How to get rid of harsh light in a photo

Hello all, first of all thanks for taking your time reading.

My problem is when i shoot macro in sunlight, i get these harsh white spots in my image.
Example:

IMAGE LINK: https://www.flickr.com …97084477@N05/13​900539045/

IMAGE LINK: https://www.flickr.com …97084477@N05/13​905736161/

You're probably shooting in harsh, noon day sun. Try shooting when there is a light overcast, or early in the morning / late in the evening when the light is softer and more diffused.

tl;dr Shoot in better light

If you can't shoot with better light conditions then you can try a few things.

temporarily shading them with your body can sometimes work but will often spook the bugs- I do a quick test on them to see how bothered they are by shading them for a second or two. Obviously if there are a few clouds around you could wait for some natural shade.
If you can shade them then you can either shoot in shaded natural light or use the flash setup.

Using a CPL filter can help a bit by reducing the intensity of the hot spots if you can't shade them.

You could try using the camera in manual and use High speed sync flash so the ambient light gives at least 2 stops underexposure- I suspect you will still get slight bright spots from the sun but they should be reduced.

Having said all that I actually don't find the bright spots in your picture that objectionable - just shows it was a bright sunny day

Brian V.

Thank you allot Dalantech and Brian, I've tested and i'm really pleased wih the results!

Another option is to diffuse the harsh sunlight with some form of net or transparency material. Silkscreen mesh is pretty good for this as it can be stretched onto a thin frame. I then attach this onto my Wimberley clamp. It's not a very practical solution, especially if you're in the field but it does work.

Anyway, glad to hear that you've tested and that you're pleased with the results! Look forward to seeing the fruits of your labour.

When shooting with just natural light, I use a small diffuser and/or reflector:

http://orionmystery.bl​ogspot.com …users-and-reflectors.html

http://orionmystery.bl​ogspot.com …users-and-reflectors.html

As for FEC, it depends on the "scene":

http://orionmystery.bl​ogspot.com …ompensation-in-macro.html

orionmystery wrote in post #17020077
As for FEC, it depends on the "scene":

http://orionmystery.bl​ogspot.com …ompensation-in-macro.html

Just noticed you're using a 40D Kurt. That camera has a terrible light meter and will give you very inconstant results if there is nothing in the background to reflect the E-TTL preflash back into the camera. I can take a shot of the same scene with a 40D and a 1D MkIII, one that is going to have a black background due to flash fall off, and the 1D MkIII will nail the exposure almost every frame. The 40D's exposures will be all over the place...

Dalantech wrote in post #17021212
Just noticed you're using a 40D Kurt. That camera has a terrible light meter and will give you very inconstant results if there is nothing in the background to reflect the E-TTL preflash back into the camera. I can take a shot of the same scene with a 40D and a 1D MkIII, one that is going to have a black background due to flash fall off, and the 1D MkIII will nail the exposure almost every frame. The 40D's exposures will be all over the place...

Yeah, it's not very good, even with background. Luckily with really diffused light, I can pull down the exposure by more than one stop and it's still okay!