Shooting at Noon in Texas

We'd been around the missions in San Antonio. The churches are in various states of disrepair and it was a hot, sunny cloudless day. Typical Texas weather even though we haven't seen much of it recently. By the time we got to Mission Conceptión it was noon. The sun was right overhead, hot and bright. Not a cloud to hide behind in the sky. So how can you take a quiet portrait in that sort of light ? Simple - find the open shade and put your subjects there. In this case, we found a 7 ft crumbling wall that cast just enough shade to sneak Kate and Amanda behind. The ground was crushed rock, brightly reflecting the sun, just like a free reflector adding a bit of warmth to their skin. The background is still in bright light but I just metered on their faces and shot away. Out in the full sun their hats could have helped too, but the top side would have been in full sun and blown out. You can see the difference in the shot of Amanda on the right here. The quiet, open shade above, makes for a much more flattering portrait, even in the brightest, hottest parts of the day.