ihpoc Photography Short Series - My Favorite Tips of the Trade #8

 Here is tip number eight from my favorite photography tips of the trade:

#8 You never want to shoot in the open sun at high noon. NEVER! The harsh light blinds the people and they get squinty eyes. It also leaves harsh shadows on their faces. The solution to shooting in the middle of the day, if your schedule only allows this time to work, is to shoot in open shade like the picture above. Trees, buildings, fences, etc. can make great shade to shoot in. You loose the bright sun problem and no one has a shadow cast on their face. I have found that taking pictures of children means that sometimes you need to work around their napping or meal schedule. Also shooting weddings has led to that same challenge since few weddings are scheduled around the perfect sunlight. Because of that, shade can work well.

Ideally if you could choose a perfect time to take someone's pictures, the sun going down light is sooooo beautiful. Some like the sun rise light too, but I am not an early riser, so I truly haven't experienced that before. The picture above was taken during that magic time when the sun is setting and yet it is providing plenty of back light. It is warm and lovely. The picture above also shows the sun as a lovely rim around her head, which is also so visually appealing. 

I hope you enjoy looking for the perfect lighting to do your photo shoots in. Watch for great scenes and beautiful light!

Thanks for letting me share my favorite tricks of the trade. It has been fun to look back and remember the path I have walked to get where I am today. I really can't wait to look back at my next five years!