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Mid day photography
Jul 27, 2017 14:08:40 #
We always talk about the magic hours around sunrise and sun set where the light is flat and the photo opportunities are great. But what about the mid day with the harsh lighting? Are there any interesting photo challenges that we can persue during that time period?
Jul 27, 2017 14:24:19 #
Macro shooting as the time of day doesn't matter as much.
Jul 27, 2017 14:40:55 #
AFPhoto wrote:
We always talk about the magic hours around sunrise and sun set where the light is flat and the photo opportunities are great. But what about the mid day with the harsh lighting? Are there any interesting photo challenges that we can persue during that time period?
Use an ND filter which can block out up to 10 stops of light allowing for slow exposures, smoothing waterfalls, running streams and clouds traveling across the sky. Shoot in the shade or under a cloudy sky. Shade and clouds soften the harsh light. Use fill flash to lighten shadows on people subjects. Use High speed flash with the sun behind your subject (open your aperature and raise your shutterspeed until you get a good ambient exposure and then turn your shutter a stop or two faster and use high sync capable flash to light your main subject and avoid the silhouette effect.. Hope that helps..
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Jul 27, 2017 14:50:00 #
AFPhoto wrote:
We always talk about the magic hours around sunrise and sun set where the light is flat and the photo opportunities are great. But what about the mid day with the harsh lighting? Are there any interesting photo challenges that we can persue during that time period?
There is no better time to shoot landscape that include water, where the azure color is at it's height.
Shooting people is not a good idea at that time. While you CAN use fill flash, people will still be squinting and shiny skin remains a problem. Under those conditions it is best to shoot with the sun at the backs of the subjects, and use fill flash, but that is less desirable than using a large reflector. I use a 4'x8' that folds in half, made of rigid insulation board, white on one side, silver krinkle on the other. The light is much more flattering than a tiny little speedlight.
I don't like to shoot flowers at that time. I get my best results early or when there is an overcast sky. However, you can get good results using one of those 7 in 1 collapsible reflectors, and use the translucent part which I hold over the flowers. I have an Impact 42 x 72, that also has a chroma green and chroma blue for easy masking and compositing.
Sometimes you don't have a choice, so you make the best of it.
Jul 27, 2017 15:29:02 #
Thank you all. These sound like fun things to do. I look forward to trying them.
Jul 28, 2017 05:30:13 #
wdross
Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado
AFPhoto wrote:
We always talk about the magic hours around sunrise and sun set where the light is flat and the photo opportunities are great. But what about the mid day with the harsh lighting? Are there any interesting photo challenges that we can persue during that time period?
The mid day photography is best done with a polarizer. This will cut some of the contrast and saturate colors a little. You should always be looking for photo opportunities and how to remove any distracting features from any shot.
Jul 28, 2017 05:39:21 #
It happens a lot that you will get blown highlights and deep shadow areas under those conditions. Do HDR photography to deal with that. Photomatix HDR is an excellent program for that. You can download Photomatix Essentials or Pro from their website.
Jul 28, 2017 05:56:53 #
Thanks to everyone. I have wondered how to take decent photos mid-day. Many times, you don't have a choice. It's then or not at all.
Jul 28, 2017 06:03:31 #
With practise you will find that your mid day (bright sun) photos will be more dramatic - with inky shadows and strong hi-lites - if contrast is too much reduce this in camera. Mid day (cloudy bright) brightens shadows and tones down hi-lites - I have found this to be good general purpose lighting. PP can still create an illusion of sunshine to cloudy bright pics if you so wish.
Jul 28, 2017 06:19:55 #
Jul 28, 2017 08:40:04 #
We had a pro waterfowl and nature photographer at a club meeting some years ago, and the same question was posed to him. His answer, paraphrased', was "yes, early morning and evening light is probably better than midday, and if you restrict yourself to those times, you will miss a lot of good shots; shoot it when you and it there. Don't worry about the results; it can be improved in PP." [ed. comment] The bird or kid fishing won't be there four of five hours later, and unless you have more patience than most, neither will you!
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Jul 28, 2017 08:44:01 #
Jul 28, 2017 08:50:22 #
AFPhoto wrote:
We always talk about the magic hours around sunrise and sun set where the light is flat and the photo opportunities are great. But what about the mid day with the harsh lighting? Are there any interesting photo challenges that we can persue during that time period?
Peterson recommends swimming pools from 10:00 til 2:00.
Jul 28, 2017 09:02:16 #
Thanks to all. these were great tips on creative things to do in mid day photography. I look forward to trying them
Jul 28, 2017 09:34:00 #
Experiment, Photograph in different lighting conditions and learn whats works for you
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