Midday

Although the morning and evening are the best times lightwise, there are still great ways to make the most of midday light. If this is the only time you can shoot, you can:

Move in closer and focus on the details.

Take advantage of a passing cloud, shooting in its shadow.

Work in the shade, forcing your flash to fire so that it will even out any extremes in contrast.

Look for the ways that certain subjects, such as leaves in a tree, might be photographed while backlit by the bright sun.

Take advantage of the light for photographing scenes in deep canyons or underwater (only if you have a waterproof camera, of course). Such environments, brightest during the midday hours, are often easier to shoot at this time.

Focus on bold colors that will pop out even more when lit by bright, direct sunlight.

Keep these options in mind and the pictures you take in between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. can still be beautiful.

Late Afternoon

During the late afternoon and early evening, the light becomes especially warm. With the business of daytime activity subsiding, this may be an even better time to photograph people than the early morning hours. More people are bound to be outwhether they're just getting home from work, taking a walk, or mowing the lawnand the late afternoon light casts a glow much like that of morning light.

If a sunset catches your attention, by all means, take a few pictures of it. Once you're done, though, remember to turn around and look at the things the sunset light hits; use this warm light to illuminate a composition. Photographing a person, animal, or any other scene bathed in this light will likely result in a great picture.

Night

Probably the most overlooked, and often most rewarding, time of the day for photography is long after the sun goes down. With a tripod and a remote shutter release or self-timer (to minimize camera shake), you can get fascinating new views of normal, everyday scenes. Just be sure to use either a remote release or a self-timer. You need one of these because you need to take the picture without actually touching the camerathe slightest movement can cause the photo to come out blurry. As long as you can make a long exposure in this way, you can create beautiful photographs of night subjects, such as light reflecting on water, buildings lit in dramatic ways, and cityscapes dotted with twinkling lights.