It is hard to overstate the importance of capturing photographs with intent and purpose. Because digital cameras and large capacity memory cards make it easy to do, many photographers fire away and take a thousand photographs in hopes of getting one good shot. Really, there are better ways to practice the art of photography. One of the essential elements that we must understand in order to become more effective and efficient photographers is lighting.
I invite you to follow me through a complete photo shoot where I will show you how to work with existing natural light — not just any natural light, but extreme midday harsh sunlight.
Video: how to take better photos in harsh sunlight (get creative outside)
Photography lighting in theory vs. practice
It’s one thing to learn the technicalities and laws of light — coefficient and fall-off ratios, inverse square law, and so on — and another challenge to actually implement those concepts when you’re starting out as a photographer and shooting a client on location. So, I encourage you to watch the video above all the way to the end. I put into practice everything that I’ve learned about how to shoot in harsh sunlight, and I show you my creative process along the way so that you can put these ideas into practice on your own shoots.
Understand light direction
Lighting is the single most important element of capturing a photograph. Light breathes life into the image. We must learn how to read the direction of existing light, understand what it means to shoot in that particular direction of light, and know how to take advantage of different portrait lighting setups with that existing directional light.
For this shoot, I chose to work in a parking garage without any reflector, diffuser, or additional artificial light. When I first walk a location, I look for the following three things:
- Where is the light coming from?
- How does that light affect the subject?
- What is the quality of that light?
What do I mean by quality of light? Is it a small light source relative to the subject, which produces harsh light, high contrast, and dark shadows — or is it a larger light source that produces soft light, low contrast, and weak shadows? That single question determines every creative decision that follows. For a deeper look at how light size and distance interact, see our full flash and lighting guide.
Learn the light patterns
In full sunlight — which is a surprisingly small light source placed very far away — we’re left with harsh light and dark shadows. But when we walk around our subject, we can find different ways to photograph them and produce at least five to six different portrait lighting patterns using that same harsh sunlight.
- Broad light: the side of the face closest to the camera is mostly lit.
- Loop light: a directional light that causes a shadow under the nose at an angle.
- Rembrandt light: causes a triangular shape of light on the shadow side of the face.
- Split light: splits the face into two halves, half in light and half in shadow.
- Short light: the side of the face closest to the camera is in shadow.
- Backlight: puts the entire face in shadow, great for creating silhouettes.
Once you know which lighting pattern works for you and your subject, you can create compelling images at any time of day with any light.
Find light and shadows (and creativity)
My next step is to find creative triggers in the environment, which I define by the presence or absence of light. This guides me when looking for what and where to shoot. That ideal mix of light and shadow is what makes the subject pop — it adds depth and dimension to the photograph, making it more dramatic. A parking garage is a surprisingly useful location for this: the structural columns, open bays, and concrete floors create hard-edged shadows you can position your subject against or within, giving you creative shadow photography options that soft-box shooters have to manufacture artificially.
Pro tip: It’s always a good idea to share your photo with your subject so they can get comfortable with you.
More creative sunlight portrait inspiration
Here’s a preview of some of the images we captured during the session.
All images by Murtaza Siraj (MnM Photography & Films)
Keep shooting in harsh light
Harsh midday light is not a problem to solve — it’s a set of constraints that, once understood, become creative tools. The six lighting patterns above give you a framework you can apply anywhere: a parking structure, a downtown sidewalk, an open field at noon. Watch the video to see the full shoot in real time, and if you want to go deeper on working with both natural and artificial light on location, our Flash Photography Training System covers these techniques in the context of real portrait and wedding jobs.
