It is glorious outside today. Blue skies. Face-melting warmth. Beautiful.
Admittedly, I'm inside behind a computer, but who's going to complain if I go and step outside for a while later?
But what if I were outside shooting today? The sun might seem lovely, but in the middle of the day it can upset poor cameras (the light is too bright and the shadows too dark! And unlike your eyes, the camera can't adjust to both in the same image...). Plus, your subject will be squinting. I've mentioned before the benefits of shade, but here's a portable shade suggestion.
Hats!
It's sunny, so you should be wearing a hat anyway. (Not least because they look cool...) And a hat gives you beautiful shade over your face. So pop a hat on your subject and snap away. Play with angles, play with the hat, and get a series of fun (and shaded) shots! Enjoy!
Pro-tip: if your faces are still a little dark because of the light background, try:
- Moving in closer so that the face fills more of your frame (your camera should expose correctly
- Increasing the brightness of the image in your camera (increasing Exposure Compensation, if you have that; or dragging the brightness slider on your iPhone or Android [click and hold on your focus spot, then slide upwards directly (iPhone) or on the slider (Android) - both according to the factory cameras tested just now!]
- Taking a wider shot with more bright sky, and creating a silhouette (see above)