Hats in sunlight need careful lighting if you are going to get under the brim. Here I went for a high key increase of exposure rather than use flash. The Canon 5D mk2 handles my cavalier approach to exposure very well indeed. ISO 100, 1/200th second, f/4.5, 160mm lens setting on a 70 - 200mm IS f/2.8 lens. Manual exposure setting showing a plus 2 stop over exposure.

A bit of shuttering plywood that had been stained green made the perfect backdrop for this set of pictures. f/5.6 at 1/250th on ISO 100. This picture, like the one above was shot using just natural light.

Here I used a camera mounted Speedlight zoomed in to give this picture the punch needed to lift it from the set. Including the sky was the other key factor to transform the picture because it now contains all three primary colours. ISO 100, 1/200th second, at f/16, 25mm lens setting on a 24 - 70mm lens. Manual exposure with TTL flash.

When we are out on the street on these workshops I like to find interesting natural light as well as using our own flash lighting. We also use several exposure modes. I used Aperture Priority on my Canon for this simple high key reflection shot. ISO 200, 1/60th second, f/4 at 200mm lens setting.

On bright sunny days I like to shoot into the light and increase the exposure so far that the shot really starts to sing. Here I was about plus 2 or 3 stops on a manual exposure setting. ISO 200, 1/125th second at f/4 in bright sunlight.

We then went into some bonded warehouses at the dock to shoot in the dark. This high key picture looks deceptive. The exposure was ISO 1600, 1/40th second at f/4 using my 70-200mm f/2.8 lens. This shot was lit with natural light. We didn't use reflectors for any of the pictures.

Low key shots work in here too. This picture is also taken into the light like the previous one. The exposure is about the same too. ISO 1600, 1/30th second, at f/4.5

A splash of zoomed flash provided the bulk of the lighting and direct sunlight tried it's best to get in on the exposure. We had our cameras at the limit for flash exposure. ISO 100, 1/200th second at f/22

Reflecting on the shoot. This simple portrait was taken using natural light at my favorite focal length of 135mm on full frame 35mm sized sensor. ISO 400, 1/500th second exposure at f/5

A blast of flash turned a bamboo bush into a striking location. ISO 400, 1/125th second at f/11 using Programme mode with a minus 2 stops compensation setting.

The doors of a new unsold office developments gave me the colour to work with while the porch roof provided the reduction in top light needed for the shot. ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/125th second with natural light.

I loved this subtle message. It was too good an opportunity to miss. ISO 100, f/6.3 at 1/200th second exposure with a splash of flash zoomed in.

The last shot of the day was with a couple of artists we stumbled upon. Shot into the sunlight with a blast of flash from my Speedlight. ISO 100, f/8 at 1/200th second using manual exposure settings.