As a previous post on DPS by Jim M. Goldstein pointed out, photography is all about light. Most photographers know the best times for photographing are just after sunrise and before sunset. The light is more pleasing and generally easier to work with and those times of day have been given the name Golden Hour. While they are the best times of day to be out shooting, what about the rest of the day, especially the times right around high noon? During those hours the light from the sun is more direct and harsh, bleeding out colors and leaving images flat or blown out.

What is there to be done about this less than perfect light around midday? First, it’s a great time to scout locations for sunset or sunrise photos. Second, it’s also a great time to take a siesta. But if you’re short on time in your location and want to keep shooting, the following tips may help you capture better images in the middle of the day.

Read more: http://digital-photo...n#ixzz1xEsw7NZk

The intensity of the tropical sun can present challenges to midday photography. Sure, you can wait for better light, but life goes on during these hours, and learning the techniques for shooting in the bright sun means it won't go unrecorded.

How to take photos in bright sun

April 30, 2009

by Emily Price

Summer is very quickly coming upon us. If you find yourself hanging out in the sun and snapping a few shots this summer, here are some tips on how to take excellent pictures in bright sunlight.

Shoot With Your Subject Facing the Sun

OK, so you don’t want to take a picture of a person facing right into the sun. Obviously what you’ll end up with is a potentially nice looking shot of your subject squinting or with their eyes closed. If you’re taking a picture of a stationary object however try to stand with your back facing the sun, and your subject being lit by it. When your subject is facing the sun they’ll be less shadows than if

Use a Polarizing Filter

A Polarizing filter will work sort of like sunglasses for your camera. If you’re shooting with an SLR (or any other camera with a lens that can accept a polarizing filter) then buying one can be an excellent investment in your photos.

Full article: http://photo.blorge.com/2009/04/30/photo-tutorial-taking-photos-in-bright-sunlight/

I use a polarizing filter a lot, but when the sun is right overhead they're practically useless. In these cases I find a warming filter helps slightly.

If the object is close I use the flash while taking photos in the daylight so that the shadowed parts are not so dark.

At high noon I bury myself in the shade of buildings or trees and work from there. Usually i get the subject to face the open area so they get a higher level of ambient with a lower amount of colour cast. You have to watch for green reflections from foliage and other colours coming off buildings. A gray card can help a lot in these situations.

Here is a sample of a shot I took using this method. It was incredibly sunny and hot, so I just moved her back into the shadows until liked the light on her face and in her eyes. You can see the sun blowing out areas of the background.

To my mind there are three elements to this kind of photo - light, composition and 'the moment'. Light is fairly easy to control once you practice.

That's a beautiful shot.