Superhero Photo Challenge: Shoot into the sun

photo by Anna Kuperberg

I am a self-taught photographer and every once in a while I get a little insecure about the fact that I don't know much about F-stops and shutter speeds. I'd love to be able to walk into any situation and instantly know how to set my camera for the perfect exposure. But alas, digital came around just in time! and now I get to simply play and experiment and know just enough to get what I want but not too much to lose my sense of play. And then there's that handy little screen that shows you what you're getting. Thank god for the little screen!

One "rule" someone told me many moons ago and I had never questioned was this: Do not, I repeat, DO NOT shoot directly into the sun!! Your subjects will turn out dark, you might have lens flare, the picture will be terrible and you will look like a total hack. Did any of you out there believe this too? Are you blinding your friends by having them look into the sun like me?

When I fell in love with Anna Kuperberg's photos I noticed how brilliantly she used sunlight. And I want to highlight the word, used... she didn't just tolerate the sun or work around it like I did, she really uses it to her advantage and gets the most extraordinary images shooting straight into the sun. (The photo above is from my maternity portrait session with her)

This week's challenge is in two parts. First, I want to see your best shots shooting right into the sun (or having the subjects head just blocking it) Get some lens flair! Have some fun... I also want to hear your tips for getting great images this way. Do any of you know how to use the sun to your advantage? I would love to hear. (And if you are using flickr, please tag your photo with superhero photo challenge. Your shot will end up on this page.)

Comments

[Angella]

When I was first taught the manual setting on my camera, I took this shot of the sun.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ourcrazylife/1282401599/

[PixieDust]

How fun! I love shooting into the sun. I only started taking a few photos last year - complete amateur! haha - so I didn't know you are NOT suppose to shoot into the sun and I actually LOVE doing so!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22680463@N05/sets/72157603919985707/

Happy weekend!

:-)

[Molly Merrick]

This is something I do a fair amount. I usually accomplish it by partially or barely covering the sun with an object, or having the sun just out of the frame, but streaming into the lens.

Am I allowed to post more than one? I hope so! Here are some that I like:

It is our light
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1409/1253542009_5d9a4ede65_b.jpg

Heavy and Light
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/181/476679658_44a3273927_b.jpg

Untitled
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/231/473365452_db04ad0c86_o.jpg

[ginny]

Here's one I took a few weeks ago, it's one of my all time favorites!

http://monkeymemories.blogspot.com/2008/02/shutter-sisters-superhero-challenge.html

[maya]

i often fail at catching the flare. i love it, though.

this is my best shot:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mayaeh/2059836623/

[Dana]

I've also been told not to shoot directly into the light, but sometimes you just can't help it. Here's one of mine:

http://ijustlovebeingme.blogspot.com/2008/02/look-closely.html

[liza]

Mmmm, I love shooting into the sun. Can't wait for more of it here in Chicago. Oh yes, digital cameras allow for so much experimenting right then and there! I think with this one I filled the frame with my sister's face first to set the exposure:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/liza-bean/991872718/in/set-72157594333386137/

[Karen G]

I often take photo's into the sun. I don't know anything about how to set up my camera, but they still turn out alright sometimes.

Like when the sun is setting:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23132596@N07/2268873244/

And today I actually tried playing with the shutter speed a bit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23132596@N07/2268307311/

[Raven]

This was taken at my wedding by Everette Gray but it illustrates what you are talking about. Pretty bright but I still really like it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/justexpressive/2269214504/

[Heather]

I have NO CLUE how to shoot into the sun. I just go for it and hope for the best. I'm eagerly awaiting some tips from others on this challenge...

Here's a few.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/strawberrygoldie/2269206534/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/strawberrygoldie/2269195802/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/strawberrygoldie/2268393873/

[kristyk]

I love it! Here is my link:

http://kristyk.org/2008/02/16/superhero-photo-challenge-shoot-into-the-sun/

My only hint would be to focus on your subject without the sun in the frame to get the shot just right. Turn off the autofocus and move the sun into the picture at the last minute. That way, the camera doesn't try to adjust the focus onto the sun.

[kristin]

a picture from last year's end of summer fun. leaves just starting to change. probably my favorite time of year here in New England. warm enough to be out and so many colors around in nature...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14811117@N02/1533212092/in/set-72157603780423750/

[Jacki]

My husband and I went on this trip to San Fran with the purpose of practicing with our cameras. I kept thinking that these shots were going to turn out horrible because I had heard was don't shoot into the sun. I was surprised to see the finished shot when we got home.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23899543@N08/2268473641/

(Great tip Kristy K!)

[tracey]

i love not knowing exactly what you will get when you shoot into the sun. i find that unpredicatablity is what i love about it. great post andrea...i'm sure it will spark all sorts of unique images.

here's a recent fav of mine.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/maypapers/2269270750/
i heart sunspots! : )

and hey everyone--if you're using flickr, tag your challenge photos "superhero challenge" kay?

[cj]

I shot this one last summer while we were camping. I, like you, was afraid of the sun, but thought that I would just play with my camera and see what I get. I love it!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24563600@N00/1806178032/

[simply]

http://bp3.blogger.com/_A1Xbjk4uEks/RzPUR8AP3jI/AAAAAAAABOY/a987RbumEJs/s1600-h/date+night3.jpg

http://bp2.blogger.com/_A1Xbjk4uEks/RzPUSsAP3kI/AAAAAAAABOg/BPzXgHPdVnw/s1600-h/date+night.jpg

http://bp3.blogger.com/_A1Xbjk4uEks/RtVXTb7XQkI/AAAAAAAAAUI/fju0ueUwtCU/s1600-h/b.jpg

some of my favs...I didn't know there was a "rule" not to??

~simply~

[camerashymomma]

what a great post idea! and i love that photo, it's beautiful!
i love shooting into the sun, i worry that i'm gonna damage my lens or something! didnt' my mom always tell me not to stare at the sun? :)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/camerashymomma/2261386823/
i try alot of different angles, to get silhouettes or flares or some sun peeking through.

[danielle]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23196640@N03/2255974034/

love the maternity shot, i'm jealous!

[y]

I've recently fallen in love with shooting into the sun. This is going is going to be fun. I'd like to post some of my favorite that I've taken recently.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joyunexpectedcom/2260617125/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joyunexpectedcom/2199320449/

[Jen]

I am continually intrigued by this subject and always experimenting with achieving some flare in my photos. I usually can see it in my lens before I shoot the photo...that's how I can tell. Here's one from an engagement shoot I did:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hunterhotshots/1397836924/in/set-72157601476719900

[Kirsten Michelle]

These are some stunning examples of why "rules" are meant to be broken ;-)

I'm just beginning my journey into photography and learning what my camera can do. We've not had a whole lot of sunshine where I live these days, so I've pulled this week's contribution out of my archives...

http://flickr.com/photos/58783187@N00/2269458892/

Happy Saturday to you!

[Kate]

I love playing with the sun, especially when the kids are in the shot, something about children and sun rays just seem to go together. I really like the original belly shot, and the one up there posted by Raven is something I will be trying to recreate, it's fantastic!


http://freemotion-kate.blogspot.com/2008/02/super-hero-photo-challenge.html

[Mrs. Eaves]

Here's one that I took a few days ago:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23151594@N07/2269608706/

I like this challenge and look forward to trying some more this week.

[Tonya]

What a beautiful portrait! Love the way the sun was used, and I've always ignored the "don't shoot into the sun" rule. Some of my favorites have been blatant rule-breakers:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonyapoole/1355146769/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonyapoole/2150085161/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonyapoole/1355995208/

[Kristen]

I took this one two years ago at the DC Cherry Blossom Festival, after reading an article in Macworld (of all places) on how to use the sun as backlight:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/79884747@N00/143341937/in/photostream/

I'm just trying to get into the picture-a-day habit, but I'll try to keep this challenge in mind as I go!

[Elspeth]

Great pregnancy shot - casual and real. For me the 'not shooting into the sun' rule has nothing to do with the resulting image, but I am careful about the fact that it can do physical damage to the camera itself (therefore don't hold it too long up to the sun).
http://flickr.com/photos/59905750@N00/511187599/in/set-72157600288034198/

[kristi]

love this challenge! i am going to go out and see what i can do today - such a special treat to have sun in portland, or right now!
these two are from Andrea's neck of the woods, berkeley (shot on Tuesday)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/asphaltandair/2268894847/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/asphaltandair/2269685030/

[Green Eyed Girl]

I love shooting with the sun and getting sun flare!! Here is one I took this past summer.

http://greeneyedgirl22.blogspot.com/2008/02/oldie-but-goodie.html

[gkgirl]

i have an old one
and a new one...
no flare in either though...
:(
but was still happy with how they turned out.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/geekink/2268965627/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/geekink/2268976229/in/photostream/

now i am inspired to try it with some type of focus other
than the sun...like a person...

great idea!

[LaShawn]

http://flickr.com/photos/lashawn/2269831444/

I took this during a trip to the lake this past summer. I was not even really all that serious about photography yet...so I didn't have a clue about the "sun" rule!

[betc]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7862502@N05/2269033761/

[Jen]

Here's another of my faves from this summer:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hunterhotshots/2269835386/

[Liz]

I don't do this often enough. Thanks for the reminder!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lizgrandmaison/2269872212/

[Meg]

http://whimsy.typepad.com/knittens/2008/02/30-days-day-12.html

I'm not sure how exactly I do it. I can sort of tell through the viewfinder if everything is going to be dark, or if I'll get flare. I just wing it.

[karla k]

here is my most recent attempt at shooting into the sun. it's a shot out my apartment window at the rising sun. it was a very dramatic sky, yet not

http://flickr.com/photos/karlasfotos/2192772550/

thanks andrea!

[Missy]

I have a real thing for sunsets and silhouettes. Here are a few of my favorites.
The Cloudless Sunset: I took this one from my kayak out on the lake~
http://www.flickr.com/photos/missymckerroll/939174781/
At the Top: My six year old son was totally backlit by the sun as he sat at the top of the park slide. I used a flash to keep him from turning into a black silhouette~
http://www.flickr.com/photos/missymckerroll/1293920407/
Volleyball Eclipse: I was really trying to get a silhouette of the volleyball players and it was just so lucky that the ball was in front of the sun when I clicked~
http://www.flickr.com/photos/missymckerroll/622494820/

Great challenge. These are all photos from last summer, so I'm going to try to get some new ones this week.

[Sam D.]

Someone here mentioned that there is something magical about children and sunlight together (or beautiful pregnant bellies and sunlight.) And I would completely agree with that statement. I completely understand what Andrea means in being a self-taught photographer, in that I don't know very much about Aperature and F-Stops, but that doesn't stop me from taking beautiful pictures, and it took a long time for me to be able to call myself a "professional" photographer, even though I get paid for it, because I didn't go to school for photography, and there are other people out there that know more about the technical workings of a camera. The truth is though, that it doesn't matter whether your talent comes naturally, over time, through hard work, or at a school, I think the love of capturing a moment in time is enough, and I think having love for your subjects, whether you know them or not, will come through in your work. :-)

http://robandsamphoto.com/artwork/212849.html

http://robandsamphoto.com/artwork/213144.html

Happy Superhero Saturday!

[mary catherine]

some of my favorite photos come from catching sunlight this way...

http://www.marycatherinehamelin.com/new

http://flickr.com/photos/marycatherinehamelin/2269295053/in/photostream/

http://flickr.com/photos/marycatherinehamelin/2270055156/in/photostream/

i like finding things to block the sun, a head, a tree...sometimes using my hand around the lens as a makeshift (and more permeable) hood.

[amber]

Here's one from the archive. No sun for days here so this will have to do....

http://www.amberandstephen.com/amber/?p=381

[Flash Forward]

http://outloud.wordpress.com/2008/02/17/shooting-into-the-sun/

[Anna]

This is sort of into the sun....more like the setting sun I guess.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/76386789@N00/462396204/

[Lori]

I'm all about the flare! Something I read online and seems to hold true is that if you shoot around f/8, f/11, etc you get more rays than round flare.


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2273/1859946554_a1735f59e1.jpg

[Melissa Anne Morelli]

As a beginning photographer who has yet to master my camera elements, I am always plesantly surprised when the sun's effects are captured in an image. One of my favorite, unedited photos is below, with others in my photostream.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23520407@N06/2270358778/

Enjoy the sunshine in your life!

[Sarah]

My take on shooting into the sun. I love trying this technique out.

http://startingoverinnyc.blogspot.com/2008/02/photo.html

[Kristin]

I almost always shoot towards the sun using it as backlight. I like the look of lens flare and I like how a subject looks, especially people, with the sun behind them illuminating their hair. In order to do this and get a correct exposure for their face, you need to get close, take a light reading on their face by holding down the shutter button halfway and seeing what the camera is telling you to use for aperture and shutter speed. Fill the viewfinder with their face so the light meter is only reading the light on their face. Get your aperture and shutter speed, set the camera manually and then back up and compose your shot using those settings. The camera will tell you the settings are wrong, but once you take the picture, you'll see your subject is exposed correctly. And if you position yourself at the right angle, you can get the sun to just peek behind your subject and it makes for a really neat shot. If you don't like lens flare, then using a lens hood is the way to get around it. Sometimes you have to use a lens hood in order to keep too much lens flare from ruining the photo.

Here's my two examples. First one is using the sun as backlight and letting the lens flare go wild.
http://flickr.com/photos/22621057@N04/2269674593/

Next one is using the sun to create a silouette of the subjects. Great to do at sunset.
http://flickr.com/photos/22621057@N04/2269674583/

[To Think is to Create]

Love this! Here's mine: http://www.flickr.com/photos/percivale25/2269710509/

[Ciria]

No flare, but into the sun. I can't wait to get a "real" camera and experiment more with lighting etc.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ciria/2270550992/

[vivienne]

i LOVE that picture! Incredible! I'm aching for the wide open skies and radiant sun of summer (at least where i live) so this challenge is perfect!

Here are my offerings:

http://ladyvivienne.blogspot.com/2008/02/blog-post.html

[boho girl]

what a fabulous idea, andrea. i'm so excited about it because this is something i've been loving lately and trying to experiment with.

looking forward to more photos and tips. interested to play with the idea of turning the autofocus off last minute (the tip from kristyk).

here is my latest. with this one i wanted to see what would happen if the sun was in the corner of my subject. i like the ethereal vibe that happened here.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bohemiangirldesigns/2185603345/

[Devan]

This is one I took a few days ago when we were out for a walk.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/devangrayson/2269875565/

These two were taken of my daughter and me by my sister this past summer. I love the "sunspots"!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/devangrayson/2269873105/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/devangrayson/2269873419/