Why take family portraits outdoors? Besides having a beautiful and fun background, photographing outside provides the chance to use natural lighting. If you are a professional photographer or serious enthusiast then you know that the external flash, studio lights and reflectors work to mimic the beauty of natural light. If you are new to photography and have a digital compact and built in flash, then taking your family portraits outdoors is the best way to get professional quality portraits that you’ll want to proudly frame in your home.

The Best Natural Lighting for Outdoor Family Portraits. Not all outdoors lighting is ideal. The worst time of day to take outdoor family portraits is mid day. The best times of day to take outdoor photographs is the hour before sunset and after dawn when the shadows are least harsh and the light is the softest. The closer to these times you can gather the family for their portrait, the better. Another good option is to wait for an overcast day when there’s a high overcast, also called bright overcast. This provides enough brightness but with the kind of softness the pros spend money on soft boxes to get. If the timing doesn’t work out for any of the above, find shade that isn’t too dark.

The obvious choice and perhaps the perfect choice is the family’s backyard. Or you could take a cue from high school senior photography and take your outdoors family portrait at a place the family enjoys such as a park. If you go away from home, look for times of the day that the location you choose is the least crowded. You should also consider using a family hobby as a potential setting. If the entire family is into horses, a pretty pasture with horses nibbling on the grass withthe family posed on and in front of a nice white fence could work quite well. If the family sails think about using the boat’s deck as a setting.

If you decide to take any family portraits outdoors at places such as the sea, beach or snow, here are some things that can help: Select the beach mode on a digital compact, or if you use a DSLR or SLR, use a polarizing filter. This will help with the glare. Set the flash to “On” instead of “Automatic” to help reduceshadows on the family. Don’t face the family towards the sun or they’ll be squinting. As with any photo, be sure to remove or hide clutter. Do you want to use the natural outdoor lighting but want a plain background? Take a piece of material and tack it to something like a fence. Check the lawn for sprinklers and behind the family for things that might be distracting, like a lamp post.

Millions of people love to ride motorcycles for various reasons. Not only do you get to feel the fresh air on your face, but you can also save some gas money due to motorcycles’ high gas mileage. However, riding a motorbike can also be very dangerous as you have nothing protecting you from the pavement. Here are some tips to make you more noticeable on your motorcycle, which can help prevent accidents. Sadly, people who ride motorcycles are more susceptible to bad weather and dangerous road conditions such as trash on the road or potholes. However, an estimated 75% of motorcycle wrecks happen between motorcyclists and people who are driving passenger cars. While you cannot always change the weather so that you get to ride on a pretty day, you can follow these tips to make you more apparent to car drivers.

First, although you may love riding on your black motorcycle in your all-black leathers and helmet, this can make you practically invisible at dusk and at night. While you are more visible during the daytime, you should take extra precautions at night and perhaps add a reflective vest over your ensemble so that you are more noticeable. If you do not choose to wear a reflective vest, you can at least choose to wear lighter-colored clothing and bright outfits that are more flashy. This way, perhaps a car driver would be more likely to notice a red-shirted motorcyclists rather than someone who blends in with the shadows in all-black.

Next, you should always leave your motorcycle headlight on. While this is obvious for those who drive only at night, it can also help you be more visible during the day as well. Also, shiny chrome, which is often popular anyways, may be more reflective during the daytime, and even at night, which can draw attention to your presence. Also, many motorcyclists decide to have loud throttles and roaring engines as part of the thrill of being a motorbike owner. However, these loud noises can also alert car drivers to your presence. Many cyclists disagree with some cities’ decision to force motorcyclists to drive outside of town if they have large, noisy engines because they believe that popping the throttle and roaring the engine works to notify drivers of their presence.