Do you need a scrim? Yes!

WESTCOTT SCRIMS

Lens Flare

Scrim held to the right before sunset.

Little left on boys hand, but over all even lighting.

Do you need a scrim when doing outdoor photography?  It is very important to pay attention to those little spots of light coming through tree branches onto your clients clothes and faces.  Sometimes it's nice when you capture it just enough from behind and to the side to make a nice hair light. It looks even nicer if that light is diffused with a scrim.  Some think that they can simply turn on that flash and get rid of those spots.  A flash might brighten your subject and make those sun spots a little less noticeable (sometimes) BUT they are ALWAYS STILL THERE.  If you are just taking fun candid photos and not looking for a portrait, then have fun and I wouldn't carry a scrim around.  Sunlight coming through trees can create a beautiful effect as well.  You can have a nice lens flare.  Lens flare is when non-image forming light enters the lens and hits the digital sensor.  This can and often does lower the contrast and details of the picture.  It can be a beautiful effect though.  You can reduce lens flare with a lens hood as well. I will post an example of lens flare. I am posting an example of a family portrait taken using a scrim at a beautiful time of day when the sun was soft and not high in the sky .  But if you are shooting midday and have that hard light beating down on your subject, then a scrim of some sort is absolutely necessary. And don't be afraid to shoot on an over cast day!  Those clouds are just a big scrim.  You can always add some warmth to your photos later if needed. Westcott has many scrims and sizes to choose from.