 100- little explorers
I thought my f stop was higher when I took this, but thankfully my aperture was turned up
About Me
I am a mom of four, ages 6-13. We live in Eastern Pennsylvania and love being outside. I shoot with a Nikon d750- if you are under 5 feet I can’t recommend this camera enough because the screen pops out and you can move it all around. Really helpful for shooting above your subject, and for low point of view, I can tilt the screen up to see what I am shooting. I have a 24-70mm, 70-200mm, and 50 1.8 mm lens, all nikkor. You can follow me on Instagram @becky_gardner_ and on facebook at my business page Becky Gardner Memories