Many cultures believe that rain on your wedding day is a sign of good luck. (Yeah, try telling that to the bride who’s planning an outdoor wedding.) It drizzled on my wedding day and I have to admit I was concerned the weather would have a negative effect on my wedding pictures, which we planned to take at a local park. I was fortunate to have a very calm and astute wedding photographer who put my mind at ease by assuring me that cloudy days yield some of the nicest shots. Honestly, I thought he was just trying to make me feel better, but after I saw how incredible the pictures turned out I immediately thought about how “lucky” I was to have gotten married on a cloudy day.
While I needed to see proof first, now I know that clouds provide an excellent shooting environment. Clouds help soften harsh sunlight (we didn’t have to worry about anyone squinting in my wedding pictures), help reduce shadows, and create a more even lighting situation.
Let’s face it; shooting outdoors can be tricky. Taking pictures outside means letting Mother Nature dictate your lighting situation. To capture the best outdoor shots using natural lighting consider employing the following tips that have served me well over the years:
Avoid Shooting At High Noon. (Or anytime between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.) Mid-day sun is very intense and can cast dramatic shadows over your subject’s face. The sun can also cause a glare and the dreaded eye squint.
Subject Placement. Ideally, it is best to have the sun slightly to the side of your subject. If the sun is directly behind your subject it will create a silhouette. If the sun is positioned directly behind you, nine times out of ten you will be shooting a squinter.
Flash Fill. When your subject is darkened or silhouetted by a light background you can compensate by using your flash in conjunction with the natural light. The flash will help “fill in” the dark areas and you can use the natural light to even out the remaining areas.
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