Harsh sunlight during parks hours of operation.

I cannot exactly tell the subject when to arrive or have them move somewhere else to have their photos taken. lol
The parks and marshes have very strict rules about staying on the foot trails and some nesting areas are blocked off as well.
Should I be using screw in polarizing or ND filters? The sunlight has been harsh and difficult.

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Bright sunlight is tough. We just had a track meet on Saturday that didn't have a cloud in the sky

What time does the park open? The one's I'm familiar with are usually open sunrise to sunset. Shoot early in the morning, or late in the afternoon, when the sun is lower and not overhead. I frequently shoot mornings at a park near my home, and find that the light starts getting bad around 9:00 or so. I won't even go there mid-day if it's bright sun.

A polarizer might cut some of the glare like in the top picture, but you're better off avoiding hash direct overhead light, IMO.

I better take the camera off auto ISO on sunny days. Both images taken 12 noon -3pm a turn your scalp red sunny day even with sun block.
I just looked at the data. I think the ISO is what is destroyed the image quality washing out and adding too much grain.
Very sure that ISO 100 and 200 could have been used.
Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 @600mm • 1/2500 • f/6.3 • ISO 1000
Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 @600mm • 1/500 • f/6.3 • ISO 400

I don't know, its the overall overexposure, ie: the complete equation, not just ISO.
ISO 400 is "base" on today's modern sensors, I haven't walked out the door without a camera set to at least ISO 400 since I got my 1D3 in 2007 (2005?)
That ISO 400 shot looks like it needed a lot more shutter speed, so more ISO might have helped. That said, you either needed a lower manual exposure (again more shutter speed with the rest of the settings the same) or - Exposure compensation if you are shooting an auto exposure.

A circular polarizer can help, but bad lighting is bad lighting. Adding an ND will drive your ISO UP to maintain the same shutter speeds.

12:00-3:00 is just really bad harsh lighting. Usually up until 10:30am, or later afternoon will be much better.

I think a polarizer would have cut a lot of the glare off of those turtles' shells. The second photo looks like there was a little bit of camera shake going on, and possibly a tiny bit overexposed. That is a tough time of day for photography.

I prefer outdoor photos been done during bright day.
Good glass lens is your friend. Canon L and Zeiss were shining under bright light at my days of DSLR wrestling on local events. As SOOC user those were making huge difference for me. Tamron glass was above regular Canon EF glass, but not near with L and ZE.
Polarizer was helping to deal with glare.
And always check exposure to be not over, with modern sensors it is better to be spot on or slightly under.

vision35 wrote in post #19219277
I better take the camera off auto ISO on sunny days. Both images taken 12 noon -3pm a turn your scalp red sunny day even with sun block.
I just looked at the data. I think the ISO is what is destroyed the image quality washing out and adding too much grain.
Very sure that ISO 100 and 200 could have been used.
Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 @600mm • 1/2500 • f/6.3 • ISO 1000
Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 @600mm • 1/500 • f/6.3 • ISO 400

By a sunny day without cloud above, the correct exposure - notwithstanding the specular reflections - is likely (and at max !) 100 ISO & f16 & 1/125 s (= 100 ISO & f6,3 & 1/800 s or 1000 ISO & f6,3 & 1/8000 s or 400 ISO & f6,3 & 1/3200 s) in jpeg mode ; and 100 ISO & f16 & 1/50 s (= 100 ISO & f6,3 & 1/320 s in raw mode) in raw mode.

So far, 1000 ISO & f6,3 & 1/2500 s as figured in the exifs means not only overexposed digital file but everlost burned highlights. And naturally even worse results with 400 ISO & f6,3 & 1/500è s.

A circular polarizer would have helped with the specular reflections on the turtles' shells but could not imho have adressed the automatic exposure errors in evaluative mode.
Regards,

tomj wrote in post #19219106
What time does the park open? The one's I'm familiar with are usually open sunrise to sunset. Shoot early in the morning, or late in the afternoon, when the sun is lower and not overhead. I frequently shoot mornings at a park near my home, and find that the light starts getting bad around 9:00 or so. I won't even go there mid-day if it's bright sun.

A polarizer might cut some of the glare like in the top picture, but you're better off avoiding hash direct overhead light, IMO.

Summer is my least favorite season to shoot anything but people.

You only get a couple of hours in the morning and a couple hours before dark. And if you're serious about it, both ends can involve the middle of the night.

I'm an early guy. In the summer I gotta be in place and ready to shoot at 6AM and done by 7:30 or 8. The sun gets high quickly. After that, 12 hours of harsh. I just keep polarizers screwed on in the summer.

Look for open shade. That's your best option mid-day. For example, a beer garden. For the light, you know.