Playing with harsh mid-day light

We’re getting a slight heat wave in Seattle this week. It got up in the upper-70s on Friday. That’s not terribly hot, generally speaking, but it’s still warmer than usual for the region at this time of year. Everyone was either basking in the sun or hiding in the shade.

The clear skies and hard afternoon sun made for some interesting lighting along my usual walking routes. Most photographers don’t like mid-day sun (bad angle, harsh shadows, etc.), but I’ve been enjoying working with it as a challenging lighting exercise. I look for interesting shadows, high-contrast scenes, and other ways to take advantage of the less-than-ideal lighting. Most of the time, I don’t get anything good. Sometimes, though, the hunt pays off.

Chinatown. Seattle, WA. June 23, 2017. Fujifilm X100T.