To impress anyone with a photograph, make sure you have good lighting. There is nothing worse than taking a family photo only to have shadows on everyone’s faces, or dark spots under their eyes from improper lighting. If you have a basic consumer camera, the flash isn’t that powerful and usually only works for closer images. Your flash may work better in darker settings, but during the day most basic built-in flashes are not capable of removing shadows from over 7 feet away.

The best way to avoid heavy shadows is to be aware of the time of day if you are shooting outside. Time of day and lighting can vary per state and country, but generally at high noon the sun is the highest in the sky, so that means your subjects will be lit from directly above. This causes harsh shadows in the eye sockets and under the nose. It’s generally not an attractive look. Late at night with a basic flash is not the most pleasant thing either because it is straight on. Your subjects will have the “Deer in the Headlights” look, not so good either. The best way to avoid these situations is put yourself in the place of the subject. How would you want to look? Like a superstar, right?

The best times to shoot photos of people are late in the afternoon when the sun is warm, glowing and almost down. In California where I am at, this is usually around 4 or 5pm. If you are an early bird, you can get up early in the morning as the sun begins to rise, you can get the same soft glowing effect.

If you don’t have a choice, and you have to shoot in the middle of the day try to find a good shady spot for your subjects. If it is a tree you find, ensure there are not any random bits of light sneaking through the leaves onto your subjects face. Having blotchy shadows on your face is not attractive either.

If you are taking photos of people, try to get close enough that your flash does work. Most people like upper body to close-up shots anyway. A good way to get better with your lighting is to buy a foam head. You can get these online and sometimes at wig shops if they have extras. This way you have a foam person to practice with and won’t insult anyone. You don’t have to get a fancy kit for this. Grab a couple lamps from around the house and position them a bit differently around the subject to find the most attractive light.