TIPS FOR SHOOTING IN SUNLIGHT

SUN LIT WINTER DAYS

Gosh I’ve missed sunshine. There’s something so uplifting and magical about a clear day and sunshine beaming down. It makes me happy, and more than anything it transforms photography. There’s nothing worst than a dull grey day when shooting for my blog, it can completely ruin a shot, in contrast a little sunshine can make the whole world of difference. This weekend we were lucky enough to have a brief glimpse of sunlight before the snow fell (go figure), and so I made the most of the occasion for a little #ootd feature.

This outfit is something I wore on Saturday for a day spent pottering around Nottinghill, indulging in some serious tasty patisserie with my family & generally enjoying the crisp, bright winter day. My outfit for the occasion was basic, a classic weekend throw on for me, MOM jeans, an oversized knit jumper & a simple, box cut wool coat.

MY TIPS FOR SHOOTING IN SUNLIGHT

The best thing about photography is that there’s no right or wrong way to shoot, it’s a creative expression and so originality, experimentation, personality and passion are what makes a photo shine. When it comes to mastering photography, knowing how to use your camera to capture what you want is the first step ( I’ve shared a few of my best photography tips on this topic already, you can read these here , here, here & here). But secondly, I think just having fun, testing things out and playing around are the key to capturing that special moment & getting a photo that really does tell a story all by itself.

I always find shooting in sunshine such fun, there’s so much magic in the sun beams you can capture, the shadows you can play with, and generally just the beautiful bright light a sunny day brings. Lighting is obviously key to capturing a quality, high res image with limited noise disturbance (low ISO, yes please), but it’s also a fabulous asset in creating interesting and magical looking shots too. It’s not often we get a sunny day in London, so whenever we do i’m always keen to try and shoot photos for my blog, and I have a few little tips and ideas that help me shoot in sunlight which I thought I’d share today.

First of all, as I mentioned, sunlight and bright light means we can shoot on a low ISO, I always try and keep my ISO around 100 – 200 when the lighting is good as it helps create a really sharp, focussed shot which I love in my own photography.

Whilst exceptionally bright sunshine can be tricky to shoot in (shadows / blur / focus etc), it can help create the most wonderful magical shots as capturing sun beams always adds a lovely vintage feel to photos. Not to mention a little pop of colour if you really get it right.

Whilst certain shadows on your subject are really not ideal nor flattering, when your shooting in sunlight think about where the sun sits in relation to your subject and play around with the shadows to create a variety of affects. Whether it’s your subject’s back to sunlight (like mine here), your subject facing sunlight (watch for squinting eyes), or even a good mix and using shadows for effect or creating a sultry or dark mood.

Shooting in sunlight can be even more creative when you play around with certain times of the day, whether it’s dawn or sunset (golden hour), or the midday sunshine, the effect you can create is so varied it’s really worth experimenting. Late afternoon sun (much like when I was shooting in these pictures) has a lovely soft, warm, orange glow to it, making it a lovely backdrop for photography. Having said that some of my favourite pictures are shot just before mid day sunshine (10-11am), shooting into the sun with the subject protected by it’s own shadow – it’s one of my favourite street style styles.

For me sunlight is a great opportunity for experimentation, whether that’s with photography style, composition, angles or even subjects. Play around with day parts, shade, sunlight, exposure levels. Often the best photos are accidental, and it’s just a case of playing around to try and capture the perfect shot, keep moving, keep adjusting your settings, keep trying new locations, back drops & shadow styles.  When it comes to playing with sunlight, patience is also key, wait for the perfect moment, whether it’s a cloud passing so you get a less exposed shot, or equally the sun shifting behind buildings for dramatic affect, be patient with your experimenting

I’d love to hear your tips and advise for shooting into sunlight? What’s your favourite time of day & conditions to shoot in?