How To Shoot in Harsh Light
Nothing says buzzkill on a wedding day for a photographer quite like some harsh light. It makes you start to question everything you have ever learned, known, or experienced as a photographer- and truly does test you. Unfortunately, wedding days generally have you taking photos at some point mid day when the sun is out and right overhead (mmm yum) So what do you do? Here are some tips for how to shoot in harsh light to take to your next wedding day with you!
This was on a rooftop in Seattle on a sunny and clear summer day. I put them under an overhang for most of their photos for nice even lighting on their skin tones.
1. DON’T
If at all possible, don’t. You will thank yourself later. If you can find any sliver of soft shade or coverage from the harsh light- do it. It’s hard to explain this to a couple (or a couple’s family) on a wedding day. Especially if you have something like a waterfront venue (obviously- they want the water in the background) But I do explain it to them, because I want them to know that if we shoot out there, there may be weird shadows, blemishes tend to stand out more, lines and wrinkles show more, etc etc etc. They should know- and usually my explanation has them opting for the shrubbery background where they are all evenly exposed. I will also offer that the immediate family can come back out during golden hour for that shot!
This was a summer wedding in Lake Chelan, WA on an incredibly HOT day. You can see in the window reflections how bright it was behind us. This doorway provided us even shade and enough space for group photos.
2. FIND SHADE
Mentioned above, but look around. Are there any buildings, trees, large objects that can give you some shade to place your subjects in? USE IT.
Bigger groups tends to be a hard time finding shaded spots on mostly open venues, so putting their back to the sun you can see their faces are evenly lit.
3. PUT THE SUN TO THEIR BACK
When there is no shade possible, I will typically put the sun behind my subjects. This is the easiest option for harsh mid day lighting. Still trying to expose for some evenness on their faces. You want to mostly avoid having those shadows that fall across their face- under the eyes, under their nose, etc.
This ceremony spot was in direct light- exposing for the couple’s faces and skin- and not letting the camera choose exposure settings.
4. SHOOT IN MANUAL
You should be shooting in manual all of the time- but especially in harsh sun light. The light can be confusing for your camera to read if you are in auto. It will try to compensate for all of the light coming in, and will likely underexpose your subject. So manually expose for your subject’s face. You’ll want to drop your ISO all the way down.
In direct sunlight, poses with them interacting and facing each other are great for hiding shadows. Also shooting wide and capturing the landscape.
5. POSING CUES
Lastly, if shooting in direct sunlight opt for poses where they are engaging with each other and not looking directly at you. Get them walking, looking at each other, moving so we are less focused on the shadows and more focused on the movement in the photo. Remind them to turn into the sun, so you don’t have half sun and half shadow subjects. Also it can be helpful to constantly do a 3-2-1 countdown so they know to keep their eyes open. This is a great time for more candid moments or landscape shots.