Photography Techniques: Taking Good Portraits on a Sunny Day

Taking portraits in a natural setting has become quite popular with couples. Done are the days were people and families get their pictures taken on boring backdrops in a studio. Location photography is getting so popular that many photographers find themselves having to shoot in conditions that they may not usually consider, such as direct light.

Using shade, whether it be from a structure, trees, or an umbrella, can help to even out the lighting. It keeps from creating harsh highlights on the face and nose, while providing some options for fill using a reflect or flash.

Whether you use a disk, or have the subject hold an umbrella, using a diffuse helps to even out the light and keep your subjet from squinting. A white diffuser works best, as it doesn't change the color of your subject. If you do use a different color umbrella, make sure you also make use of a grey card to get the right white balance for the composition of your photograph.

Study studio lighting and the different techniques. If you know how to use short lighting, broad lighting, and Rembrandt lighting styles, you can use the sun as the main light source. Using a fill flash or a reflector in order to fill out the shadows, as needed.

One of the biggest problems with direct sunlight is that you subjects tend to squint. To keep from having squinty eyed photos, have the subject close their eyes until you are ready to take the picture. Count to three, have them open, wait a moment, then snap the photo. This helps to ensure that you will get open eyes!