Photography Tip #2 - Find some shade

A while back I shared a tip regarding the rule of thirds.  I thought it was about time I followed up on that post with another tip that is handy when you take pictures of your kids.  After all, photographing my children, and documenting these early years is what sparked my journey to become a photographer.

Tip #2............. find some shade.  

How many pictures do you have of your family squinting or with harsh shadows on their face?  I know I have more than I can count.  While you need light in order for your camera to capture images, high noon with the sun blazing can actually be too much.  Honestly, by about 9 am I am looking for shade and prime early morning light is gone.  Not just for your camera, but for your poor subjects squinting eyes.  

Shade is a great way to get avoid the issue of harsh sun if you aren't outside during early morning or just before sunset.  Sometimes you might hear it referred to you as open shade.  

This is one of the tips I share in my 6 tips to better photos of your kids.  I go into a bit more detail in the full document, but try to find a large tree or patio to snap a picture of your kiddo under.  

As you can see in the above example, the second picture is more appealing because the lighting isn't so intense and there aren't crazy shadows on the subjects face.

One thing to be careful of is the speckling you get from some trees.  You know, the small beams of light coming through the leaves and branches.  You don't want those hitting your subjects, especially on their face.  

Want to know more?  Get these tips.  They are all simple and easy things that you can incorporate into your own family pictures.