How To Photograph In Harsh Midday Light
How To Photograph In Harsh Midday Light
Watch Part 2 – https://youtu.be/ME_0DwHj9BE
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In this video I cover how to photograph in harsh light.
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CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Intro
01:16 – Contrast & Exposure
03:06 – Simplify Your Scene
04:36 – Colour
06:15 – Reflection & Diffusion
Thank you for the excellent ideas. I’ve probably seen 4 or 5 videos on shooting in midday and the advice has always been wait for it to get cloudy…or something along those lines. This is the first video on the subject that provided useful information. Also, your photos are exceptional.
2:28 Very nice advice, it’s easy to fall in the habbit of just boast contrast and saturation for everything, because more is better. 😄
I’ve been going to concert venues when the musicians aren’t performing, because it suits my preferred time.
I took your advice, Roman, and just tried boosting the contrast in a high contrast scene and the images went from muddy to much more interesting. Thanks for that tip! We have very bright light in Texas and the Golden Hour is also the mosquito hour, so avoiding it is paramount in the spring and summer.
Excellent video, thank you!
I started learning photography by taking it over at my job. I knew pretty much nothing, and had no resources to use. So I basically was just going outside to get photos of products. I ended up learning how to shoot in harsh light by accident. All my product shots were being taken midday in the afternoon sun. It was a pretty steep learning curve. Of course not knowing any better, I just learned what worked and what didn’t.
Now my favorite time to go out and shoot is midday. Most portfolios are full of blue or golden hour photos, so I enjoy having something totally different. I enjoy high contrast photos, and it’s basically my style since that’s how I learned to shoot. These are all excellent tips. Much like night photography, the afternoon isn’t that it’s a bad time to shoot, it’s just harder than golden hour or a boring cloudy day. The images you get are much more dynamic and interesting, but you really need the skills and patience to get them. Repetition is key, as is trying new techniques. Thankfully most of us shoot digital, so each shot costs us nothing. Just keep taking photos and trying various things with each scene, and pretty soon you will see what works and what doesn’t.
You’re the best! Thanks for the content!
Thanks so much for the tips. Very informative video. Beautiful photos 👏👏
This video makes me excited to go shoot out in broad daylight instead of hiding out like a vampire until the sun goes down. I love your suggestion of keeping the composition simple and using a longer lens. Thank you!
excellent teaching
Harsh daylight for me is magic in black and white
This is awesome, man. Thank you.
When I photograph mountainous scenes, often in the Alps or in Southern Europe, I often get ‘hazy’ photos when using tele lenses during the day (very bright light). E.g. mountain ranges with compressed perspective (between 100mm and 300mm). Is there any way to reduce the haziness?
Your video is a game changer!!
Nice 👍
Great video! Thanks for the helpful suggestions.
The worst piece of advice to give a beginner photographer is "only shoot during golden hour." So to someone wanting to learn the craft they’re only supposed to put in 2 hours of practice per day (dependent upon weather, family, job, desire, etc.)? That’s some BS. I’d go so far as to say that if you *need* golden hour light then you’re probably not a very good photographer.
Thank you for the great response to this!
Just published a part 2 to this video. Check it out here – https://youtu.be/ME_0DwHj9BE
Great!! Thanks for sharing these pro tips.. really informative Roman.
Some solid info, brother rock on!
i see PORTO i hit LIKE 👍
TQ for the tutorial buddy. Great images too.
Very good advice. Do you favour a ‘sunny sixteen’ approach to exposure – setting a standard sunny day combination of ISO 100, 1/125s, f/16 in advance – or do you trust your Fuji camera’s built-in meter to get it right? Grabbing opportunistic shots often doesn’t leave time for thinking about exposure, other than perhaps giving the exposure compensation dial a nudge with your thumb.
Great video, so many good advices and tips, and beautiful photos to illustrate. What could we ask for? You got a new follower!
Its very realistic if your not lazy
i wish people in this field were as empathetic as you’ve shown to be!
Beautiful example images of yours!
Lisbon is the perfect place for "harsh midday light" – glad you included so many photos of Lisbon here! Great content, as always!
I always do what you said in post about the high/low contrast. I am going to use a filter and see if that helps.
I often shoot in harsh light. I do reduce the shadows. Thank you for this. For fine art shadows can be good.
Awesome, thank you!
Are you wearing the 3L oder 6L PD-Sling in the short clips?
Great video with some very practical suggestions. I had never considered that a more busy/cluttered scene would accentuate an already contrasty image, but as I look back at some of my images I realize that is 100% true.
I think generally "If it’s not working, try something else" is a great rule with this stuff. 😹 Being playful and having an ongoing conversation with your camera and what’s around you is the best way to enjoy photography. (And that includes not stressing about "required" stuff like times of day.)
I love your style man ❤
I love this video, I get so disappointed in videos titled "bad light" and then here about rain, snow and flat light, which is in fact great light for photography. It is harsh, filtered light in my mind that is challenging. So Thanks for sharing this, I particularly appreciate the perception of complex scenes bouncing too much light. That really resonated with me. I know you have done a second part, but if you have more observations please share. I am a landscape photographer mostly now, but your observations do help. I try to work with bounce too.
While I understand there are many legitimate reasons for not shooting at "golden hour", not being a morning person, etc. sound like euphemisms for "being lazy" which I’m sure is not the point you intended to make.
Excellent reflection on how to take good photos when you are a simple tourist on a tour!! Thank you so much! Best from Uruguay.
Very good content
Same here! I hate golden hour. What am I ? A vampire? All the portfolio is orange? No way
Thank you! I learned quite a bit from your video.
What sort of iso and shutterspeed do you normally shot at in harsh midday light? Also I have some problems sometimes actually seeing through the back display in harsh sunlight which is better for a more discreet look when capturing people for street photography. Is there any sun glassed that are good for a sort of mid range not blocking out vision or so do you just use the viewfinder?
Love your videos! If possible maybe you can do one on reflection and diffusion?
Hi Roman. Are you wearing Allbirds?
Roman – just found you thanks to James. Like you, I can’t be fekked getting up at sparrow’s fart for photography – even though I love the dawn. BTW, your tips in James’s video were gold. New sub here from Australia. 👍🦘
Thx for the info, much appreciated
Thanks Roman. That is very good. I am off to see part two but I want to add, that I always seek out and shoot in strong midday light. I have very little experience but what I started out doing was macro flower photography. I have looked for the strong light coming through the flower. I metre for the brightest part and will get beautiful colours and sometimes the background will be entirely black.
amazing advices for real i realize i had photos where i used these advices without knowing all by luck and they are my favorite pictures now I understand why they were so good and ehehehe İstanbul <3
I always liked your content and the way you explain it. Here again another useful infos and tips. Thanks again mate for sharing this. Kudos 🫡
this just just pure good advice, don’t fight the contrast, work with it !
Not fighting against high or low -> The best obvious advice that I never even thought of! I already tried and love the results, love the film like vibes it also gives 🙂