Best Daylight for Outdoor Portraits

Being a Natural Light preferring photographer (and I'm not talkin' beer), I'm often at the mercy of the solar landscape. Whatever daylight decides to do on a shoot day is what I have to work with, and I have to be versatile. I view outdoor photography as Ideal but also up to God's decree. Which is kinda cool. Roll with nature!

I've put together some daylight samples of what light looks like at different times and how best it can be utilized for portraiture. Often my portrait subjects are not available at the best lit times of day (sunrise or cloudy midday), so other measures must be taken to avoid too-harsh direct sun which is present for the largest chunk of a person's active daytime. These images were shot in springtime at correct exposures with no digital retouching. Quality of light will vary according to season, altitude of local hills/valleys and atmospheric precipitation. Huh! I became a weatherman for this job.

The Hour Surrounding Sunrise

Sunrise lighting is very fair and gentle (though no one wants to get up early enough for it!). Lighting is warm, diffused, and soft on facial features. Light will remain this quality until the sun passes the horizon.

Midday Clear Skies (Full Sun)

Squinty-face equals poor portraiture. When the sun is at high angles (in spring, 8am through 5pm), it gives subjects that horrific "raccoon eye" effect. Eyes become minimized, shadowy and triangle shaped. Good portraits demand good eye communication from subjects, so in harsh light I always take them into shade. Locationally, this limits you a bit. If there is no shade available, I will choose another location.

Midday Overcast

Some will find clouds too dismal, but the overcast outdoors are an absolute dream to a photographer. Clouds are natural diffuse screens; shadows are not so harsh and lighting is soft and lovely. Clouds also make dramatic sky textures too. This day was on the bright side of overcast (thin clouds), so a little bit of a squint is still present but the raccoon eyes are diminished.

The Hour Prior to Sunset

Sunset lighting is golden and fabulous, and also well diffused as the sun gets closer to the horizon. It's tricky though to deal with a time constraint as you're slowly losing light versus slowly gaining it (as is the case with sunrise). Work quickly to snag the light before it goes!

After Sunset (Off-Camera Flash)

Not my preferred lighting, as bright diffused daylight just brings out the freshness and vitality of a face. For loss of light after sundown, flash is required. It does look much more dramatic, which can be a cool noirish effect if you desire it.

To sum, the choicest time of day is sunrise or cloudy midday. Although planning around what the atmosphere is doing is not something we have any control over, it's good to note that a cloudy day is not such a bummer, even if you miss out on blue skies. If you can't dodge being photographed in harsh midday sun, tactics will be taken to keep you in shade. The best option for the latter without being spatially confined to patches of shade is a lush green forest! Forested areas provide a great canopy, and if you don't mind a little bushwhacking they also make excellent and supremely romantic spots for lovely portraits. Consult with me to locate a primo forest near you!