As part of my on-going tagging of old photos, I came across folders of images I had recovered from a crashed hard drive.
They’re old – it was one of Sam’s birthday party (10th maybe?). And the thing that struck me was how nice the light was on everyone’s face. Smooth, even, soft – made all the kids look great.
Then I realized – it’s the shade. Yup, we were under a pavilion at a local school on a hot, blistering sunny day (like we’ve been having these past two weeks) and the light in the background of the pictures is harsh. But not under the pavilion. Any type of shade creates soft, beautiful light that is easy to photograph in and makes your subjects look GREAT.
So next time you are in bright sun look for the shade. It might be a building, a tree, a playground item, a beach umbrella – anything that will cast a large enough shadow and soften up that light.
Because even a 10 year old has to look good at the party!
Did you find this tip helpful? Leave a comment and let us know!
July 2, 2010
I am trying to learn how to use my Nikon D90 and one of the biggest issues I have (amongst MANY) is learning how to use light. I try to take photos in shade but they’re still not very good. I’m starting a photo class next week and I hope to learn some of this stuff there.
Creative Junkie´s last [type] ..Mod Podge isn’t just for gluing mammary glands together- you know
Yes, I found this tip very helpful. Thank you. I will be more aware of shade.
Great Tip. Makes great sense when you think about it.
Jackie
Awesome tip thanks so much.
Mary
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Great advice! The only thing I might add is to be careful of shooting in the shade of trees… our eyes can’t discern the green cast on everything, nor the mottling of the uneven light. But when we finally see those photos in real life, they often look awful!
Stefanie´s last [type] ..Imagine Your Story
Great tip Stefanie! many a picture has been ruined by the mottling of areas of bright sun showing through when using trees.
I always thought this was suppose to be a no no… to have your background washed out & everything else darker. Is that wrong or just a personal preference?
I know this can be a problem with indoor shots taken before a window.
What’s the rule of thumb, Stan? Or is it just want we ourselves like?
Certainly, I’d rather how my subjects show up regardless of the background. Ha!
Thanks, dude!!!
Well, I will give you that these shots are a little dark. But for these lessons we don’t correct anything – they are SOOC (Straight Out Of Camera). The background is so bright compared to the kids that there is no way you could expose and get both. But – I kind of like it with the backgrounds are blown out – it focuses your attention of the kids and not the background junk.
Very helpful – it is something I knew but had forgotten. Thanks for the reminder!
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