Revisiting Photographing in Bright, Midday Sun

Photographed with Sunny 16 exposure

A few weeks ago I posted a short article with links to information about how to get good exposures in bright sunlight. One of the techniques I didn't include was a method of exposing for photographs called "Sunny 16". This technique requires a camera that lets you set the ISO, aperture (lens opening) and shutter speed (time) manually. Using the Sunny 16 "rule", you ignore your camera's meter and set the controls for exposure according to the Sunny 16 guidelines.

I learned about Sunny 16 from Neil Chaput de Saintonge, founder & owner of the Rocky Mountain School of Photography. Much to my delight, he has republished his article describing how to apply this technique on the school's blog. Check out the series of articles and give Sunny 16 a try while we enjoy the summer sun.

Sunny 16 Exposure without a Meter: Part 1

(P.S. If you ever shot Kodak film, you might recognize some of the techniques in Neil's articles as the same ones that appeared on the inside of the box.)