Common lighting misconceptions

Although I can handle many lighting situations I am amused to hear the opinions of everyone about what lighting is perfect for photos. So here is my own myth/truths from my experiences.

myth: "I'm so excited, the sun is shining so brightly, it will be perfect for photos."
truth: Not really. In fact, solid sun is usually the worst possibility to deal with. But I love the sun for creative shots.

myth: "A cloudy day is a photographers dream."
truth: Depends. If it's one of those days where the sky is hazy, solid white-grey, the answer is no. It creates a high contrast like you would not believe (especially with digital cameras)... then add in a bright white dress and it is bling bright and I can lose detail if I'm not careful with manual settings. If it's one of those days where the sun goes in and out of puffy pretty clouds, then yes, it is a photographers dream come true for lighting (with preference towards the clouds covering the sun temporarily).

myth: "The shade is too dark, isn't it?"
truth: The shade is the best lighting to have! If it is sunny in the background it is easy to lose the background all together by being too bright compared to the shade but this can be helped with manual settings.

myth: "It is so dark in the church and I'm even using my flash!" [referring to their camera]
truth: Unless your internal camera flash can travel across the entire dark area the flash actually makes it worse. Try to hold it steady with the flash off.

myth: "Doesn't other people's flashes mess you up?"
truth: Rarely. Flash away! Once in a great while it will produce too much light at once but I take so many in a row it avoids missing something, plus sometimes, it's really cool to catch another's flash because it creates a neat effect. Red eye happens on it's own with or without other additional flashes, red eye has other causes such as very light colored eyes, teary eyes and/or dark rooms.

MY CURRENT PROJECT: Klotz Wedding, James & Jennifer Engagement photos
SONG STUCK IN MY HEAD: Apologize by One Republic
CRAVING: everything
NEEDED A MOMENT: baby photo, no plans, no transportation, drama & teens
BEST MOMENT: Jim telling me about a Smart car comment online. Someone asked how good they were in the winter snow. Someone wrote: "Forget about driving it in the Northeast snow, first you have to find it!"