Advertisement
Advertisement
Read Next
Photo Of The Day By Clayton Peoples
Today’s Photo Of The Day is “Stormy...Photo Of The Day By Stan Bysshe
Today’s Photo Of The Day is “Noisy...Abstract Wildlife Assignment Winner Christopher Baker
Congratulations to Christopher Baker...Photo Of The Day By Tom Elenbaas
Today’s Photo Of The Day is...Advertisement
Featured Articles
Read More
Organizing Your Photos, Part 2: Using Keywords
In part two of a four-part series on organizing your photo library, we talk about the importance of using keywords to find photos instantly.
Read More
Choosing A Tripod For Your Style Of Photography
Contrary to what you might have heard, you do not need a tripod that can’t be moved without a forklift. Here's what to consider when choosing a tripod and head.
Read More
The Bridge To Black & White
Creative considerations for making black-and-white images from color files.
Read More
Bonsai Rock
Photographing this iconic feature of Lake Tahoe.
Read More
California’s Eastern Sierra
Explore the many opportunities for dramatic landscape photography on the sunrise side of the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Read More
Peavine Cove
Watson Lake Park is located four miles north of downtown Prescott, Arizona.
In Praise of Shade
Red-legged Cormorant (Phalacrocorax gaimardi) Nesting Pair, Puerto Deseado, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina
People often say clear skies and sunny days offer the best light for photography. Don’t believe them! Except for narrow windows at dawn and dusk, photography on sunny days is largely a waste of time. In fact, during the long, sunny days of summer, I often find myself killing endless hours, waiting for the “magic hour.” (A good time, I have learned, to take in a matinee) This notion baffles non-photographers, like the Argentinian boat driver that tried to keep me from getting this picture.
It was a sunny day, roughly mid-afternoon, and predictably, the light was harsh and contrasty. We are moving along underneath a vertical cliff, covered with nesting birds. We stopped briefly to watch this pair, but almost as soon as I raised my camera he started the motor again. “You’ll want them in the sun!”, he said, helpfully. “No, don’t go,” I shouted, “THIS is what I want.” He looked at me like I was crazy, and parked the boat in front of a similar nest, but one in full, coarse, unusable sunlight. The shadows were harsh, the color bleached out, and the white, guano-covered rocks created picture-killing visual distractions. Instead I begged him to move back into the shade where the first birds were. He clearly thought I was nuts…
The truth is, bright shade is often the best light for capturing color in pictures of both wildlife and people. When I shoot daytime family portraits, I immediately look for the shade. Today’s digital cameras make this possible in a way that film (and filters) never could. So embrace the shade – it really is your friend.
And the shots I took out in the sun? Every one of them got thrown away.