Full Sun

Lest you think I'm complaining, let me explain.  I love the sun.  I thrive in the beautiful, sunny, lovely weather of California.  It is glorious and beautiful.  And I'm not bragging.  It just is what it is.  But it makes photos challenging sometimes.  Full sun makes for hard, severe shadows. Hollow, dark holes where sparkly eyes should be.  Hmm...I could get up earlier. Drag my kids and myself out of bed to catch that ethereal morning light.   And then run ten miles, clean my house from top to bottom, do twenty science experiments with the kids, and cook a gourmet dinner.  Point?  It's probably not going to happen.  So... I've found using a flash, even in full sun, helps minimize shadow.  Course, that only works when you're close.  And you can also look for shady spots.  That sometimes helps.  Other than that, we just enjoy the drama hard shadows create (seriously...I have three daughters.  We can be very dramatic).  And try to take advantage of the occasional cloud.

I'll call this one "Blue Skies"
How's that for product placement?  I'm in no way affiliated with the Pepsi Corporation.  But would greatly appreciate a check for my efforts.  By the way, that's my awesome sister and her husband.
She's wearing pants.  I promise!  It's a "skort" kind of thing that just caught on the swing.  We're all about modesty here.  Just apparently not in this picture.