Ideally, all photos would be snapped using natural lighting. While it’s true that you cannot control the sun, there are many ways you can capture stunning shots when you are taking photos in the great outdoors.
One of the most popular techniques for snapping frame worthy shots when you are at the mercy of Mother Nature is backlighting. Not only is the technique popular, it’s also extremely effective and relatively simple to master. Start by making sure the sun is in front of you. Light should be aimed directly at the camera, and your subject should be lit from the back. This works best when taking portrait shots on a clear day. What you don’t want to do is have your subject stare straight into the sun. That will yield squinting eyes and other unattractive facial expressions. The key to getting an exceptional photo using backlighting is to have a reflector or fill-in flash on hand to brighten up shadows that may form on your subject’s face. In addition, to avoid having the sun’s rays flood your camera’s lens, attach a lens hood or piece of paper to help provide shade and prevent lens flare.
Anther technique you can use when shooting outdoors is frontlighting. This type of lighting is created when the sun is at your back and illuminating your subject. Unfortunately, frontlighting doesn’t always yield the best results, as the direct sunlight often robs a subject of depth and detail. To avoid the pitfalls of frontlighting, it’s important to angle your body so that the sun is coming from over your shoulder and hits your subject diagonally rather than head-on.
Finally, you have the option of side lighting. This technique is typically used by professionals when they are trying to capture detailed shots that feature different textures. Side lighting requires much more effort than back or frontlighting, as you must change your camera’s angle, or wait for the sun to move, so that the light falls more to one side than the other. The benefit of the technique is that you are able to capture an almost three-dimensional effect, as opposed to a flat two-dimensional look that comes when the sun is shining directly on your subject.
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