Okay, okay okay. Admittedly, this whole blogging thing has taken a back seat to motherhood. Who knew that being a mom would be so much work!? 😉

But seriously! Today, I want to talk about something that make photographers cringe – shooting in full sun. To be honest, I used to get clammy just thinking about it. I still laugh to my clients that anytime I can get you in shade, I generally take advantage of it. As a wedding photographer, I can’t guarantee that I will always have a pretty place, with glorious shade available to me, but I know that I need to deliver quality images no matter what the lighting situation is that I am dealt. Through shooting over 60+ weddings, I’ve learned some tips and tricks that make shooting in full sun MUCH easier.

We all have been in that situation where we don’t have shade, the first look is at noon, and we just….panic, but what if you didn’t have to? In this blog, we are going to talk about the three things I look for to make shooting in full sun gorgeous.

1. Find a solid background….

Buildings, dense trees – basically anything other than sky. This is going to keep your clients from having chromatic aberration – You know, those lovely purple halo’s?

2. Where the sun can be at your clients back…

By doing this, you are going to keep your clients from squinting, and having those dreaded dark under-eye shadows. But now, you may be worried that their face will be too dark, so that is where rule #3 comes in!

3. That has a natural, neutral reflector

Look for concrete, gravel, and type of material that will reflect back onto your clients faces. Be weary of grass, as it can reflect green, and black top, because it will reflect darkly.

Ultimately, it is our job as photographers to feel confident that we will return gorgeous images, regardless of the weather. Hopefully, these tips will help you feel more confident shooting in full sun! 🙂

Below are some images that were taken in full sun.

Here you can see the gravel is acting as our natural reflector, and the sun is at the girls backs.

Notice in this shot of Sandra, we have a solid background behind her, the sun is to her back. We can’t see the reflector, but the grass is acting as our natural reflector here!