Blinded by the Light

"What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?'  Mary Oliver

 That question has been with me long before I had heard of the poet Mary Oliver or dared to picture myself on  daring adventures to faraway lands.  I couldn't have imagined then, that a ten day trip to Rwanda would be in my future.  In a little over a week, I will be visiting villages, making new friends and trying to uncover the plans waiting to be revealed for more than one African schoolgirl like my little friend above. 

 I'll be taking not one camera, but two.  One for me, and one for my host.  Of all the things he could ask me to bring, he's wishing for a camera more than anything.   He has an artist's eye, my friend tells me.  He knows how to see things.

 I hope I'll know how to see things, too, when I finally arrive.  I don't know if I'll have the luxury of waiting for late afternoon to capture my subjects in the best light.  I don't know if the sun will work against me in a place not too far from the equator.  I'm still such a new photographer that I'm still learning how to see the shot when the sun is shining bright.

 Do you have one capture in particular that really shines in bright light?  What are your best tips for taking photographs under these kinds of conditions?  Bring them one and all--I'll be taking notes.  I don't want to miss the moments that are waiting for me in what is sure to be a wild and precious chapter in my life. 

Comments

[Angharad]

i love this shot! i've been reading of your preparations in your blog (sorry not to have commented too much but my wrists are in splints so typing is more of an effort than usual). my tip for photographing in bright light is get the light from the side on a persons face - the light and shade really work well then, even more so on dark skin.

[Marcie]

My best advice is to simply capture the moment..however imperfect the light might be. Whatever it is..it is. If it's bright harsh light that you're working with..then that becomes a part of the story you're telling.

Have been following your story both here and on your personal blog about your upcoming trup to Rwanda. Wishing you much luck..and a wonderful time. Am looking forward to hearing about your adventures..and seeing all those photos under the brightly lit sky!

[Jen]

Like the previous commentators have said, just snap the picture as you see it. The picture will not wait for proper lighting after all.

What an amazing experience you will have, and I can't wait to hear all about it!

[Debbie Schinker]

Hmmm...comment one didn't "take" so I'm trying again. My apologies if this comes through twice.

Usually, I avoid bright light, especially bright natural light. I’ve never captured the sun shining through the trees or any neat effects like that. So I have NO advice to give in this area and I’d welcome advice from other photographers on how to experiment and broaden my horizons, so to speak.

But I still wanted to post a picture on today’s theme, so I went figurative.

http://shutterbugschink.wordpress.com/2008/05/09/light-of-faith/

[Laura]

Take the picture whether it's perfect or not - as soon as you see whatever it is. The things that seem new and special and wonderful on day 1 won't even strike you by day 9 - but, oh, how you will miss the snapshot when you are remembering them back home.

[camerashymomma]

wow. what a beautiful photo! you will have the most amazing time, life changing, story telling.

i don't often shoot at the brightest time of day but if i'm out, one thing i'll try is shooting directly into the sun. stand your subject with their back to the sunlight (so you are facing the sun with your camera) and crouch or kneel or assume a position other than eye level to reveal some fun light. it bounces and flares and becomes quite magical. here's one of mine with this type of shot (then antiqued for fun)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/camerashymomma/2462011407/

have an amazing time! i can't wait to see photos from the equator! and what a gift, the freedom of a camera for your host. that's awesome.

[Ashley]

oh I envy you...what an incredible journey you will have!

one day when I was shooting outside midday, I decided to give my lens some sunglasses. The results were kind of funky, but cool nevertheless.

http://thelightersidephotos.com

[lizziemarie]

What a beautiful girl!

[Jen - Beebee Mod]

I love light...I seem to love the morning time most of all. But just a window does it for me, with soft diffused light coming in. And lately, a great polaroid camera makes it even better for me.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/beebeemod/2478427918/

But really, I feel most of my photos are in the moment, they are caught quite by accident. And those are my best. I just keep snapping and then when I go through the photos I am amazed by what comes out.

And especially great time for light is a foggy morning, right at the point the sun is trying to peak out.

[MelJo]

I'm not sure what kind of camera you have, but I suggest getting a polarizing filter...if you don't have one already (sorry, I'm new to this blog). Your sky will be bluer, the greens greener...think of it as putting sunglasses on your camera. And yes, I agree with taking the picture whatever the light, but if you have the time keep moving and snap several shots from different (light) angles. Unless the light is directly overhead, you will have a wide variety of shadow-play just by walking to the other side of the room/scene. Play with it until you start seeing what YOU like--there is no right or wrong.

Beautiful picture above, too.

[Kellyry]

Other than accepting & working creatively with the shadows cast by harsh natural light, one of the best and seemingly obvious tips I was given a while back was to use your flash if your subjects back is to the sun. That way the face will be illuminated, as well any surrounding area. Sometimes it blows out the image, but often times it works like a charm.

[O]

Hmmm, I'm an amateur photographer myself so I don't know if I can offer very much advice. Just basics I suppose like get the sun behind you, use fill flash to get rid of funky shadows (but I try to never use the flash at all...even indoors, at night...thank you digital cameras!). I think you should just snap photos as the mood strikes. You never know what you'll end up with. I don't have an SLR so I don't know how to advise you with some good aperture settings, etc. I just try all kinds of stuff and see what I end up with. Have a WONDERFUL time on your trip :) can't wait to see the photos you come back with. I'm sure they'll all be extraordinary :)

Here's my entry for today's challenge--TFL!:
http://im-up-for-the-challenge.blogspot.com/2008/05/blinded-by-light.html

[tracey]

wow jen. stunning shot. you are going to capture amazing photos in your trip. i can just picture them.....

[Heather]

A photographer I traveled with in Africa gave me a few pointers:
- back-light is your friend - use it to frame your subject with an interesting glow
- play around with where you light-meter your photo - especially with a dark face
- sometimes, in the bright light of day, a fill flash is the best way to capture a face
- make the shadows on a face work for you

Here's one of my favourite photos from Bangladesh, taken in the bright mid-day sun...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fumblingforwords/2411807321/in/set-72157604528050749/

[Rachel Parton]

Beautiful pic.

I like Ashley's comment above about using sunglasses to filter light. I've gotten some really cool effects doing that - especially if you have more than one pair of sunglasses with different shades. My current pair casts a brownish haze, whereas my last pair had a gray hue.

I've also used the transparent colored binder dividers to add interesting colors to a picture.

[Berlinswhimsy]

I only recently found your site and love the images here. So inspiring. I look forward to what you share from your trip----and like the previous commenters, I would just snap away at what you see...

[Lawyer Mama]

Well, I try to avoid bright light & use shade but that's not always possible. Then I just take the shot and watch my shadows so they are off the face or I use fill flash. Usually if you shoot into the light and use fill flash or get down low like Camera Shy Mommy suggested, you'll get some neat stuff. I'm dying to try the sunglasses technique now!

For these 2 photos, we were on a covered porch, but I shot directly into the sun and got some neat results.

http://flickr.com/photos/lawyermama/2478935904/
http://flickr.com/photos/lawyermama/2478125413/

[patricia]

i shooting under the blistering heat of the sun because all the beautiful colors come out naturally.

i took this photo in one of the most beautiful beaches in the Philippines, Boracay Island, it was 2pm and the sun was at its angriest:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/patreesya/1600081181/

[amy]

gosh, i am so excited for you! have an amazing trip, i can't wait to hear all about it!

[Holly T]

Jen,
I hope you have a fabulous trip. Traveling is how I fell in love with photography. Some tips for when you are shooting in harsh light are to (I know this sounds silly, but it works) squint when you look at your scene to figure out how harsh the shadows are.Use a fill flash if you need to get rid of shadows, especially on someone's face. Also try to put your subject into a shadow if you can. Lastly, shoot early in the morning or late in the day to get the softest light.
Holly

[Kimberly]

I went to Rwanda in March of this year and loved it. I cannot wait to return. I absolutely fell in love. Here's a capture from my trip.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/polichick/2412680476/in/set-72157604529219529/

[littlepurplecow]

Your image of this precious girl is just stunning, Jen. When shooting in bright light, I decrease the exposure setting. With my Nikon, I can control this setting when I'm set to one of the manual modes such as A Priority (aperture priority).

[skywardjourney]

What a beautiful picture. We recently adopted our son from Africa and I am learning how to photograph dark skin. He is such a photogenic little chap, it makes it a fun challenge!
I love your site... I'm still learning so much, but am never happier than when I am behind a lens.
I hope your time in Rwanda is awesome. I loved the time we spent in our son's birth country, Liberia. I can't wait to go back. Africa has a bit of my soul, now.

Peace,
Amber