Family Photography in Ghorpadi, Pune

Later than you think

Almost every family suggests a mid-morning or midday session outdoors, and almost every one of those is the wrong hour.

High sun puts shadows under everybody's eyes, makes people squint, and produces exactly the harsh, contrasty photographs nobody wants.

The last hour or two before sunset is a completely different proposition — low, warm, soft, and flattering to everybody regardless of age.

That single change costs nothing and is the largest improvement available to an outdoor family session.

It matters more with a large group, because a group cannot be moved into shade the way two people can.

An overcast day removes the problem entirely and widens the usable hours considerably, which is why grey weather is good news rather than bad.

Where the session has to be at midday, open shade is the answer and it is worth choosing the location for that rather than for the view.

Where a group must be photographed under bright sun, the direction everybody faces matters more than where they stand.

Facing into the sun produces squinting; facing away produces shadowed faces. Turning the whole group so the sun is to one side solves both at once.

It takes ten seconds and it is the difference between a usable group photograph and one nobody prints.

Open shade is better still where it exists, and it is worth choosing a spot for that rather than for the background.

A plain shaded wall with everybody comfortable beats a spectacular view with fifteen people squinting into the light.

That trade surprises people and it is almost always the right one.