Shooting in full sunlight - what would you do?

[Alison]

I am shooting my niece's wedding in August. I know what the weather will be like. The sun is going to be strong, it always is in this part of the UK in August.
I don't want to blow out her dress. I don't want to ruin her wedding pictures, there is no turning the clock back.

I have 3 options...

#1 focus on the highlights, adjust my in-camera light meter to be perfectly exposed on the highlights, re-compose on the face and use my flash for the fill (cringes! I hate using my flash. I never seem to be able to guarantee the results. That would probably explain why I love shooting window light portraits)

#2 focus on the face, adjust my in-camera light meter to be perfectly exposed and then have blown out highlight's

#3 Just use the camera in auto modes (cringes again) and let the camera do the work.

What would you do?

[mjs1973]

I would meeter for the highlights, and use PS to recover the shadow detail. Once the highlights are blown, there's not bringing them back, but you can open up the shadows a bit. If their are trees around, don't be afraid to move the wedding party into the shade.

I do know a couple of photogs who do pretty good work, and don't have a clue how their camera works. They never take it off of Auto, they know very little about post processing, other than how to desaurate an image to make a B&W and they are keeping pretty busy. I'm sure you will do just fine! You may want to pray for a cloudy day tho. ;)

[Alison]

I've been praying for an overcast day haha.

[jorgemonkey]

I'd do the same - shoot for the highlights & bring everything back up in PS.

I'd also use fill flash to help bring up some of the facial shadows from the sun.

[Asylum Steve]

Alison, the standard technique for shooting full sun is to have the sun behind your subjects, then meter off their clothing or face.

In your case, as they'll be wearing white, meter the clothing to insure detail. The skin tones should remain good and you won't have to use a flash. Yes, the bg will be (probably) blown out a bit, but in these cases it adds to the style of the shot.

I'm not suggesting you use this method for ALL of your shots, but some of them.

Oh, and obviously you don't want to point your camera lens directly at the sun, so you need to angle it a bit so the sun is not in the frame...

[readingr]

Alison,

Another option is to find a shaded area in the region for the photo's. Seen this done more that once in Weddings. The only problem is the exit from the church, which the photogs have minimised and moved everyone to the shaded area.

Roger

[Franglais]

Know the problem. In these cases I use a powerful flash as fill-in and rely on the camera's intelligence to get it right. It's not as pretty as window light but the D200 and SB800 get it pretty much right (sorry but I suspect that Nikon is ahead in flash technology).

One problem with bright summer days is that they are usually combined with clear blue skies so the shadows go really blue. Try exposing for the sunlight highlights and bringing the shadows back with PS you might find that the shadows are all blue. If you move into the shade then at least you will have consistent lighting even if it is blue. It will be easier to correct. I hope you shoot RAW because we're talking about a load of manipulation of the image here.

I think the best you can do is to find a place indoors lit by a patch of sunlight reflecting off a white wall. No direct sunlight. This would give you a result close to your windows light.

Charles

[Alison]

WOW! Thank you all so much. Such great advice here.

Ok. So, armed with my L lens, (which is the lens I will more than likely leave on for the wedding, sorry 50mm lol), my 430EX speedlite and my Gary Fong Lightsphere I went in the garden, harsh sunlight beaming down, to see what I could get.

I found me a cute model too :thumbsup:

Here are my results...
Using all manual settings.
Focused on a piece of white cardboard on the grass.
Had my daughter face my white wall (maybe that was cheating a little) and...

#1 fired my flash. I was pleasantly suprised at the results.
#2 Turned my flash off and focused on her.

Not alot of photoshop work undertaken either. Auto contrast that sort of thing.
And y'know what? I never thought I would ever hear myself say this but, I think I prefer the flash pic better!!!

Maybe I will be ok on the day. Until then I shall keep practising with different methods and different backgrounds.

[mwfanelli]

If you are shooting outside on a sunny day you don't need your meter. The light stays virtually the same through most of the day. Use Sunny 16 adjusted for your camera to get the base exposure.

Then, shoot as if you were shooting snow: try underexposing 1 -2 stops from Sunny 16 until you don't blow the highlights. You will lose shadow detail, but there really isn't much of an in-camera choice. The histogram and LCD review will tell you whether you got the shot or not.

[Alison]

I have heard of Sunny 16 and have had a go at it but don't quite understand it. I would have to use it more. Guess it's down to practise, practise and more practise.

[another view]

You won't have time to look at the histogram - very often, at least. I also wouldn't shoot something as important (and tricky as a white wedding dress in full sun) with "sunny f16".

I'm going to start from the top here... The problem with shooting in full sun is too much contrast. Too much contrast means that both the highlights and shadows can't be recorded with detail. Best way to handle this is to lower the contrast, and it can be done with a bit of fill flash (like in your shot above), or moving into a shaded area (scout the area out ahead of time at the same time as the wedding on a sunny day - that'll show you the options).

Fill flash "fills in" the shadows and makes a more natural looking shot. Looks like you did it right, usually the goal is to not make the flash look obvious. Overcast days take care of the problem too, but the images can look a little flat - which can also be fixed with a little fill flash.

Use a combination of these techniques and what Asylum Steve said. This will keep all of your shots from having the same look to them. Good luck!

[Alison]

I googled it and I am going to try to remember the rule. But I am also going to look at the histograms and use my eye.
Although, like I said, I was pleasantly suprised with the result I got earlier, so I may just do that.
I might even get to the wedding and my mind just goes blank!

I know what the area is like. It's the same place my nephew got married. Here are a couple of shots from their wedding, taken in August 2004, with my sony cybershot DSC-P10.
So, you see, not much shade there.
It seems, from the file info, the flash fired on both shots. (I can see now, 3 years on, that the highlights are pretty blown).

Funnily enough I wasn't so worried back then, but then, I know I wasn't messing about with settings etc but the pressure wasn't so great because they had a photographer. Turns out they were happier with the shots I got than the photographers lol.

I will be the main photographer at my niece's wedding so I'm hoping I do a nice job for her.

[SmartWombat]

The top of those two photos shows the real problem for me shooting in bright sunlight, your subjects will squint or look down to avoid the sunlight.
Regardless of how good your exposure is, whether you use reflectors or fill flash, you may find their expressions aren't what you are really looking for.

I have no suggestion for the shine on the bald bonce, having one myself and knowing how bright it can appear, except makeup (!) or keeping out of the full sun as Roger suggests.

[another view]

your subjects will squint or look down to avoid the sunlight

Another good reason to shoot in the shade or with their backs to the sun.

You'll have a lot to think about and watch out for that day, other than the technical stuff. Practice with it and figure out what settings work best for you in whatever conditions you end up with, and that way you won't need to think as much about technique. Checking the first shot's histogram when you're doing posed shots is a good idea but you won't have time to do this with every shot. Things happen fast...

[Franglais]

The fill-in flash results look encouraging. I would say to keep on practicing. Ideally I would say try to master your camera + flash system so that you know when it will give good results automatically.

A wedding is a hectic event for the photographer. You have to manage the crowd and the subjects and somehow make great photos. I try to avoid having anything complicated to do like spot metering. I've got to the stage where I know what the camera + flash will do on full auto (and what I can do afterwards to correct small errors). I usually just leave the flash and camera on full auto all the time and concentrate on other things like getting people where I want them when I want them. The result is not very artistic but then I'm a humble amateur and for my friends I do it for nothing.

Charles

[Alison]

Well, it's tough. They will have to have a couple of squinty pics because I want to catch them coming out of that doorway and hopefully capture some confetti shots too

The group shot is going to be fun because I am one of the guests. Camera on tripod, set timer and run for it haha.

[SmartWombat]

Camera on tripod, set timer and run for it haha.

Or ...
... Hire assistant to push button
That way you can use burst mode and perhaps catch more eyes open
... Hire/buy radio release and push it yourself
Take one shot and then wait for people to relax and sneak in a keeper
... Hire/buy Canon's timer wired release and set it for multi-shot
But that relies on luck ;)

[readingr]

Well, it's tough. They will have to have a couple of squinty pics because I want to catch them coming out of that doorway and hopefully capture some confetti shots too

The group shot is going to be fun because I am one of the guests. Camera on tripod, set timer and run for it haha.

Alison,

Got the solution for you:thumbsup: , We'll organise a photography review meet at the location then you can have at least 4 assistants to help with photo's and we can also gatecrash the party :lol: No need for expensive remotes and load of irrelevant advise available on the day for free :blush2:

Not only that you'll get 4 spare camera's too, assuming we only bring one each which of course I never do

I'll even bring my reflectors:aureola:

Roger

[Alison]

That made me smile Roger. You're not serious are you?
How cool would that be? My Niece would have some awesome photographers!!!

[readingr]

Alison,

Careful what you wish for :lol:

No I wouldn't want to spoil the day.

Once I figure out what is happening in work (dates), I will try work out a location and date for a get together.

I have always wanted to visit Beachy Head, but that may be a bit far for some.

Roger

[JSPhoto]

Know the problem. In these cases I use a powerful flash as fill-in and rely on the camera's intelligence to get it right. It's not as pretty as window light but the D200 and SB800 get it pretty much right (sorry but I suspect that Nikon is ahead in flash technology).

Charles, they WERE ahead, until the 580ex, so I'd say they are tied now, but according to what I have heard the newest version is even better when on the new 1D MKIII, not only in flash and sensor technology but the mount is actually waterproof. The new mount doesn't use the thumb wheel, instead it has a flip lever.

JS

[SmartWombat]

That made me smile Roger. You're not serious are you?
How cool would that be? My Niece would have some awesome photographers!!!

How many PR.com photographers could you handle?
Be very careful what you wish for ...

[Alison]

Well with your sports photography experience they could throw the bride in the air and you could freeze the action haha.
Roger could do some incredible landscape/seascape bridal shots.
I could just do the boring portrait shots.

[another view]

load of irrelevant advise available on the day for free

Sounds right up my alley...

[Frog]

Get one of those cheap plasic gazebo thingys. Set up quickly, will provide shade if it isn't available. Tell the wedding party to buy it...they could decorate it easily.