How to deal with strong sunlight in photography

Some photographers avoid taking pictures in sunlight, especially if it is very intense. However, especially when traveling and at family celebrations, you can rarely wait for the ideal lighting conditions. There are tricks and tools you can use to overcome the lighting challenges in such situations, achieve perfect photos and consciously use the light for stylistic effects.

In bright sunshine, there is a risk of overexposure. In this case, the colors appear faded and details are lost. This can often not be satisfactorily corrected by subsequent image editing. Excessive contrasts and hard shadows are also often the result of bright sunlight, especially at midday. This may be intentional, but is not always appropriate.

Sun behind or outside the picture

There are several ways to counteract the problems caused by strong sunlight. It often helps to keep the sun out of the picture. If the subject and the desired composition allow it, take a photo with your back to the sun. In this case, pay attention to your own shadow. You may want to deliberately place it in the photo. But sometimes it can be distracting.

If you are photographing people from the front, this method is not ideal. This is because the sun shines on your model's face and causes glare, which often results in squinted eyes or tense facial expressions. The subjects may be able to look in a different direction, but this is not always desirable.

When the sun is very high, unflattering shadows often appear under the nose and eyes. A diffuser is a suitable aid here. It scatters the sunlight and softens it. You can also take the sun out of the picture without standing with your back to it. Perhaps there is a building that obscures it. Or you can choose a smaller image section that excludes the sun.

Backlit photography - the challenges of lighting

Shooting in sunlight can also be successful if you take photos against the sun. This is not easy, but it can solve some of the problems that occur in bright light. The advantage of backlighting in portrait photography is that the skin tone appears natural and there are no harsh shadows on the face. The facial features remain relaxed as the person is not dazzled.

Shooting against the sun, however, often has the effect that the sky is very bright but the foreground is too dark. In this case, a reflective surface can help to better illuminate the subject. This may already be available in a natural form, for example as a white house wall. You can also use a reflector, which is available to buy especially for such purposes.

Lens flare often occurs in backlit photography. These are colorful spots caused by light reflection. This effect may be intentional. However, if you want to reduce or prevent it, use a lens hood or lens shade.

Camera settings for taking pictures in sunlight

With the automatic mode of your camera, you will often not get satisfactory results in strong sunlight and especially in backlit photography. To overcome the challenges posed by the lighting, switch to manual mode. This allows you to adjust the camera settings more precisely to the respective lighting situation and experiment a little.

If possible, use spot metering when taking pictures in sunlight to determine the best exposure. To do this, select a bright area of the image, for example the face in a portrait photo.

From this you can derive suitable combinations of aperture value, shutter speed and ISO value. The individual settings depend on what you want to achieve. For example, with a low f-number, the subject is sharp and the background less so. A low ISO value prevents unwanted image noise. Try out which settings lead to the desired result.

Filters and image processing

A tool that is often used for taking pictures in sunlight is the gray or ND filter. This reduces the amount of light and therefore also overexposure without distorting the colors. You simply attach it to the lens. The filters are available in different strengths.

Unwanted glare and reflections, for example on water surfaces, snow and glass panes, also occur frequently in bright sunshine. A polarizing filter helps to prevent or reduce this.

Slight overexposure can be corrected with subsequent image processing and further optimizations can also be implemented. Programs such as Photoshop, Lightroom or PhotoDirector offer many options for this. When taking photos, save your images in RAW format. This contains more image information than the JPEG format, which improves the possibilities for post-processing.

Use the sun for creative effects

Strong sunlight not only leads to lighting challenges, but also offers opportunities. This is because you can consciously use the special features of these lighting conditions for certain effects.

This makes it possible to emphasize contrasts. You can either use these for the image composition and direct the eye, or you can work out details that are particularly visible in these lighting conditions. This is why bright sunlight is also well suited to macro photography. Do you like taking black and white photos? Sunshine also offers the best conditions for this due to the stronger contrasts.

You can also use shadows and reflections for your image composition to achieve creative effects. Deliberately incorporate shadows from trees, plants, walls or fences into your photos, as well as reflections from glass panes and water surfaces. Experiment with different perspectives and image sections to achieve different results.

Conclusion: good photos possible in bright sunlight

Taking photos in bright sunlight can be a challenge, but with the right techniques, tools and camera settings, it is not a problem. What's more, these lighting conditions create special moods and effects that you can use deliberately. Experiment a little with the tips and tools mentioned. The sun can help you achieve impressive results.

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