Embracing Full Sun Photography | by Angie Mahlke
Capturing stunning photographs in full sunlight can be both challenging and incredibly rewarding. Whether you're shooting people enjoying a sunny day on the beach or breathtaking sights out in nature, such as flowers and landscapes, the harsh light of the sun presents both opportunities and obstacles. Here are some valuable tips on embracing full sun photography and elevate your photography game under these bright conditions.
Tips for Photographing in Full Sun:
Go Faceless
Full sun isn’t the best light for portraits because of the harsh shadows. Consider taking faceless shots instead. You can tackle this approach in a few ways: photograph them from behind or at a distance, or use a creative crop that doesn’t include their heads.
If you do decide to include faces, look for natural shade from buildings or trees to diffuse the harsh sunlight. This helps in reducing strong contrasts and prevents your subjects from squinting.
Get In On The Action
Capture subjects in motion, whether it is your kids or animals or even nature blowing in the wind. Action shots allow you to embrace that harsh light without worrying about those pesky shadows. Capture your kids running through a sprinkler or building a sandcastle—embrace the fun vibes that come with this bright time of day.
Get Creative
Full sun is a great time to get creative. Experiment with shadows and silhouettes to create dramatic effects.
Shadows can be subjects themselves and become part of the narrative. Think shadowed people on the side of a building or long shadows walking down the road.
When shooting against the sun, embrace silhouettes to create striking outlines of people, trees, mountains, or wildlife. Make sure your subject remains recognizable instead of becoming a black blob.
Look For Patterns & Textures
Full sun enhances patterns and textures in natural elements. Look for subjects with natural textures like rocks, bark, leaves, or architectural details. Get close, experiment with different angles, and emphasize these details. The sun will bring out the intricacies of these surfaces.
Getting Technical
Set yourself up for success by using the appropriate camera settings.
Shooting in RAW format retains more information and gives you greater flexibility in post-processing. RAW files allow for easier correction of issues, such as overexposed highlights, lost details in shadows, and white balance problems during post-processing.
Be sure to use the lowest ISO setting to reduce your camera’s light sensitivity. Additionally, you can control the amount of light reaching the sensor by adjusting to faster shutter speeds and a narrower aperture.
Remember to pay attention to your camera settings while shooting. Slight movements of you or the subject can alter the way the light affects the image, which means you need to be vigilant on having the correct settings. Nothing is worse than being excited about your photos to discover the light changed but you forgot to adjust your camera settings, leaving you with an over or underexposed image. Consider slightly underexposing to retain details in highlights and adjust white balance to compensate for the warmth of the sunlight.
Photographing in full sun requires creativity and adaptability. Whether you're capturing the fun vibes of a bright, sunny day or the beauty of a natural landscape, these tips will help you make the most of challenging lighting conditions. Remember, practice makes perfect—so get out there, experiment, and develop your own unique style under the sun!
Most of the day happens in the full sun hours. Don’t be afraid to get out with your camera and embrace that harsh light!
I happen to love shooting in full sun. Perhaps that's my own personal unpopular opinion. Feel free to check out all my bright and sunny images on Instagram at @angie_mahlke.
