Can I take photos while the sun is out?

New York City is filled with a lot of attractions, The Empire State Building, Yankee Stadium and Coney Island to name a few. One of the most overlooked locations is Fulton State Park. Fulton State Park is located in the heart of DUMBO.

This park has one of the most beautiful views of the (Hudson/East River), as well as the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges. There is a carousel for kids of all ages, tables and chairs for outdoor enjoyment, a dog park, rock climbing and a hospitality center equipped with restrooms. The location is very popular amongst photographers. If you are in need of a location with multiple scenarios, look no further.

I have used this location for many outdoor shoots because it is conveniently located via the "A or C" trains to High Street, or the "F" train to York Street. If you walk to the corners of Water Street and Adams Street, you will find yourself at the underpass of the Manhattan Bridge. It is a perfect location to meet your colleagues and guests. There are plenty of benches for sitting. There is even the "Lighthouse", a beverage stand that sells beer and wine. Every third Saturday of the month you can enjoy a free, live DJ party. Different DJ's are invited to spin records to the delight of people passing through. (April through October) If you want to do a photo shoot at DUMBO, keep in mind that you can take photographs at this location rain or shine. The underpass protects you from the elements. One of the things that you have to be cognizant of are the hundreds of tourists that visit this location everyday. It is not uncommon to see a bride and groom walk by, groups of artists, and visitors from all over the world taking photographs. Today we are going to examine some problems that might arise during your outside shoot. In the summertime, especially at the beach, you know that the midday sun can sometimes wreck havoc on your photos, especially if you are using your cell phones. The sun is usually positioned directly above your heads for several hours. One of the biggest problems is the shadows that are cast by the sun. You can get unwanted, unattractive dark circles under your eyes.

The photographer seen here is taking photos of his clients. He realizes that the suns rays are causing shadows under their eyes. he immediately tells his assistant to provide him with his external flash. He re-takes the photos using an external flash and he solves his problem.

In order to take the best picture, you may want to add additional light via the external flash, or built in flash on your camera or cell phone. If you're using a Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera, the external flash will over power the shadows on your subject. You will want to use a diffuser (A filter that is placed over the flash to soften the light that falls onto your subject) to make your subject look better.

Here is an example of Tia without the use of a flash.

Here is Tia with the use of a flash.

In the first photo you notice that the hat that LaShondra is wearing is causing shadows to her face.

When we add the flash, the shadows are replaced with the available light emitted from the flash. If you are a fan of natural light and you really don't like to use flash in your pictures, there are other options for you to use. An umbrella on the beach is usually reserved for that perfect spot at the beach when you arrive very early in the morning. In this case we are going to use the umbrella to protect Teshe & Aisha from the sun.

We are going to start off with some simple head shots. When we adjust our shutter speed, aperture, ISO and white balance settings accordingly, we can get a better photograph of our model. What if you want to get a full body photo of your subject? In this case we want to use our umbrella to block the sunlight that is falling directly onto our model.

We will still produce enough natural light to produce a better photograph, but if we're looking for something with more lighting, add a separate light. If you are not talking on your cell phone, you can bring up the "flashlight app" on your phone and use this light to illuminate your subject.

As a quick side note, if you're shooting in a very dim lit area (Night club, wedding reception that resembles a club or 2am outside of any club) and you are having trouble with your focusing beam on your camera, use your same flashlight app to light your subject. This light will provide more than enough illumination to have the focusing beam accurately track your subject for a clearer, better photograph.