PHOTOGRAPHY AND WEATHER

A GOOD WEATHER DAY IN BRISTOL

Whilst running a recent photography walk in Rochester I greeted the participants with an announcement about how awful the weather was. This raised a few eyebrows is it happened to be a warm bright sunny morning without a cloud in the sky.

WHY I DON'T LIKE SUNNY DAYS

As a photographer I hate bright sunny days. The light tends to be harsh, washing out any colour in both the sky and the subject of an image. If your using a mobile phone there is the added challenge of screen glare to contend with. How often have you held up your phone camera and not been able to actually see what your taking?

WHATS THE SOLUTION

To get around screen glare try taking a jacket, cardigan or small blanket. Place it over your head and arms to act as a shield for the screen. Imagine yourself being a photographer from the old days with the box and black cover over your head. You might look silly but it does the trick.

Always avoid shooting directly into the sun. This will minimise sun spotting and unwanted silhouetting of the image subject.

Try to minimise the amount of sky you have in your image.

Distracting blown out sky

The sun in this image was just to one side, blowing out the blue in the sky. The colours are very faded and the main subject of the castle is getting lost despite the leading lines from the steps and path.

Black and White image of Rochester castle

Crop plus Black and White conversion

To compensate I cropped out the sky and converted to black and white. The castle is now a more prominent component of the image. The shadows on the steps and path are also less distracting.

Shooting with the sun behind you

Shooting with the sun directly behind you will resolve a blown out sky giving you the dark blue which we have in this image. The colours are still flat and washed out. There are also distracting shadows on the grass and that sky is still bland.

Black and White Conversion

Turning to black and white I think makes the image more striking.

Use a tree to frame your image and hide the sun

Try and use tall buildings and trees to hide the sun. Trees can also make a good frame to your image as well.

Tree Canopies

Tree canopies are great for shooting into on a bright sunny day. The colours in the leaves really stand out and I just love the contrast in the shadows on the branches.

Tree canopies and shadows

Look how the canopy of the trees in this park diffuse the bright light. I love the way the shadows create a texture on the path to mimic the leaves in the trees.

WHAT ABOUT RAINY DAYS?

Light drizzly rain no-one likes. The camera will not pick it up and you just feel damp and horrible.

What I really love as a photographer is really heavy rain. I have a plastic cover which protects my camera and lens. I find using live view easier as it's a struggle to look through the view finder with the plastic cover on. Always ensure the front of your lens is protected when not in use and have a small cloth handy to give it the occasional wipe when required. A zoom lens with a large hood is less likely to get rain spots but may not be practical for the shot you wish to take. These images below were all taken with a wide angle 17 - 40 mm lens.