A vacation to a sunny destination is always a very memorable happening. And photos are the best way to share these memories with friends and your future self. Here are a few tips for making the best possible vacation photos in the sun.
Tip 1: Make use of the sunlight direction.
The sun is great for tanning and having a wonderful vacation day at the beach. It also gives beautiful rich colors to the environment. When photographing, the sun can be your friend but also your enemy. For beautiful landscape photos it is best to have to sun from your back. In other words, you are shooting in the same direction that the sun is shining. If you shoot against the sun there will be a lot of dark shadows in your picture. If you shoot with the sun, every object will be well lit and rich with color.
Tip 2: Avoid squinting eyes.
If you are photographing people during daytime, it might be a challenge to avoid squinting eyes because of the strong sunlight reflection. This is especially difficult on a beach where the white sand does a great job at reflecting the sunlight. We have two options here. The first option is to have your "models" placed with their backs towards to sun. The problem with this is that the faces will be poorly lit, underexposed, or simply said too dark. The solution to this problem is to use flash. In most cases this will compensate the dark shadows. So yes, flash in not only a night time tool. The other option is to have your models facing the sun, close their eyes and open them on the count of three. Because the eyes got a little break from the sunlight, they tend to open up easier. Keep in mind that you only have a fraction of a second here to take a good shot!
Tip 3: The rule of thirds.
The rule of thirds says that a photo should never be divided in halves. For example, a horizon should never be in the middle of the photo. The horizon should be below the middle (at roughly one third from the bottom of the photo) or above the middle (at about one third from the top). Composing your photos with this rule in mind, your images will have more power. There is a focus. There is a message. In the example of the horizon, you either want to emphasize the beautiful sky or you want to get more attention to the land or sea. The same applies for vertical lines or subjects. When a single palm tree is the subject of your photo, it should be either at one third from the right or at one third from the left, but never in the center.
Tip 4: Choose your time of the day.
Because of the sun (our friend) has a daily schedule, "timing is everything" as they say. Early birders will enjoy beautiful soft light during the sunrise. In combination with the quietness of the early morning this is a great opportunity to take nature pictures. Later in the morning and early in the afternoon the sun will be high in the sky and the colors of the tropical sea will be at their brightest. This is the best time of day to get the beautiful turquoise colors of the water in your pictures. The late afternoon is the best time for portraits with people. First of all because everybody is happy and smiling at the end of a beautiful day in paradise. Secondly because the low angle of the incoming sunlight will give nice lighting for portraits. And of course there is the tropical sunset that should not be missed at the end of the day!
Have fun shooting!
Marc Crooze is one of the best photographers in Aruba and loves to take all sorts of pictures to share with the world. You will find a great deal of his work on his Facebook Page called Pictures of Aruba.
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