Design Crafters

It will be May in just a few days. Not only does that mean warmer- and hopefully sunnier days, but it means days when the sun is more directly overhead.

What does this have to do with Photo Christmas Cards? Quite a bit, actually. Since the days are both short and cold when Christmas comes around, lots of folks like to take family pictures at this time of year, and then blend these pictures with more traditional themes.

So let’s say your family is planning a visit to a park this weekend, and intend to use the group shot in a Christmas card. You’ll want that group shot to look good, which is why you might some tips about shooting in the middle of the day helpful.

In most latitudes, the sun is brightest when it is directly overhead. Because the sunlight will not strike at the proper angle, the faces of your subjects might be shadowed by their own features. Some photographers solve this problem by using creative positioning and reflectors.

White cardboard is a perfect reflector for shooting in bright sunlight.

When you use a reflector to shunt bright sunlight away from your photo, try to get a third person to hold the reflector. You do not want to distort the shot by showing your subject holding the reflector within the image.

If you do not have a piece of white cardboard handy, an old sheet or even a square of polystyrene makes an excellent reflector.

You’ll also want to be sure to set your camera for shooting in bright sunlight.

Because the White Balance (shown above) Cloudy feature on your digital camera “warms” the dull colors that appear when the sun is overhead, you should use this setting when the sun is shining from around 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Here’s how to access this feature in many digital cameras:
1. Press Menu.
2. Press the left key.
3. Select WB (White Balance).
4. Select Cloudy.

One more thing before I go. We need to discuss the blinking problem.

People tend to blink more in bright light. To avoid catching your subjects in “blink mode,” ask them to close their eyes until you are ready to shoot. Give them a 1-second warning. This should catch your subjects with their eyes open.