We know the most fundamental principle of photography is the quality of light. Outdoor photographers learn quickly to shoot in the periods near sunrise and sunset for soft, directional, and colorful light. The quality of light is the magic: a fairly mundane subject bathed in golden light can look brilliant, while a spectacular icon in poor light can be profoundly uninspiring. Consider these two images — which photo is more pleasing?
In the first example (L), a slab of limestone glows during the golden hour in the Florida Keys. In the second photo (R), the iconic Colosseum stands surrounded by tourists at lunchtime.
Even the most committed Europhile can see that the sunset image is the winner, and that the contest is decided entirely by the superior quality of light. But high quality light is fleeting and elusive, and most of the time light is either harsh (in sunny weather) or diffuse (when it’s cloudy). Overall the opportunity to photograph in high quality light is approximately one hour in the morning and another in the evening — if the weather cooperates.
So what are we to do with the many hours of daylight where the quality ranges from mediocre to terrible? (Top answers from photographers: “edit photos”; “travel to the next spot”; “get some sleep.”)* Although harsh light creates a jarring contrast of unpleasantly bright highlights and dark shadows, not all harsh light is untenable. In some instances it even provides superior opportunities to shoot. Let’s look at how we can make the best of these daylight hours.
*Not an official poll
1. CROP OUT THE SUN. To begin, we should qualify that harsh light is not a singular condition — it varies by time of day, time of year, weather, and location. In general daytime shooting is better in the winter when the sun is relatively low throughout. In this wintry scene, the sun provides bright but directional light onto our subject, while the snow acts as a natural reflector and brightens the darkest areas.
Winter is arguably the best season for daytime photography because the sun is always relatively low, especially at the more temperate latitudes.
2. SHOOT DIRECTLY IN TO THE SUN. I know, it sounds crazy, but when the sun is not directly overhead, we have an opportunity to include it in our shot. Think about a child’s drawing that includes the sun in the corner, beaming down onto the scene. In this example the morning sun (approximately 9:45 a.m. in autumn) radiates across a blanket of clouds below Mt. Washington, New Hampshire. I used a tight aperture (f/22) to achieve the sun-star effect. For a cleaner image, make sure to remove any filters from the front element of your lens before shooting directly into the sun.
In this example the subject makes the shot. The harsh light is forgiven because we are looking down a road above the clouds.
The next several examples are related in concept: each involves using a natural filter to control or block out the overhead light.
3. SHOOT UNDERWATER. Underwater photography is one of the few instances in which bright overhead light can be beneficial. A signifiant amount of ambient light is absorbed by water, especially at depth where most shipwrecks lie. In this case the ship (L) is in water approximately 65’ deep so bright filtered sunlight is a welcome addition to our scene. We don’t need to dive down into the depths to appreciate the overhead sun, however. A southern stingray (R) swims in waist-deep water as the morning sun creates a web of texture across the sandy bottom.
In deep water we need all the light we can get so midday sun is welcome.
Not a diver? No problem. This was shot in water three feet deep.
4. USE THE FOREST CANOPY. Trees act like a giant colander that can create dappled light, and — in humid conditions — sun rays. Each day is different and the light changes constantly throughout the day. Below: Midday sun streams through the forest canopy onto the ravine below, lighting up this magical gorge.
5. NARROW YOUR SCENE. Look for locations protected from the harsh daylight such as narrow streets and natural canyons. Near the Arizona-Utah border, direct light hits narrow slot canyons only for a short period of the day, and only in summer months.
6. SHOOT IN THE SHADOWS. Focus in on smaller scenes and details in the even light of the shadows. Maybe you’ve found an interesting sculpture, a beautiful doorway, or an unusual plant. The key here is that your complete scene should be in shadow and protected from the blinding sunlight. I took this portrait of two Bedouin friends in a tent at about 2PM while the sun was blazing over Wadi Rum, Jordan.
7. EMBRACE THE WASHED OUT LOOK. You can use the harsh daylight to your advantage if you want to incorporate silhouettes and more muted color in your scene. In this image, shooting toward the sun creates a washed out look. Silhouetted palm trees contrast with a bright sky and the whole scene takes on the look of a vintage postcard. I applied additional edits in Photoshop to accentuate the effect.
Harsh light can give a diffuse washed-out look a scene. Moody shots like this work best when clouds filter a portion of the sunlight.
8. SHOOT EDITORIAL / DOCUMENTARY. When the daylight offers prosaic scenes, record some of the details of time and place. There is value to capturing images “behind the scenes” even if those photos will never become portfolio pieces or social media shares. Below: after a morning of photographing Atlantic Puffins from a blind on Machias Seal Island, I photographed the blind and the remote island itself to include in an article about the experience.
This image won’t win any awards, but it is not meant to… it tells a story in a larger collection of photos.
9. SEND UP THE DRONE. Shooting directly down in midday sun creates an even, brightly lit scene — similar to shooting under an overcast sky, just brighter and warmer. Look for interesting patterns and textures. Remember that you can easily over-expose bright colors in this light, so if you want to retain detail in the highlights, you may need to underexpose by one or two stops. This beach image was inspired by Neopolitan ice cream, and captured under the blistering Maldivian sun.
In between dives in the Maldives I sent up my drone to record some b-roll footage for a video about underwater photography. The sun was scorching and there were no obvious photo opportunities so I took a few top-down shots and packed it up. Later while reviewing the photos I cropped this beautiful beach scene from what looked like a throwaway shot. It has since become one of my more popular images.
10. SHOOT INDOORS. This might seem like a cop-out but if your goal is to make great images and the light outside is just not happening, why not take the shooting inside? Consider this an opportunity to experiment with different locations and compositions. Shooting indoors is also good practice to work with low light conditions and push the capabilities of the camera. My favorite place to shoot in New York City is actually indoors in the period rooms at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The period rooms at the Metropolitan Museum of Art always deliver a stunning visual experience.
Of course, we’d prefer to shoot scenes in the morning golden hour or at sunset, but if that sweet light lasted all day the resulting images wouldn’t be nearly as special. Next time you find yourself in harsh light conditions, consider all the opportunities you still have to create great images.