Our second “Power of 5″ winner is Vanessa Lister. Vanessa’s tip was something I hadn’t heard of before – and is a very quick and easy way of making sure your subjects aren’t squinting into the light. Congratulations Vanessa, you’re also the proud recipient of a Canon A630 camera. – David

Great photos need the light coming from the right direction. Shooting towards the light can cause your subject to squint – never a good look. So how do you know which direction this is? It’s easy to work out when the sun is shining, but what about those flat grey, cloudy or overcast days when the light seems all around?

Many shots are ruined by overexposure if you accidentally shoot into the light without realizing. The tip? Always keep a white business card in your pocket or camera bag. Fold the business card in half to bend it into a V shape. Hold it up in front of you so you are looking at the folded crease.

You will see straightaway if one side of the card is brighter than the other. You have now found out where the light is coming from! Move your subject (or yourself) around and hold the card up again to check the light direction. You can position your subject or yourself to make the most of the outdoors light, even on misty grey flat days.

Vanessa Lister

Related posts:

  1. Power of 5 Winners
  2. The Best Light Source For Portait Photography
  3. What to do when there’s too much light?

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