How to Create Flattering Portraits in Harsh Sunlight

When you think of lighting for portraits in a flattering way, you probably do not immediately gravitate toward the harsh contrast of midday sun. However, you might be surprised by just what you can accomplish when shooting in the midday sun, and this great video tutorial will give you three helpful tips for creating better images with it. 

Coming to you from Lindsay Adler Photography, this awesome video tutorial will show you three helpful tips for creating better portraits when working with midday sun. Photographers often avoid this sort of light because it creates harsh contrast, but one great way to get around that is to simply diffuse it using a 5-in-1 reflector. This allows you to turn the sun into a soft and flattering, but still plentiful light source. On the other hand, you can simply embrace the hard light. Sure, it creates very different images than soft light, but on the other hand, that look can be just as good depending on the application. Check out the video above for the full rundown.

And if you would like to learn more about lighting portraits, be sure to check out "Illuminating The Face: Lighting for Headshots and Portraits With Peter Hurley!"

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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Lindsay Adler continues to be one of my favorites!