• creates dark, clearly defined shadows that can hide the face
• emphasizes wrinkles and blemishes
• causes unattractive squinting

Light from an overcast sky or a north window is soft and

• creates soft shadows that don’t hide the face
• minimizes wrinkles and blemishes
• reveals subtle skin tones and hues
• allows the subject to open his or her eyes wide

• Front light: Harsh sunlight shining directly into a person’s face flattens the face and causes squinting.
• Overhead light: At midday, the sun is overhead and casts unpleasant facial shadows. Use the camera’s flash to lighten harsh facial shadows.
• Side light: Early and late in the day, position your subject so the sun strikes only one side of the face. With one side of the face brightly lit and the other side in shadow, you will create a dramatic effect. To reduce the shadow effect, use fill flash.
• Back light: Occurs when you position your subject facing away from the sun. This places your subject’s face in shadow, eliminating squinting and often adding an attractive glow to hair. Use fill flash to lighten your subject’s face.

• Position your subject within the flash range for your camera (see your camera manual). When photographing a group, make sure that all your subjects are about the same distance from the flash.
• Turn on all the room lights to avoid red eye. Red eye is caused when the flash hits the back of the eye and reflects back into the camera lens. The extra brightness will help reduce the size of your subjects’ pupils letting less light in.
• Watch out for shiny surfaces-such as mirrors, windows, and eyeglasses-that can reflect the flash. Stand at an angle to shiny surfaces to prevent unwanted reflections of the flash in your photos. Ask subjects wearing glasses to turn or tilt their heads slightly.