"Moooooooooommmmmmmmmmm, it's too BRIGHT!!!"

My daughters all have sensitive eyes...

I mean, their eyes literally start to water the minute they hit the outdoors on a sunshiney day...We've invested in sunglasses and hats to help...but, I'm sad to say, they are just going to end up with eye wrinkles when they get older because in full sun, their eyes resemble slits on their faces instead of actual eyeballs...

Some of you know what I'm talking about...you've tried to get pictures at the park, or at the fair, or even on the beach in the summer and everyone is squinting or there are hot spots or racoon eyes...

What can you do?  Do you just skip out on midday picture taking fun?  Do you just resolve in your mind that you aren't going to get any "good" pictures of your kids during the hours of 10am to 5pm any particular day unless you are indoors?

Ummmm...Heck to the NO!!!

Here are some tips that I believe will help you as you determine to capture the lives of your kids, in any situation...whether it be swimming in the sunshine, playing at the park, playing an outdoor sport...

It takes a little preparation on your part and of course some practice, but these "micro" adjustments can have "macro" results on your final images!

Here we go:

1. SPOT METER:  This means to set your metering to SPOT.  Canon & Nikon have different metering options...you can read THIS post for more information about that. Spot metering forces your camera to just measure the light that you need to expose for your subjects FACE only...it won't take into account, the bright sun/blinding light...it only reads on your subjects face.  This may cause you to adjust your settings such that it blows out that background, but at least you won't end up with silhouette pictures and you'll be able to SEE the smiles from the moment!

2. RE-POSITION: Sometimes this refers to YOU and sometimes it refers to the SUBJECT.  If you are taking pictures specifically, you can reposition your subjects...for example, if there isn't necessarily a "moment" happening, but rather you are documenting the "characters" of your story, you can move them (continue reading the other tips) OR you can move yourself...You may have to shoot right into the sun, and maybe even use your lens hood or hand to block the sun into your lens (sort of like the visor in your car).  You want to have your subject turn AWAY from the sun.  This helps to avoid the half & half shadows on faces or even the racoon eyes that the harsh light can cause.



3. TRY TO FIND SHADE/FILTER/BLOCK LIGHT SOURCE:  If you are in an area where there is shade, go to the edge of it.  You don't want to go into a cave or so far into shade that you lose the authentic color and lightness of the environment...Use trees or structures to filter the light OR to actually BLOCK the harshness of the light...You still are able to get the beautiful rays, but without the harsh spot causing hazy halos or the inability of the camera to focus on anything.


4. LOOK FOR NATURAL REFLECTORS: You probably have recognized that indoors, it's easier to take a picture in a room painted a light khaki or pale yellow or even white as opposed to a dark red or brown room.  It's because walls become natural reflectors of light...it's the same outdoors in full sun.  If you are in a shady spot, you don't want dark photos because everything is contrasted so drastically...so look for natural reflectors, with your back to the sun or under a tree...find light colored sidewalks or a pond or even a building with light colored siding...use what is around you to naturally give you the light you need.

5. WATCH FOR HOT SPOTS, RACOON EYES AND HALF/HALF SHADOWS: I mentioned this a little bit before in my #2...be aware of the light as it hits your subjects.  You won't be happy with the final result if everyone has "black eyes" or if one eye is shut on the sunshine side of the face...Be ever aware of the direction of the light, the angle at which it falls...

The easiest times of day to shoot are typically early morning and then just before sunset.  The sun isn't at full force, so squinting is rare, but the light is soft and yet bright enough to give you the glow that you love...HOWEVER, "moments" don't always revolve around OUR time schedule...so be watchful and prepared so that you can not just capture moments, but capture them in a way that is meaningful and tells a story!

Enjoy!!!