05/31/2026
I love golden hour as much as the next photographer, but what do you do when you have to photograph during harsh midday sunlight? A scenario you will be faced with at some point, especially if you're photographing an all-day outdoor event.
Some things that will help make the final images better:
⛱️ Use shade! I'm talking open shade—trees, overhangs, and covered areas.
☀️ Try to position the sun behind your subject to have them backlit. This will help reduce harsh shadows, particularly across the face, and help ensure your subject isn't squinting into the sun.
📷 Expose for the highlights in the picture. This may require you to slightly underexpose the image to avoid blowing out the sky or having bright glares on foreheads.
⚡️ Use fill lighting when possible. This could be a reflector to bounce light back at the subject (helping reduce shadows) or a fill flash to help balance the harsh sunlight.
👥 Shadows matter! Adjust your angle or position to reduce or avoid harsh shadows, or play into them and look for interesting shadow patterns that make the picture more appealing.
🦦 If possible, shoot in RAW format. This gives you greater editing capabilities without compromising image quality.
🔎 Add a lens hood. This will help reduce harsh sunlight flares.
🎞 Get to know your camera and shoot in fully manual mode. You'll want the lowest possible ISO, which for most cameras is 100. (ISO controls your camera's sensitivity to light—higher numbers mean greater sensitivity and more light captured.) Then adjust your other settings accordingly.
