camera settings to avoid overblown backgrounds

[PhilF]

It happens a lot when you don't have no choice but to shoot during that time of the day.... noon.. sun is harsh.

Using the camera only, is there a setting that can minimize the glare of the background without underexposing your subject? Is there a filter or something that you can put on your lens? or maybe just settings ?

[Medley]

If you're close enough to your subject, you can expose for the background and use the flash to keep the subject from being underexposed. Other than that though, I can't think of any in-camera solutions.

- Joe U.

[Frog]

With bright skies or partial areas you can use a neutral density filter.
Other than that, Medley's advice will work. No camera settings that I know of, except to try to minimize the contrast through iso, aperture, and shutter speed.
Oh.....shoot raw... you can recover more.

[freygr]

It depends on the subject. There are graduated ND filters for land/seascape photo use, for portraits your only solutions are flash, reflectors, and/or lightening. For travel there are limited options.