Who doesn’t love a bright, sunny day at the beach?
Actually, there are a few of us: dermatologists, photographers… and, okay, polar bears. My Siberian Husky, Dundee, is also not a fan. A dermatologist will tell you to avoid the sun at all costs, for all the obvious reasons. Polar bears and Dundee simply hate being hot.
And photographers? For the most part, we’re not fans of a bright sunny day either. The strong sun creates extreme contrasts: harsh shadows, harsh sunlight, and intense highlights make facial features disappear into darkness, while at the same time highlighting shiny patches on skin, so much so that no amount of editing can truly fix the problem. And then, of course, there is the squinting. Even the most relaxed family starts to look like a group of secret service agents shielding their eyes or pulling out the sunglasses, so unless you’re going for a “family vacation spy movie” aesthetic, it’s far from ideal for timeless, elegant portrait photography.
That said, a bright midday shoot on the beach won’t ruin your photos — not when you hire a skilled photographer! These types of conditions are exactly why experience matters; harsh light photography is really not a problem – it’s a creative challenge!
The Dream of Golden Hour
Golden hour light: soft, warm and magic.
Photographers, professional and otherwise, revere the “golden hour.” That brief moment right after sunrise or before sunset offers light that is nothing short of magical. The sun sits low, casting a soft, warm glow that flatters skin tones, deepens colors, and wraps everything in a cinematic atmosphere. For beach sessions, golden hour is simply unmatched.
But Life, Unfortunately, Doesn’t Cooperate with Golden Hour
Real life tends not to follow a photographer’s ideal schedule. Families with young children follow sleep routines that rarely align with golden hour. Babies are not at their happiest at 7:30 PM after a full day of vacation adventures. Vacationing families have flights to catch, dinner reservations to make, and friends stopping by for that end-of-the-day glass of wine.
And photographers? Let’s be honest — we can only fit two golden hour sessions into a single day. One early in the morning, one at sunset. During busy summer months, those slots book quickly, leaving many sessions to take place during less forgiving midday hours.
This is where experience, preparation, and artistic vision make all the difference – and where mastery of direct sunlight photography becomes essential.
Clouds: Nature’s Softbox
Soft lighting of overcast skies: the Nature’s softbox.
Sometimes we get lucky and a scheduled midday shoot falls on a day with an overcast sky with clouds becoming nature’s perfect softbox. They diffuse the harsh sunlight, soften shadows, and spare everyone from endless squinting. But when the skies remain stubbornly bright and clear, we turn to other tools that allow us to shape and control the light.
The Role of Artificial Light
Natural light is always best–the gold standard of lighting, but artificial light becomes essential when we need to compensate for the harsh midday sun. Using a flash helps balance exposure, fill shadows, and restore natural skin tones.
SHooting under direct sunlight: shadows filled with an on-camera flash.
Unfortunately, a simple on-camera flash isn’t enough, especially when photographing families in motion (which, by the way, is exactly what they should be doing), not even my beloved Canon EL-1, with its impressive guide number of 200, struggles to carry a group photo in the midday sun.
The Power of Off-Camera Flash
That’s when I reach for my off-camera flash. An off-camera flash gives me control over placement, distance, and intensity of the light.
Most of the portrait photography you see on my website were done using a Godox AD360, positioned on a light stand slightly closer to my subjects than my camera. Distance matters! The closer the light source, the softer and more flattering the light becomes.
One AD360 about 5 feet away from the subjects.
For small groups or couples, one AD360 usually has enough power and flexibility. However, a large family group, with kids running in every direction, I doubled up, positioning two AD360s strategically to fill shadows from both sides.
1200WS Hensel Porty with a soft reflector about 12 feet away from the family group.
And for large, multigenerational family groups or brutally bright days, I bring out the big guns: my 1200WS Hensel power pack. It’s not the most portable setup, but when you need to evenly light a big group on a sun-drenched beach, there’s simply nothing better!
Lighting as an Art Form
If I had to guess, what is the most frequently used word on this website or in my conversations with my clients, that word is art. It’s because lighting is the purest form of art. In paintings, movies, on a theater stage, in our homes, in restaurants, everywhere, whether we realize it or not, the right lighting makes all the difference. Photography simply makes us pay attention, because we lived the moment and when we see the final photo do we realize how the light shaped it.
So my job isn’t about fixing bad light, it’s about shaping it to transform it into luminous, and elegant images.
One Godox AD350 on the subject’s eye level.
Clients often tell me they hardly noticed the extra lighting gear during the shoot. That’s exactly how it should be, it means I did my job! Being surrounded by extra lighting can make clients feel like they are on stage, so my job is to create a relaxed, enjoyable experience where all you have to do is have fun, while I manage the technical details behind the scenes.
A Little Patience, A Lot of Preparation
So to sum up: even the most challenging direct sunlight can be transformed with the right preparation, expertise, thought and a bit of artistry.
So while photographers may quietly curse the midday sun from behind the lens, it’s an opportunity to bring an artistic vision and photographic style to the scene. And in the right hands, even the brightest sun can be shaped into something truly beautiful.After all, light is the purest form of art.
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