This digital photography tip is about photographing people and how to get better lighting for your subject.
The most common thing new photographers want to do when photographing people is to make use of the sun to light them. In actual practice though, this is the exact opposite of what you want to do. The first thing to get a more flattering photo of a person outdoors is to get them out of the sun, and put them into the shade. This will give you nicer, more even lighting and stop them from squinting.
The Sun Creates Hard Lighting
In a recent post about how to find good lighting for photography, I discussed hard and soft lighting.
Putting the model into bright sunlight and how that is a “hard light” source which creates harsh shadows, makes [the subject] squint, and is generally not flattering for most people because it accentuates every flaw, bump, and wrinkle on their face.
The sun is not flattering. For best results, get your subject out of the sun and into the shade.
Cheers,
