Portraits 4 – On Sunny Days Use Open Shade

Kristina
Kristina in open shade.

On sunny days open shade will give you the look of a cloudy bright day, but you have a lot less options as to where you can shoot.

Cat in open shade.

You can find open shade on the side of a building opposite the sun, or under a bunch of trees. Cat was on the west side of a building when the sun was in the east.

Portrait in Open Shade on a Sunny Day
Christian.

Christian was on the north side of a building with a nice graffiti wall when the sun was high in the southern sky.

Jael.

Our house has a south facing covered porch which provides nice open shade on sunny days. Kristina (top) and Jael (above) were both photographed on our front porch.

Leah in the park.

If you can find a place with plenty of trees they will give you open shade.

Links

Portraits 1 – Introduction

Portraits 2 – Sunlight Can Be Really Bad Portrait Light

Portraits 3 – Shoot On Cloudy Bright Days

Portraits 4 – On Sunny Days Use Open Shade (this article)

Portraits 5 – On Sunny Days Use the Sun as Backlight

Portraits 6 – Sunlight as Your Main Light