Shooting in the Summer Sun

The Summer Solstice is only a month away (21st Dec). This is when the sun is up for the longest time and it is harsh and bright. The hole in the ozone layer means there is less filtration as it reaches us in Victoria and add that to a low humidity and you can get very bright photos, often with faded or washed out looking colours if you aren't careful with your exposure.

How do you avoid this?
The best way is to try to avoid taking photos in the middle of the day between 11 - 3pm. Don't forget, this is daylight saving time. It is equivalent to an hour earlier. Even on an overcast day, the position of the sun influences the image. Top light is still top light.

If you can't avoid it, make sure you turn down your exposure till the colours look better and avoid top light. Try & photograph in the shade. At the edge of shade you can get some nice directional light coming in - but watch out for unwanted reflected colours if you are too close to the sunny edge.
If your subject is small, you can control the top light by putting some shade above it and then add some side light in with a reflector.

Avoiding the Summer Sun
The best way is to photograph is in the early morning or late afternoon when the sun is down low and the light is softer.
Of course, in Summer, that time is very early or quite late.

Morning
Dawn till 8 or 9am is best. Then watch your subjects. Look for the best angles of light. As the sun gets higher, you will find that your subjects are no longer visually interesting and the shadows will be in the wrong spots.

Evening
If you are out in the environment and are observant, you will notice your subjects start looking better around 4.30pm onwards. Things start looking more 3 dimensional. The shadows are complimentary instead of distracting. From now to sun down and a bit after is the best time.