Professional photographer Federico Alegria has put together valuable tips for shooting outside on an overcast day.
Over the years I’ve really learned to appreciate clouds or even light rain, perhaps because so many photographers decide not to go out on “such a bad weather”. What’s your favorite kind of day for an outdoor photoshoot?
Learn About Weather And Clouds
Rain mostly happens when it’s overcast, but not all overcast means rain. When doing any outdoorsy job, it’s important to actually a thing or two about the weather.
Meteorology is a complete world that I happen to enjoy studying, so let’s talk about the basics. Thanks to the internet, almost anybody can get information about current weather thanks to technology and news feeds.
Cumulonimbus, commonly known as “rain clouds”, are the only ones that can really put you in trouble in terms of keeping your precious gear and yourself dry and warm.
The humidity can be felt by our senses, and the apocalyptic grayness of the cloud is a good indicator of a heavy storm approaching.
When you get a mixture of more than 2 or 3 types of clouds, you can achieve very interesting compositions showing texture in the sky.
Some helpful websites for weather information and sun schedules:
- Wunderground
- Meteoblue
- Windyty
And if you’re a weather freak like me:
- National Weather Center
- Ocean Prediction Center
Keep Yourself And Your Gear Dry
There are two kinds of rain: the one that occurs while you’re still indoors, and the one that surprises you in the outdoors. I invite you to be brave (but not reckless) and get outside when the weather is rainy.
You can capture a complete world that’s often unseen. The only times I don’t encourage you to get outside is when it’s raining in an almost biblical way. There are many gadgets out there – like rain coats and specially designed cases –that keep your gear dry and safe. You also need clothes for rainy weather!
Sometimes I’m not inconspicuous at all, and carry a huge bag with lenses and stuff. I always carry a black trash bag with me so I can stuff the whole thing inside the bag.
This little trick has allowed me to go to extremely soggy places (like Iguaçu Falls) without damaging my precious gear – including the tripod, which can get rusty and messy due when the grease of the legs mixes with the rain. This trick is so cheap that it’s sinful not toalways use it when you do outdoor photography.
Use Of Reflections In Overcast Conditions
The rain has passed, and the ponds are your friends. Try to capture different points of view of the urban world by taking advantage of beautiful reflections.
Read the full article with more tips over at Light Stalking.
Source: Light Stalking
