I am sure you have all heard people telling you to only shoot outdoors during the “Golden Hours”. This is the first and last hour of sunlight in the day. The sunlight during this time produces soft warm hues, as oppose to the overtly harsh tones you’d find during midday.
This is great in practice but as a wedding photographer we don’t have the option to dictate when we shoot, as we have to work around the wedding schedule. This often means we are shooting in the middle of the day and even in direct sunlight.
Shooting in direct sunlight can (if we don’t get it right) can lead to images that have high contrast, blown out highlights, lens flare and most of all terrible shadows across a subjects face.
So how can we get around this problem when we are often forced to shoot during this time?
Here are a few very simple tips to solve this problem during a wedding.
Use the shade
With most weddings it’s pretty easy to find some shade. Especially for bridal portraits or smaller groups. This has to be your simplest option and it may sound obvious but I have seen many photographers at work who all think that being in the sun is always the best option. Finding an area of shade should mean the sunlight is much more even and easier to control.
If you can’t find an area of shade you could always make your own shade
This can be pretty hard to do for larger groups or multiple people but for some shots you can always create some shade. Hold up umbrella to block the sun or even a large piece of card.
Pick The Time of Day to Shoot
OK many parts of a wedding it is impossible to choose when we shoot but that does not mean we cant plan the most important posed shots for a time of the day with better available light. Try and shoot your portraits of the bride and groom during the golden hour.

During the Golden hour the light is low on the horizan with warm soft tones. This image was taken using natural light around 20 mins before sun set.

Using Filters
Filters are not something I use often myself but sometimes a filter can be handy when shooting in bright sunlight. A polarizing filter will help cut down on reflections and reduce the light getting into your camera to let you use slower shutter speeds and smaller apertures if you’re looking for more control over these elements of exposure.

Using Fill Flash
Often photographers will use flash only as their main light source for when the image is too dark. Fill flash is actually simplest way to use flash and to correct the problems caused by harsh sunlight. Fill flash will lighten the shadows while the main exposure will be set to the ambient light.
In order to maintain the ambient light as your main light source you will want to set the flash output so that it only illuminates the shadows rather than acting as the main light. This will vary depending on how bright the sun is. With some cameras you may be limited to using a shutter speed of 250, which can result in over exposure in very bright sunlight. Modern SLRs such as the d700 combat this problem as do off some triggers such as the pocket wizard flex and mini.

This image was taken in direct sunlight with no shade. An sb800 was used on full power with a small softbox to fill soften out the shadows.

Backlight
Many photographers have been trained to put the sun behind them when taking a photograph so that your subject will be well lit. Shooting into the sun alone can result on dark subject or a silhouette – but at times it can be used to gain great results. Back lighting can work particularly if you use a flash to light the main subject while the sun acts as a natural rim light.

This image was taken using a combination of backlighting from the sun and a large silver reflector to light the face

Use a Reflector
A reflector works in very much the same way as fill flash does only by bouncing the light up onto the face and filling the areas that are shadowed. Again this works great when using the sun as a back light and in areas of shade.

Change Your Position
When shooting a wedding it is often impossible to move your subject or even interfere with the subject in anyway. There are even some occasions when using flash is not allowed. IN this case simply but moving around can give a very different impact on the image.

Correct Metering
Direct sunlight makes correct metering hard work. In these conditions and when using a DSLR spot metering on the main can work well. Alternatively pick a mid-tone area to meter from if you want everything to be exposed relatively evenly. The great thing about digital photography is that you can Check your shots right away or use the histogram. If you have the time its good to take a few shots with various settings to make sure you have it spot on.

Get creative.
Why not take full advantage of the light and get a little creative. Shoot silhouettes, use flairs, and play with shadows. Remember with photography its ok to break the rules sometimes if the shot works.

Written by Andy Warner-Simpson. Wedding Photographer Milton Keynes