How to shoot in harsh midday sun

By Mariya Harley · London · updated August 2026

Why midday is difficult

The sun is almost overhead, so it lights the top of the head, the brow and the cheekbones and drops everything else into shadow. Eye sockets go dark, a shadow appears under the nose, and the jawline disappears. No amount of editing recovers detail that was never recorded.

Open shade is the professional answer

The shadow side of a building, a doorway, under a tree with a solid canopy, an archway. The light there is soft, directional and consistent, and it is available all day. Keep the subject just inside the shade line facing out, so the open sky acts as a giant soft source.

Turning the subject

Backlit works at midday too: put the sun behind the head, expose for the face, and accept a bright background. Or turn them 90 degrees so the light rakes across the face rather than down it — half-lit is a legitimate look and it is far better than top-lit.

Committing to hard light

Deep shadow, high contrast, strong graphic shapes. It suits fashion and street work, particularly in black and white, and it is currently fashionable rather than a compromise. The key is intent: shadows placed deliberately read as style, shadows that happened read as an error.

Practical additions

• A reflector or even a white shopping bag bounced from below fills eye sockets.
• Fill flash at low power does the same more consistently.
• Sunglasses solve squinting and are honest at midday.
• Matte skin: bright sun plus shine is the hardest combination to retouch.