I'm just going to say it. Overhead mid-day sunlight - not the friend of the momtographer. With the exception perhaps of the middle of the night, if you can pick any other light in which to take portraits, pick it. But that's the thing about Momtography - our job is to document our kiddos lives... and sometimes we can't help the light. So our job is to take the big lemon in the sky and make photographic lemonade.
So why is it such a challenge? Well, think about the light of the midday sun - it streams down directly and harshly from above. If you could even see their eyes under those squinty eyelids, they would be made dark by the shadows cast by their brow bones. And wow, the contrast just isn't' pretty… is that a nose or a sundial?
Pro's use a combination of assistants with diffusers, fill-flashes and even photo tents to make up for the harsh harsh rays of the sun… but seriously, by the time you and your gang make it outside, aren't you lucky to just have a free hand for the camera?
So if you must shoot in the full-sun (and we know you must), here are four things to keep in mind.
FIRST - GET THE RIGHT EXPOSURE
On a bright sunny day, getting the right exposure is critical. With the contrast and light so bright, it's easy for the camera's program or half-manual settings to underexpose, so move your camera into manual and get ready to expose.
To do this, find a chunk of mid-horizon blue sky and meter for it. In other words, turn those cameras on manual, switch to spot metering, and make the mid-horizon blue sky read in the middle of your in-camera light meter. Think 45 degrees up from the horizon - half way between the horizon and the sun.
Start with your ISO at 100, your aperture at 16, and move your shutter speed up and down until the mid-horizon blue sky measures right in the middle of your camera's light meter.
Today - my shutter speed was at 400. Because we have white sand and water highlights AND I always want to err on the side of NOT over exposing, I moved my shutter speed just a little bit faster to 500. I'm pretty much going to set it and forget it as long as we're running around in the full sun!
SECOND - SHOOT FROM BELOW
Drop that momtush to the ground and get UNDER the action. When the alternative is squinting into the bright sunlight, your little one is going to instinctively look to the ground and make their own shade! Look for opportunities where they've shaded their ENTIRE face from the above sun, and dive in.
Little girls and their long locks make this easier! So what's a little boy momtog to do? Give em a chance to rock the bucket hat. They'll be so happy to see again, they won't argue.
THIRD - FIND SOME SHADE.
Determined to make a portrait? Okay cheater… find some shade!
Who doesn't want to go exploring under a pier, a boardwalk, a bridge, a slide, a tent, an umbrella, a porch, a well shaded tree…. (fill in any structure that serves to completely block the sun).
FINALLY - TAKE IT ALL IN
Why not forget about their face and capture the WHOLE scene? Practice your composition and tell the whole story, atmosphere and all.
