By this, I don't mean look into the sun – no indeed, that won't do at all. But it is good to see what kind of light you are working with. Which way are the shadows falling?
Unless you want a silhouette effect, where your subject is black against an interesting background, it's generally best to shoot with the sun (or other light-source) behind you; unless you're working in a studio of course.
Factors to consider:
- How is the light affecting your subject? Is the subject squinting?
- Is the light blazing directly and brightly upon your whole subject? This works well if you are in love with the bold colors of your subject.
- Side lighting, on the other hand, can add drama but can also cause extreme, hard-to-print contrasts.
- Lastly, indirect light can be used to make your subject glow soft and pretty, so look for diffused lighting for the best portrait results.
It may not seem like much, but taking a few moments and thinking about the lighting can make a big difference to your results.
lizdavies
Seems to me, the best views are always straight into the sun. My husband keeps telling me, but I keep trying - after all, what's the point of a view of picturesque village church if you have to a) not have the church in the picture, or b) take it from the other side with back entrance and verger's compost heap in foreground? None, I reply. So of course, I end up with lots of silhouettes - but what was adobe photoshop invented for, if not twits like me, the salvation of?