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Taking a picture of a flower in full sun is a problem because of the strong contrast. THis typically results in white "hot spots" on the flower, as well as black shadows. The most common suggestion is to take flower pictures on an overcast day, which isn't always possible.
When you must take pictures in full sun, you can hold a translucent diffuser between the sun and the subject to reduce the amount of light. It can be as simple as a white plastic shopping bag tied around a wire coat hanger bent open to a square shape. That's what I used for these pictures.
I also read about "add light to light and dark to dark", which is shorthand for giving more exposure to a light-colored flower and less exposure to a dark-colored flower. I think that is independent of the type of lighting. My brief tests showed no advantage from giving "light to light".
Most of these images taken in full sun around 3 pm are an initial test of these suggestions. The subjects were the only flowers available in September, which were a reddish purple Anemone hupehensis and a white Diuranthera major. The last two rows of images were taken in shade a few days later.
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