Full Sun by Murielle Cascone
My gear:
Sony Alpha a7iii
24-70mm f2.8
20mm f1.8
85mm f1.4
This is the light most of us can actually shoot in and it’s the one the most intimidating! It’s not
most photographers’ fave light for so many reasons. But really there are ways to start
appreciating this light.
What we like:
So many fun activities happen in full sun, especially in the summer when the sun sets late: beach days, pool time, park visits, farm visits…
Very low ISO can be used! If you don’t like grain, chances are, you won’t get any
Beautiful blue skies with puffy clouds can be captured
Editorial portrait look can be achieved in full sun!
What we fear:
Harsh light
Eye squinting
Blown highlights and hot spots
Shadows, shadows, shadows!! Harsh shadows. Yours and your subject’s
A bit harder to edit
Full sun is part of our daily lives. To be a well-rounded photographer, I believe we should try to
embrace shooting in full sun. Whatever camera you are using, you can get beautiful results in
full sun. And the more light you have, the better most cameras focus and perform in general.
Even your phone cameras!
Shooting tips:
Properly expose for the subject’s face.
If taking a portrait, avoid squinting eyes, so re-position your subject so their back is to the sun. Otherwise, use open shade area (trees, building…)
For portraits, shoot for side light or back light.
Have your subject wear sunglasses if possible.
If using open shade, watch for hot (white blown) spots on your subject’s body.
A great idea when shooting in full sun is to shoot wide! Use your wide angle lens and shoot for
storytelling and documenting, that way, no one is looking at the camera squinting and you
shoot the whole scene with the big blue sky! On a beautiful day, you can have beautiful puffy
clouds!
When it comes to shadows, the rule is to watch where they fall. Are they flattering? Are they
telling a story? If not, try to avoid them. Re-position your subject or move yourself (if your own
shadow is in the way). When shadows fall on your subject’s face, ensure that it’s flattering and
not weird and choppy with hot (blown) spots. Is your own shadow in the photo? Sometimes it’s
hard to avoid that but you can always edit it out in post. For a creative self-portrait though (solo
or with your family), add your shadow! If close to interesting lines and shapes, or trees, add
them to your photos for creativity and interest.
Reflections: you can get fun water reflections in full sun. Use that for some creativity!
In post-production, my personal full sun editing tips are:
Reducing my exposure if necessary
Reducing the highlights. Sometimes, I reduce it all the way!
Reducing the whites
Adding a bit more contrast
As professional photographers, we sometimes get clients who request midday photo sessions.
If you can convince your clients to move their sessions to later in the day, great! If that’s not
possible, then don’t worry and do your best! Shoot with the sun behind them and expose for
their faces.
Now, it’s time to practice! Like everything else in life, the more you do something, the more
comfortable you become. Don’t let summer pass you by because documenting in full sun is so
daunting. Embrace it and have fun!
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