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Well Im finally getting round to that portrait shoot I talked about a while ago. And I really want to down a slightly different path than just beach shots or by a waterfall or something. I want to do something similar to the shots below, in a large open field with long grass or even an orchid or similar and shoot during those golden few minutes and sunset. Obviously a whole lot of yellow tint can be added in post processing but what are some tips to get these kind of shots in the first place? How bad is it to shoot into the sun without UV filters?

And just general tips on how to use the sun as a positive effect.













http://www.flickr.com/photos/alexandraca...ool-372361

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alexandraca...ool-372361

http://www.flickr.com/photos/desertrose7...068009323/

last one is cool... i like the sunglasses

1. use spot metering, and meter on model's face.
2. if the backlight from sun/whatever light source is strong, you'll have to apply some fill in flash or use a reflector to light up model's face or the difference in brightness between the background and the model will be too big for the sensor to handle.
3. If there is strong light source in front of the camera, it would lower the picture's contrast..
this is an example:

while a slightly low contrast picture may look good, if the light source is just too strong it'll lower the contrast of your picture to a point that your picture would be completely unusable.
Using a lens hood can help increase contrast and reduce flare but it's only really useful if the light source is not directly visible in the picture.

hope this helps.

yeah you'll probably need to use flash to fill in some light. Best to shoot in manual mode as the strong light can easily screw up your metering.
and check your pictures to see how much flare you got.