How to Look Better on Camera pt 7: [Deep Dive] Breaking the Midday Sun & Shooting During Harsh Daylight
- editorial team
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
We know it can be difficult to hold your calendar hostage for golden hour. Here is a thorough guide to handling harsh, direct sunlight without looking washed out or losing your visual authority.
By: MMM Editorial Team, Keirah Chen
When it comes to filming a new video or scheduling a photoshoot, stepping out of the office and going into nature is the perfect way to bring natural elements into your brand narrative.
Outdoor shoots are dynamic, visually interesting, and authentic when done correctly. In this era of digital fatigue, consumers are moving away from the same beige office shots and craving landscapes filled with greenery.
However, the moment you step outside, you lose the absolute control that indoor studios and office lighting provide. Generic photography advice tells you that the only way to combat the outdoors is to shoot exclusively during golden hour. But for a busy visionary, this may not always be plausible.
To maintain an authoritative brand image, you will need a practical strategy to optimize outdoor environments even when sunlight is harsh during that time of day. This kicks off our special focus for July: mastering lighting and giving you the tools to command the sun all summer.
The Big Issue: The Midday Shadow
The big issue with outdoor shooting is not a lack of light. In fact, the issue is the overabundance of uncontrolled, directional light. A major mistake visionaries make with outdoor shoots is assuming that natural light is forgiving.
It is not.
When you step into the direct midday sunlight, the sun acts as an aggressive, un-diffused overhead lightbulb. It creates harsh, high-contrast shadows on your face and overexposes your forehead and shoulders. This environmental lighting can strip away your facial structure, causing you to squint and making your high-stakes media photos look amateurish. If a user cannot truly see you or distinguish your features, they will scroll right past your media content.
The Deep Dive: Engineering Open Shade
To master harsh summer sunlight, you do not need to rewrite your schedule. You simply need to master the mechanics of open shade. Open shade refers to the precise line where a large structure blocks direct overhead sunlight, yet leaves the main subject open to the ambient sky. By shooting within this space, you bypass the direct glare of the sun and also utilize the surrounding open blue sky as a massive softbox that diffuses light evenly across your face.
To manipulate your environment, you must look for a sharp line where direct sunlight meets shadow. This structural boundary is typically found on the edge of a large building, a deep courtyard, a business awning, or a dense canopy of trees.
Positioning yourself just inside this shaded zone, within two to three feet of the sunny boundary line, protects your eyes from squinting while allowing the beautiful, ambient light to illuminate features smoothly.
However, it is important to remember that open shade can cause the light hitting your face to read as too dim on digital camera sensors, which can make you look flat. Counteract this by employing ground-level ambient reflection.
To do this, place a simple white or gold bounce board just below the chest line and angle it upwards. This way, you can catch the bright direct sunlight hitting the pavement outside of your boundary line. This redirects a warm, subtle glow back up into the shadow pocket, bringing clarity to your face and your message.
Overall, we know outdoor shoots may seem difficult since there are so many factors out of your control. This guide to utilizing sunlight in the most effective way can help you get more comfortable using natural scenery as a background when creating content. Outdoor backdrops do make all the difference when your audience is going through screen fatigue. Nice scenery and sunlight give them a break from corporate green screens or office backdrops.
Ready to take the first step in your PR journey? Start with our discovery call, where we diagnose the next steps on your journey and identify opportunities that align with your vision.
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