Mother Nature is putting on quite a show in our neck of the woods. The trees are exploding with vibrant reds, oranges and yellows. I’ve already tried to snap a few pictures of my daughter frolicking amongst the leaves. But most of them are still clinging to the branches so I’ll have to wait a couple more weeks before I get a nice shot of her popping out of a pile of leaves.
I love this time of year. Not only because the weather turns crisp and the leaves create breathtaking backdrops, but autumn provides wonderful opportunities to use natural outdoor lighting to your advantage.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind when photographing people outdoors this season:
Watch Your Position. Do not let the sun hit your lens and cause a flare or “hot spot” on your shot. Backlighting your shot with the sun has the potential to create that highly desirous “halo effect,” but if the sun hits your lens at the wrong angle then all you are left with is a huge blob that ruins the entire photo. To avoid this from happening, cup your hand and shield the lens. Just make sure your hand doesn’t make its way into your shot.
Stop Squinting. My daughter is a squinter. Her eyes automatically shut when her face is exposed to the sun. I wish I had some magic potion to spread over a child’s eyes to get him or her to stop squinting, but I don’t. Instead, I try to take outdoor shot s of my daughter in the morning or evening when the sun is not directly overhead. A photo lit from the front using the sun can result in a gorgeous shot.
Use Shade To Your Advantage. If you have no choice but to shoot at high noon try to find shade and place your subject on the shade’s edge. The sunlight bouncing off objects in front of your subject will fill in the shadows. It’s important to keep your subject completely in the shade. If you split the light, your camera won’t know how to read the image and you will be left with a picture that is over exposed in some parts and underexposed in others.
Contrasting Tones. The contrast of tones between your subject and background can help an image pop. For example, if you are shooting your child in front a pile of colorful fall leaves make sure she or he is wearing a solid color outfit. Stripes, patterns, or floral prints against a background of fallen leaves will cause too much chaos in a single print.
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