Light is truly the language of photography. On my quest to become an artisan of light the possibilities seem endless. Everything seems to be a reflector. Everything seems to be absorbing from somewhere or bouncing light to somewhere else. In learning the way in which light behaves you'll discover a way out of any situation (well almost any).
Here's a quick tip I recently learned and applied called the shadow line. It's a good way to take a great shot in the harshest of conditions. The key is to look for a spot where the shade meets the sun:
- place your subject in the shade right in front of the line where the sun and shade meet
- the object is to use the sunny part of the line to bounce light back into the subject's face
- if you don't have any light bouncing off of a wall, building or sidewalk a reflector will come in handy
- by placing your subject in the shade and bouncing light back into the his/her face you create contrast, which is all a good picture really is sometimes (if that's what you are going for); the simple difference between light and darkness
I'll post an unedited example of exactly what I'm talking about. I hope this tip helps you as much as it has helped me. Keep shooting and don't forget to learn the language called light!