That they are the path that leads to hell, right?  Well, often times in photography that same old saying applies.    We do so many things thinking that they're a good idea and then we see the results and realize we goofed.  So today, I'm going to talk to you about shade.

 I have two very active munchkins and the vast majority of the activities we engage in occur between 11 am and 4 pm.  The are probably the worst times for taking pictures because the light is so harsh.  But hey, life happens when it happens and a good photographer learns to work with all light.

 Most people know that if you take a picture of a person in full light at noon you get some seriously squinty looks and harsh shadows.  Take a look around Facebook and you'll see LOTS of these shots.  Alot of times, the person has a now or never mindset to these shots.  It's high noon, we're in front of the Grand Canyon and this shot is happening no matter what it looks like.  I get it.  

  Then you have the shooter who knows just enough to be dangerous.  They know that these shadows are gonna look bad so they seek out shade.  Good idea, right? Well, all shade is not created equal.  Too deep of shade and you get lifeless photos.  But the biggest offender, by far, is the photo under a tree when the photographer doesn't notice the sunlight coming through the leaves.  It's called dappled light and it looks like this..

 AHHHH!  I actually made my daughter do this on purpose for demonstration sake and I cringed the entire time.  I included all of the worst photo sins in one photo.  Dead center focus, dappled light, and a dead on pose; it all makes for one really bad photo.  What's worse, I have actually seen "professional" photographers post these types of pictures as though they are successful shots!  I put quotations around professional to emphasize that just because someone charges you, they don't always know what they're doing.   The second picture shows Ivy in much better shade.  The light is even on her face and those baby blues are twinkling because she's facing the light.

 So what can YOU do when you go out in the middle of the day to take pictures of your family?  Look at the light!  Even on days when the sun is beating down, you can find BEAUTIFUL shade to shoot in.  You remember that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, right?  Well, that means that at 3 in the afternoon, the east side of a building is going to have some nice shade, so shoot on that side.  When you're against a building, the north side never gets direct sunlight, so you can shoot there at high noon and avoid harsh shadows.  If you do choose to go underneath a tree, hold your hand out in the area you plan to put your subject.  If you see blazing white, hot sunshine on your hand, it'll be dappled light in your photo.  Move around at the edge of the shade until you find an even spot.  And your best friend on a sunny day is a doorway or awning.  

These are pictures of Ivy and Zander, same time of day, inside doorways.  All that beautiful sunshine wraps around their faces, creates soft shadows and twinkly catch lights in their eyes.  Try it out.  When the interior is dark, the light just makes your subject pop out of the picture.  Send me some of your "good" shade shots.  I'd love to see them!