Shooting outside, in midday, when the sun is right above you is arguably the worst setting a photographer can find herself in. Firstly you get harsh shadows everywhere. Second, those harsh shadows appear in the most undesirable places – like right under model’s eyebrows, creating distinct shadows on eyes – an effect called “raccoon eyes”.
The easiest solution to that is to simply move to the shade. Step under the roof of the coffee shop, or under the bridge. Such shelters against harsh sunlight will tremendously help to get nicer light on the photo.
However, in case there are no shelters around, or you need to shoot at the specific location, you would have to create your own shade. In this episode with David Bergman and Adorama TV we explore several techniques of how to do it.
Equipment: white translucent diffuser, C stand with the arm, sand bag.
The idea is very simple. Use white translucent diffuser as a roof above the model. It will block harsh sunlight from above but let through nice soft diffused light. Usually it takes away 1 stop of exposure but has more variety in models.
Mount the diffuser on a C-stand arm, lift it up above the model. Don’t forget to put a sandbag on the C-stand leg – the wind outside might steal the diffuser (with the c-stand probably as well) right in front of your eyes.
Equipment: black flag, C stand with the arm, sand bag, flashlight or portable mono light.
In this example we severely block the sun light from above, leaving our model in a very vivid shadow. It creates the room to introduce your own, controlled light sources. Use flash light, or battery powered mono light to light your model the way you want, while still shooting at the desired location.
Mount the black flag on a C-stand arm, lift it up above the model, like in a previous example. Put your controlled light in front of the model.
Equipment DIY
If you do not have any aforementioned equipment, go DIY. The idea is to soften the light from above. You can achieve that by using an umbrella, or silk fabric.
Watch the full episode with David Bergman and Adorama TV: