How to photograph with less than ideal lighting

I recently did a shoot on a day that we were unable to get the best lighting. I had to make the most of it. It's not realistic that I will be able to shoot every session in the nice buttery lighting before sunset or after sunrise. I shot 10:30 in the morning and we didn't get done until around 11:40. Right before the harsh noon day sun.

How did I make it work? I followed these guidelines that I set for myself... more like the only way I know how to do it:

1) Shoot in your cameras RAW mode rather than JPEG. This setting will capture and save more detail so it's easier to edit abs correct lighting or exposure mistakes later on.

2) Try and get the light behind your models. There is something dreamy about light coming from behind anything you shoot. This is true in any lighting. It is always more flattering.

3) Try and diffuse the light somehow. I used the shade of the trees in the venue we chose for the shoot. It created nice dappled light, and allowed for streaks of light that could illuminate the back of my subjects. It turned out great!

4) In bright day light, make sure the ISO is set as low as possible and the shutter speed as short as possible. Or ensure that your ISO and aperture are low/small opening. There is going to be ALOT of light coming into your lens, so prepare for it. Especially if you have a prime lens, and the sun is behind your models. I shoot with prime lenses, and they let in quite a bit more light than normal lenses.

4) In photoshop, you'll have to do some major adjustments/contrast. I have the tutorial for how to do that here!

Tutorial on how to transform images in photoshop.

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