Shooting in midday can be quite intimidating, especially if you are new to photography and don’t know what you are doing. I remember when I first started out I had a heck of a time trying not to overexpose my photos. It’s not easy to just google the “perfect” settings you should use but it can be a great start. However, there are of many other factors you have to keep in mind to get that perfect shot. Here is what I learned through trial and error.

1. Get your settings out of Auto and into Manual.

   This is one of the best ways (and my personal favorite) to shoot during bright light. First I start with the “Sunny 16” rule and set my aperture to f/16. Setting it to this just basically means that you are estimating correct daylight exposures without a light meter. It can also aid in achieving the correct exposure for the lighting of difficult subjects. Moving on…

2. Set your ISO and your Shutter speed.

   The best way to explain this is if you are in direct sunlight and using an aperture of f/16, start with an ISO of 200. Your shutter speed would be 1/200 seconds. (For example, sometimes I’ll start with an ISO of 100 and shutter of 1/100) Don’t be afraid to take test shots and set your ISO and shutter speed to a slightly different setting. Afterall, art is in the eye of the beholder!

3. Move out of the sun!

   The next thing i like to do is find something to shadow the direct sun, thus creating a “softbox”. You can do this by placing your subject under a tree, or basically anything to “shadow” the sun a bit….clouds work well but if you don’t have that, think outside the box. Doing this simple step avoids harsh light and unwanted shadows on what you are shooting.

4. Use some sort of flash!

   Being a professional photographer, you know that you should be shooting with the sun behind your subject but sometimes we have no choice. When a client books for noon-sharp in the summertime you don’t really have an option to shoot with the sun behind them to create a well-lit subject. Using a flash can fill in the shadows that are created from harsh light. (Side note: depending on how far away you are from your subject your built-in flash may not do the trick. Opt for an external flash or strobes. I’ll post more on that later.

5. Reflectors.

   Another way to fill in the shadows caused by direct sunlight is to use a reflector. A great (and cheaper) way to do this is to purchase a white piece of poster-board from the store and place it at your feet, propped up against you at an angle to reflect light up to your subject’s face. This can take a few tries but once you get it down you are good to go!

6. Use a lens hood!

   If you have one, use it to prevent the sunlight from directly hitting your lens. If you don’t have one it is easy to shield the lens with your hand or even use a piece of paper to do so.

7. Get to know metering in your camera!

   Direct sunlight makes correct metering super duper tricky. In bright sunlight I choose spot metering mode on my DSLR and choose the main subject of the scene that I’m photographing to meter off. Pick a mid-tone area to meter from if you want everything to be exposed relatively well. Don’t forget to check each shot immediately to see if you need to adjust the setting. Don’t be afraid to take multiple shots while metering off of different parts of your scene so that you can choose the best one later. (Helpful hint: I like to meter off of skin to make the skin bright and flawless while everything else around it becomes properly exposed. This cuts down on editing especially if your subject’s skin is discolored in spots or has blemishes.)

Settings for this shot:

RAW

Aperture: f/16

ISO 100

1/100

Used metering off of her forehead.

Shaded under a tree using a white poster board at my feet. No flash.

In Photoshop CC I brought down my yellows -4, up on contrast +3, and down on neutrals -1.