Shooting digital in the midday sun

We crave sunshine, especially during the summer. The weather can make or break our weekends. But for a photographer, cloudy skies are never a washout; instead, they are a welcome relief, and a preferred light source.

Digital film has a limited range (exposure latitude) and will not photograph everything our eyes see. On bright sunny days, digital film will either sacrifice details and the pictures will looked bleached, or will lose details in the shadows. Either way, images are deficient.

So what do you do on a sunny day when you want to capture the moment? If you have a choice, definitely opt for photographing early in the morning or late in the afternoon. And I do mean early—by 9 a.m., the sun is already too bright, and it’s still too harsh at 5 p.m.

But chances are, the way our lives and plans are arranged, you’ll find yourself smack in the middle of the day with many photography moments. To best cope with the sun and its strong contrast, here’s a list of seven tips:

1. Find shade

2. Use a neutral density gradient filter

3. Position the sun behind the subject

4. Low ISO

5. Close down the aperture

6. Use flash to fill

7. Use a lens hood

Finding shade is not always possible, especially if you are at the beach. But be inventive: Use a beach umbrella, or have someone hold up a towel, or use the lifeguard stand to block the sun.

A neutral density gradient filter (available in three strengths: 2x, 4x, 8x) changes the amount of light entering the lens without changing the color of the scene. They screw onto the front of your digital SLR lens and cost about $50 apiece. The filters are dark on top and smoothly graduate to transparent on the bottom. They are effective for balancing an exposure, such as darkening an otherwise overexposed sky.

Positioning the sun behind the subject (known as backlight), will help avoid squinty eyes. Backlight requires exposure compensation (+/1 icon, usually not available on automatic exposure mode). For exposure compensation, change the +/- icon to either +2/3 or +1.

ISO measures digital “film’s” sensitivity to light. On a bright day, use a low ISO (100). A high ISO (400, 800) increases unnecessary contrast and will eliminate necessary details in the highlights or shadows. On cloudy days, ISO 400 or 800 might be perfect.

Join me in two weeks for explanations about aperture, fill flash, and a lens hood. But for now, if you are going to shoot pictures in the middle of a bright day, consider the first four tips ... and don’t forget to wear sunscreen.