Pixiq

Contrast is a big challenge for all photographers. Digital cameras particularly have trouble dealing with high-contrast tonalities, and any scene that is already contrasty will appear even more so in a photograph. Here are five solutions to dealing with light contrast:

1. Turn your flash on: Every Canon camera includes the ability to turn the flash on or off, including forcing it on at all times. When set to P or Av mode, Canon cameras will balance that flash with the ambient light, filling in the shadows so that contrast is reduced, without overpowering the sunlight. You can check your LCD to be sure the balance is right. If it is not, Canon D-SLRs allow you to reduce the light from the flash by adjusting flash exposure compensation. On most Canon D-SLRs, you set flash exposure

2. Wait for a cloud: This is a great solution if there are moving, sporadic clouds. Note the clouds and their movement, to see if you can wait for one to block the sun and create a more diffuse light.

3. Block the light: By blocking harsh light, you can get the equivalent of open shade on your subject at any time. You can use all sorts of things to block the sun ranging from your body (when shooting a macro subject), to a standing companion casting shade, to a large piece of cardboard or Fome-Cor® (white foam board. If the board is black, it will not reflect any light into the shadows, which can create an even stronger effect). Blocking the light one way or another can be very effective for close-ups and portraits.

4. Use a reflector or diffuser: A reflector can be almost anything that is white or neutrally reflective—all you need is a way of bouncing sunlight into the shadows. People photos can often use the help of a reflector, though you may find a problem when the reflected light is so bright that it makes people squint or look away. The answer to that is to have your subject look down and away from the bright light until you are ready to take the picture. Then you ask them to look into the camera, and you take the picture immediately before the bright reflector makes them squint.

5. Look for another picture: When the light is really bad, you are better off finding a new setting than struggling with light that will never really help or flatter your subject. Harsh, high-contrast light that strikes a subject wrong can be obscuring, distracting, and sometimes downright ugly.