|
Cloudy Day Photography: Taking Advantage of Nature's Diffused
Lighting.
|
By Anita Cross
[Hits: 15617]
|
|
Cloudy days are nature's softbox.
Cloudy days can present many opportunities for greatphotographs. In fact, once you discover how easy it is to getgreat results, you'll look forward to a cloudy day as much, ifnot more, than a sunny day.
The studio photographer's arsenal includes a number of tools tosoften and redistribute light to the best advantage of thesubject. Among these tools is the Softbox which provides soft,even lighting by using a diffuser in front of the light.
In outdoor photography, cloud cover diffuses the light of thesun much like a photographer's softbox, producing a soft evenlight that results in softer contrasts. While high contrast canbe quite dramatic, the softer contrast allows for more detail inboth the light and the dark areas of your photograph. The softerlight is also more flattering for portraits or candid shots ofpeople.
On your first few cloudy day adventures, consider taking yourdigital camera. In spite of the differences in the cameras, whatyou learn about how the lighting changes your compositions andsetup will be equally useful with your film camera. And with thedigital, you'll feel free to experiment without the added costof film on your mind.
Some difficult subjects which benefit from the diffused lightinclude waterfalls in shadowy forested areas, sea life caught ina tide pool and wildlife hiding in the shadows, as well as closeups of flowers and people.
Diffused lighting is not as bright as direct light, indoors orout, and you will need to compensate with a slower shutterspeed. Or widen the aperture and adjust the depth of field. Youshould count on needing your tripod for wide or long shots. Thepicture can be blurred by even slight camera movement withreally slow shutter speeds, so use your remote if you haveone.
|
|
|
|
