Taking snaps in the middle of the day can be tricky. You’ll need to contend with a number of challenges which relate to the position and intensity of the sunlight. If you’ve ever looked back at the snaps from your last trip to the Mediterranean and wondered why things don’t look quite as gorgeous as they do in professional photos, then it might be that a few simple tweaks to your approach can yield significant improvement.
Understanding Mediterranean Midday Light
The problem with the Mediterranean at midday is that light is coming down from directly above. This means direct, intense lighting of your subject, and a relatively washed-out backdrop. Your camera will search for the right exposure, which tends to mean that the sky gets cranked down so that the subject can appear well-lit.
There’s another problem with taking photos in the Med, and that’s the fact that the sky is often clear. Cloud cover tends to act like a lightbox, diffusing the sunlight and softening the shadows. When sunlight is direct, shadows tend to be starker. Around the face, this tends to be ugly, as it disrupts our ability to read an expression.
Practical Tips for Balanced Photos
So, how do we compensate for all of this? The best approach is to carefully choose your setting, and your moment. If you have a decent camera, you might equip it with a polarising filter, or store your photos in RAW format so that the exposure can be tweaked selectively afterwards.
It’s also worth noting that clouds aren’t the only thing that can act to soften shadows. Glass, trees, and even buildings can do the same thing.
Crafty Solutions for Creative Photography
You can make a number of DIY objects that can help your photography stand out. Fill in those shadows with a cheap reflector, consisting of little more than a sheet of foil and cardboard. In fact, even a plain white sheet can do the job.
Vegan Adventures: Capturing Local Colour
Your photography can serve as a source of inspiration for your lifestyle. In the Mediterranean, you’ll find a variety of markets and fairs, where plant-based foods and crafts are in abundant supply. You can find great subjects for those still-life photographs.
Let Your Winter Sun Holiday Shine in Every Photo
Of course, one way to get around the challenges of summer sun is to take a winter sun holiday. At this time of year, the sun will sit lower in the sky, making those dramatic shots easier, especially during the so-called ‘golden hour’. On top of these benefits, you’ll find that the crowds are sparser, and your holiday is cheaper overall, too.
