It happens all the time. Sure, most photographers would rather shoot in the morning or late afternoon. But for paid assignments that involve busy schedules, you'd be surprised at how often you have to contend with midday lighting.

This portrait by Emerson Chen was captured in midday lighting at the TDS Sonoma Coast Workshop. Looks good to me!

You survive these situations by taking control of the light. Typically, this involves working with shade, adding fill flash, trying a diffuser, or bouncing light with a reflector. There's an excellent article on The Phoblographer titled, How to Shoot Better Photos at High Noon. There, the author Amanda Chatham explains the most popular techniques for taming harsh light.

Bottom line: you can capture a great portrait any time of day. Brush up on these simple, but effective lighting techniques to make sure you're prepared for your next high noon showdown.

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