SKP PhotoTips - Winter Blues or Glorious Gloom?

We've had gray, rainy days for so long now it seems as if the sun has migrated south along with the birds.  And in a way it has, seeing as my homeland New Zealand is starting to bask in the light and warmth of early summer.

Nevertheless, from a photographer's viewpoint gloomy days are glorious!  The light is soft; not harsh as it would be on a sunny day.  The only thing you need to worry about is getting rained on with that camera.  Autumn leaves look pretty against a brilliant blue sky, but in my opinion they look even better against a backdrop of soft gray clouds.  They're not competing for the eye's attention.

Sooner or later, the clouds will move on and we'll have sunny days again.  So what can we do to rescue our photos from the harsh, flat light of an otherwise beautiful blue day?  People can be moved into the shade (but watch out for dappled light as it filters through the trees) or if you have a handy assistant, they can hold up a shade.  You don't need to rush out and buy a set of shades and reflectors - they can be expensive.  A light-coloured sheet will do in a pinch, just be aware that the colour may cast a hue on your subject.

But what do we do with landscapes?  The best times for shooting outdoors are dusk and dawn.  That's when the shadows are longer, giving more depth to the vista and the light's coming in from the side instead of directly above.  And we all have enough tired-looking shadows under our eyes without using the sun to emphasise them!

Besides that, the light is magical.  The basic rule of thumb is roughly 30 minutes before sunrise to an hour after (at most) and 30 minutes either side of sunset.  This will give you the rosy hues of dawn and the golden light of day's end.  And really dramatic skyscapes as the sun pokes through after a storm.  What more can a photographer want?  Don't waste time in front of a computer trying to mimic the beauty that's around you; get out there with a camera and make it yours!