Many beginner photographers imagine that the more light there is, the better it is for their photo. And usually these photographers take the most pictures in the middle of the day, rather than at the beginning or end.

What they don’t know is that it’s surest way to make a photo portrait with grimacing faces! And therefore a missed photo…

The Problem: Direct Sunlight = Grimace

Taking pictures in the middle of the day is not an evil in itself.

But too often, you don’t want to be bothered by the light and you put your back to the sun.

Result: your subject takes the sun in full face!

And this raw sunlight in the middle of the day is often an unpleasant light for him or her: whether it is a person or even a landscape.

Surely if you make a portrait, the person will make horrible contortions with his eyes and mouth trying  to be less dazzled by the sun. In any case, that’s a grimace!

Not only is direct sunlight a very white light, particularly dazzling, very harsh and with hard shadows. Which provokes very masculine emotions. But in addition, your subject will not be in his best disposition to release the emotions you feel in front of him.

So how to evoke the good emotions in your photo, so that you will be successful in spite of a blazing sun?

The Solution: Spin The Sun

You just have to reverse the positions!

Put the subject between you and the sun. Put your subject back to the sun and put yourself in front of the sun (or slightly offset).

Start by framing your subject without putting the sun in the picture to avoid misleading your camera’s auto exposure.

Your subject is then illuminated by 3 beautiful light sources:

• the diffuse light of the sky,
• the diffuse light reflected from the ground, and
• the backlight of the sun.

Moreover, this backlight creates a pretty rim light all around your subject. Something that makes your subject pop in your photo!

An extra string to your photographic bow to help you climb my 6-level creative pyramid!

What Do You Think?

Look at your latest photo portraits. What expressions had your subject? Where did you put the sun? Have you noticed in which position of the sun your subjects were the most comfortable in your photos?

Leave me your comment, I will answer with pleasure.

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