Thursday, December 8, 2011

Shooting in Autumn

I love shooting during autumn.  Of course there are those gorgeous leaves.   But besides that, it's also great because of the sun's position.  You know how we photographers dread the sun being overhead because it casts unflattering shadows?  In autumn, the sun never goes directly overhead.  This will vary of course with where you live, but here in Los Angeles, for example, the maximum altitude of the sun today is only 33.4 degrees (at 11:40 am PST) according the my iPhone app The Photographer's Ephemeris.  Contrast that with an altitude of around 79.5 degrees at 12:52pm at summer solstice (June 21, 2011). 
 
If you want to see what difference that angle makes, check out the recent review of the Lastolite Brolly Grip.  The shots there were taken around 11:30am yet the shadows are distinctly angled.
 
If you live closer to the poles, then the sun is at an even lower angle these days. The highest angle of the sun today for Boston is just 25 degrees, at 11:33am.
 
Don't waste this opportunity -- get out there and shoot!

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