To Face the Sun, or Not

face sun or not

To Face the Sun, or not.

Hi, have you ever thought about the position of the sun when you take your picture? Should the subject be facing the sun or looking away from the sun? This is a question I have been asked more than once. I have taken a few ‘selfies’ to demonstrate the different positions of the sun.

Let’s begin with the sun behind the subject.

to face the sun or not

The image on the left is straight out of the phone’s camera. No edits. The image on the right was edited. As you can see the image was lightened so that my facial features are more visible.

The next set of pictures, the sun is in the West. The left picture I have turned my face so the sun is shining on the left side of my face. The right picture I turned my face to the right.

face the sun or not

Both of these images were right out the phone’s camera. No edits were made to the pictures.

This next picture I was facing the sun.

facing the sun

It’s important to know that when these series of images was taken, it was in the golden hour; approximately 45 minutes before sunset. As you can see all the images look nice with little to no editing needing to be done. Another prime outdoor photography time is in the morning the first hour of sunrise. The sun is softer in the morning and just before the sun sets. If I need to shoot in the middle of the day I look for shaded areas. This next set of pictures was taken in the shaded area of my yard.

silly pictures in the shade
Silly pictures in the shade.

There is no correct way to take an image. Photography is an art. Trying to make the image look nice is the main point to focus on. How to make your image look its best. As long as you are pleased with the result, it is a good picture!

WW Update:
Since Start Date; -6lbs

Take Care. Best wishes, Debra
Gma’s photo

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8 thoughts on “To Face the Sun, or Not

    1. I have joined several photography groups in MeWe. It’s amazing to see some of the images other’s have taken with their phones. And not all of the phones used are newer phones. Thanks for stopping by!

    1. Hahahah! Maybe I should go back and reread my post. I am a professional photographer and one of my friends had asked me how to place people in relation to the sun. This was the inspiration for my post. During the high noon (11am to about 2pm) I avoid taking pictures out in the wide open; I try to stay in the shaded areas. Now I did make exceptions when taking my senior session pictures. If they wanted pictures with their sunglasses on, wide open areas here we come!!

      Have a wonderful day! ❤

    1. Your pup is adorable! Also your pictures 📸 turned out wonderful. Great tips as well. Thank you for stopping by my blog and sharing your thoughts on my crafts. I truly appreciate it. Started following you on Instagram as well. I’m enjoying your posts.

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