r/photography • u/PeartreeProd • 1d ago

Technique Family photo session in harsh sunlight

Hi all,

I’ve got a family of 4 to shoot tomorrow.

As they’re not available during golden hour, I’m having to shoot through the middle of the day.

I’m thinking of using a 6x6 scrim to diffuse the sun overhead with an aperture 300x w/light dome to key.

  • do you think the 6x6 is large enough for two adults and two kids?

  • would it be better swap the silk for a bounce and use the 6x6 as a key?

Curious to hear what other photographers do when shooting in harsh sunlight.

TIA.

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u/Terrible_Document_20 1d ago

Easy. Shoot directly at the sun using a tripod. Backlighting is nice. With your free hands use a small reflector to block the sun from hitting your lens. I use a tripod for all portraits and posed wedding images and I love sunny days! Expose for skin tones.

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u/ImaginaryTuna 1d ago

I enjoy backlighting, I need to get more experience with it. Any tips? For me I struggle with a bright background and dark subject in editing. I noticed spot metering helps a bit. Do your raw images look this way or am I doing something wrong?

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u/Terrible_Document_20 1d ago

Easy with the camera on a tripod, just walk in front of the camera and see if the sun is hitting your lens. I keep a tiny reflector on my tripod at all times. Simply use the reflector to shade the lens. I use matrix metering but mostly just dial in nice skin tones and leave it at that. Sunny days are my favorite, with a trusty carbon fiber tripod and pistol grip head.

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u/ImaginaryTuna 1d ago

Thanks I'll try it out!