Great Day for Photography
Many of my clients want to do photography in broad daylight, lots of sunshine and lots of heat. This is great; but not super great for photography. Even the best photographers in Arizona take photos in the shade; nobody likes harsh lines. For me; it is all about cloudy days and overcast days, lucky for me I am in Seattle!
I was so excited for a day of sprinkles and clouds! I have been missing them so much. Everything cooled off just enough for all of today’s photography sessions.
Don’t let anyone tell you that you shouldn’t take photos on overcast days. Sure, cloudy days have their challenges, but they don’t call them “nature’s softbox” for nothing.
If you’ve ever tried to take pictures at noon on a sunny day, you know how difficult it can be to return home with more than a handful of good shots. That’s because there’s just way too much dynamic range on bright days–the shadows are too black, and the highlights are too bright. You end up with pictures that lack detail in the shadows and have completely burned out hotspots where there ought to be beautiful highlights.
Taking pictures at noon on a cloudy day is another story. Much like a professional softbox kit, the clouds take that bright light source and diffuse it, so there isn’t any direct light falling on anything in the scene. This creates a soft, even light that flatters almost any subject. You’ll get fully-detailed shadows and highlights that have beautiful tones rather than glaring hotspots. You won’t end up with subjects that have raccoon eyes, unless you’re photographing actual raccoons. *
Just check out this stunning family! Shot at Luther Burbank Park in Mercer Island, WA. Another great day for photography!
* Copied from Digital Photo Secrets by David Peterson