Light and Shadow
/When I started taking pictures, the one thing that I was most worried about was my subject. I thought that as long as I had something interesting in front of me, It would be easy to snap a good picture. As it pertained to my kids, I was most concerned with simply getting them to look at the camera at the same time and give me a halfway decent expression. While those things are important, it's really only part of the battle.
The position of the sun is one of the most crucial elements of your outdoor pictures, and the time of day can drastically change the quality of light you get. The hour right after sunrise or the hour just before sundown usually gives you great light. It's generally a good idea to go out and shoot at those times, but what if you find yourself wanting to take a picture and it just so happens to be the middle of the day?
Big Sur, California
Here's a picture of my kids taken with the sun right overhead. I love this photo because of the memories it captures. It's a great location and they both stayed still long enough for me to get them in front of a beautiful backdrop, but do you notice the effect of the light on this picture? The sun was casting some really harsh light resulting in some severe shadows cast on their faces. If you look back at some of your own family snapshots, I bet you'll notice this effect taking place in many pictures taken during the middle of the day. So what can you do to neutralize this undesirable look?
Oak Canyon Nature Center, CA
There are many solutions available, but one of the easiest things you can do is simply move into the shade. It sounds simplistic, but just look at the result. Here's another picture of my kids that I took recently right around noon. We went out on a short hike and I found a spot under some trees. There was more than enough ambient light around, but the shade eliminated all of the harshness of the direct sunlight. The light is even and there aren't any shadows cast on them at all. You might not always be able to find a spot like this, but being mindful of the way the light is affecting your subject can go a long way in improving your image. Now grab your camera and go!
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