Shooting In The Sun

The sun is the most powerful light around, and even though we can’t move it around, we can control its effect on what we shoot.

If possible, avoid shooting in the middle of the day, when the sun is directly overhead, creating harsh shadows or "raccoon" eyes on the subject’s face.
If you must shoot at midday, a highly reflective surface such as a car dash reflector placed under the subject’s chin can brighten up shadowed features and add a warm glow. This light can, however, be intense and can cause watering of the eyes. A piece of white posterboard can also be used and should provide enough reflection to fill out the face.
If reflectors are not an option, the subject can be moved to a shaded area to prevent harsh shadows and squinting. If you choose this option, make sure the background is shaded as well. If the background is too bright, the automatic iris turns the subject into a silhouette as it tries to compensate for the sun.
Finally, if you can choose your shoot time, the best hours are just after sunrise and just before sunset. These hours are called the "golden hours" due to the orange hues that make everything look better.

Now, it’s time to go out, play around and experiment. If you aren’t satisfied with the results, you can always rewind the tape and shoot again.