BLOG QUESTION ADV: OUTDOOR LIGHTING

What are the four techniques you have available to you when trying to improve your lighting at noon? How do each of these four techniques affect your image?

The four techniques that you have available when lighting at noon are to reflect a light, diffuse it, supplement it, or to control the location you're shooting in (But usually, a combination of all of these 4 are required). You can reflect the sun using reflectors, whiteboards, or the location itself. By redirecting the light to a better angle, you can reduce the contrast on your subject's face. You can bounce light onto the other side of your subject to reduce the harshness of any shadows. Even a reflective or bright wall/ground can help redirect this light. You can also set up a diffuser above your subject to soften the light hitting them. A downside to this is that you have to change your iris to properly expose your subject, which might cause your background to become overexposed. You can combine these tools to prevent you from having to change the iris by adding a bit more light to your subject. The best solution to prevent you from having too many setups is to choose a location that will prevent this from being a problem, a place where both the background and subject are being shaded allows for more lighting flexibility.