Over the years, some general rules of thumb have been applied to photography. We’ve talked about the Rule of Thirds in the past. The Sunny 16 Rule gives you the best results when used on a bright sunny day. I know that’s silly of me to state it but I wanted to be absolutely clear on the sunny part. Luckily for us, Orlando averages 233 sunny days per year (SOURCE).
Here is the rule: Set aperture to f/16 and shutter speed (in reciprocal seconds) to the ISO setting.
You will need to switch to manual mode to use this rule correctly. Something this rule fails to mention is the sun position. The sun should be behind you and frontlight your subject. The photograph I took below of the Haunted Mansion in the Magic Kingdom on a bright, sunny day uses the Sunny 16 Rule. I put my Nikon D70 in manual mode, checked the ISO setting which was at 200 and set my aperture to f/16 and shutter speed to 1/200th of a second (1/ISO).

The Haunted Mansion in bright sun.
Nikon D70/80-200D, 1/200s, f/16, 200 ISO, 155mm Focal length
Sometimes, the 1/ISO comes out with a funny shutter speed. In that case, use the closest one to it. Digital SLRs and advanced Point and Shoot cameras have more shutter speeds than the old film cameras the Sunny 16 Rule was first used with. Making it much easier to match up the 1/ISO with a shutter speed.
Trending Now
Get your calendars out; we know when Disney World Christmas party tickets go on sale!
Amazon is clearing out the Disney vault!
We asked our resident Disney adults which ride at Hollywood Studios they would rope drop...
Donald Duck is back in his official meet and greet spot in EPCOT!
Let's breakdown the major changes coming to Disney World this Fall 2025.
Should this iconic Hollywood Studios symbol be moved or stay in its original location?
Amazon has Loungeflys on sale as part of Prime Day!
Amazon Prime Day is here with some HUGE deals on Disney souvenirs.
These retro LEGO sets are perfect for Disney Adults!
Disney's Boardwalk Villas got a scathing review recently that could indicate some issues with a...
Let's have a chat about an Oura Ring that Disney Adults just can’t seem to...
Amazon Prime Day is giving us amazing deals on Oura Ring accessories!
Everyone say hello to Whimsy!
Here's why you might want to skip your visit to Disney World this year.
This Disney World rule could definitely use some tweaks.
We tried Frosty Moon in Epic Universe to see if it's worth the cost, and...
Disney just released a whole bunch of new Christmas ornaments online!
Fans are BEGGING Disney to bring back this classic ride, but the wait isn't likely...
We found the best Disney essentials you can get on sale on Amazon right now!
Here's what you've gotta know about Disney World's "Other" Airport!