Colour through the day: part two

Manage strong, flat light for correct colour balance and saturation

As any experienced photographer will know, when the sun is high in the sky there are challenges with contrast, notably deep, unattractive shadows, with the added complication of easily blown highlights. Noon is far from landscape or portrait shooters’ favourite time of day, to the extent that many photographers simply won’t shoot a location if they can’t be there at sunrise or sunset. But there are additional, hidden difficulties that often go unnoticed or unrecognised in midday shots, which should be given more attention too (just when you thought it couldn’t get much worse).

Colour can be difficult to control when the sun is at its zenith. It might seem that the light is relatively neutral, unlike the extreme warmth of sunrise or sunset, but shadows often adopt an unsightly blue cast, which is more insidious and can be missed in processing. Left uncorrected, it can be very noticeable in prints, giving an almost crossprocessed look in extreme cases.

This is especially prominent in wintry images that feature snow. Similar to how we all know exactly what skin tones should look like, it is immediately obvious to a viewer if snow is not neutral. While this can lead to a dramatic ‘cold’ style, if it’s not managed correctly blue snow can become a major distraction, and will often spoil the narrative of a photograph.

When the sun is high in the sky there are challenges with contrast