▸ 51AArchive · episodes/all/51

Vacation and holiday photos

Bright sun, squinting, deep eye shadows and a busy background — the four things that ruin most trip photos, and how to beat them.

Archive note: this address was an individual episode page of the Look Good in Pictures web series (2008–2009). The original episode is not hosted here, and the sources we could open do not say which topic episode 51 covered. Nikon’s releases list vacations and holidays among the series’ topics. This site is independent and not affiliated with Nikon or Carson Kressley.

The problem with midday sun

Bright midday sun makes people squint and puts hard, high-contrast light on faces. The photography course notes for COMD 1340 at CUNY City Tech recommend avoiding direct sun on the face and give three alternatives:

Open shade. Step into the shade of a building, tree or awning; the light there is softer.
Backlight. Put the sun behind your head so it isn’t lighting your face directly.
Fill. Use a reflector or fill flash to brighten the shadows on the face.

Canon’s group-portrait guide makes the same point for groups: on sunny days, overhead shade keeps people from squinting. Google’s Pixel portrait tips, written for phones, also suggest shade at midday or overcast days.

When to shoot: golden hour

The golden hour is the period shortly after sunrise or before sunset when daylight is redder and softer than when the sun is high. Because the sun’s rays pass through more atmosphere, more of the light comes from diffuse skylight, contrast drops and shadows are less harsh — which is why it suits portraits and reduces the need for fill flash. The “hour” is figurative: its length depends on latitude and season. Just before sunrise and just after sunset comes the blue hour, with mostly blue, shadowless light.

Time of day	What the light does to faces	What to do
Midday, clear sky	Hard, high-contrast light; squinting	Open shade, or sun behind you plus fill
Overcast	Softer light	A good time for outdoor portraits (Google’s Pixel tips)
Golden hour	Warm, soft, lower-contrast light; long shadows	Ideal for portraits; less need for fill flash
Blue hour	Dim, mostly blue, no sharp shadows	Add a light on the face, e.g. a second phone’s flashlight from the side

Backlit subjects: brighten the face

If the sun or a bright sea sits behind you, the camera may expose for the bright background and leave your face dark. Nikon’s “Take Better Portraits” suggests fill flash or adding one to two stops of exposure compensation for bright backgrounds. On a phone, Google’s tips suggest tapping on the subject, then dragging up or down to fix brightness. On Nikon’s Quick Tips, fill flash for backlit subjects is aimed directly rather than bounced.

Backgrounds that don’t fight you

Landmarks are the point of a trip photo, but they shouldn’t grow out of anyone’s head. Nikon’s guide warns about poles, branches or lines that appear to sprout from the subject’s head and notes that moving a few feet fixes it. The rule of thirds — dividing the frame into a 3×3 grid — suggests placing a person along a vertical line with their eyes near a horizontal one, which leaves room for the view beside them. Google’s tips recommend turning on the camera’s grid and checking frame edges for stray signs or branches.

Posing on the trip

Turn about 45 degrees to the camera and bring your head back toward the lens (Nikon).
Space between arms and torso reads slimmer (a tip Nikon’s February 2009 release credited to Carson Kressley).
Sunglasses off for a frame or two. The University of Florida IFAS photo guide asks people to remove sunglasses because they reflect light, and eyes carry expression.
Practice your pose in a mirror by copying a photo you like — another tip from the 2009 release.

Holiday gatherings indoors

When holiday photos move indoors, window light is the easiest flattering source: Canon’s group guide suggests positioning a family facing a window for even light across faces. For the indoor side, see best light for portraits; for the big family frame, see group photo tips.

Sources

Reviewed October 14, 2026