Cloudy or Sunny-Which is Best For Photographs?

Many photographers, especially professionals, will say that overcast cloudy days are best. However, this is actually more for practical reasons rather than aesthetic ones.

One advantage of cloudy days is that because of the lack of dark heavy shadows, there is less contrast and it is much easier to find a good exposure. There is usually quite a range of exposure settings that will look good.

The light on an overcast day is soft and this is normally much more flattering for portraits. Also, the light is more or less the same in all directions, which gives you much greater freedom, for instance, in choosing a suitable background for portrait shots.

The biggest disadvantage of cloudy days is that your pictures can often look dull and flat. This can be a particular problem for landscape photographers. Another problem is that a cloudy sky (unless it's very dark) is often much brighter than it looks and can easily just bleach out to a flat white in your photographs. If you reduce the exposure so the sky turns out the way it looks, everything else in the picture may be badly underexposed. It is best to try and include as little of the sky as possible when shooting on cloudy days.

When the sun comes out

On sunny days, things are very different. Colours are brighter, richer and more saturated. Everything in your pictures is more clearly defined and your photographs may even look sharper because the sunlight will bring out any edges and textures. Even the blue of the sky will come out more like it looks to the naked eye.

The other big difference is that the light is now very directional and that is very important for photographers. Unlike on a cloudy day, the direction you shoot in, relative to the sun, will now make a tremendous difference to your photographs. Almost everything will now look much better from one particular angle, depending on how the sun is striking it.

This angle keeps changing throughout the day so something that looked stunning in the morning can seem quite ugly in the afternoon. In landscape photography, the direction of the sun makes a great deal of difference. Many landscape photographers will visit a location at different times of the day just to gauge the effect of the changing position of the sun.

The worst time of day is probably mid-day, when the sun is directly overhead, this is not really a flattering light. The lower in the sky the sun is, the more interesting its effect on the landscape. This has led to photographers naming the hours after sunrise and before sunset as "golden hours". It's not just the colour of the light that makes them golden, but the direction too.

Another advantage of sunny days is simply that there is more light around, which always helps in the pursuit of photography. It means, for example, that you can keep the ISO number low for better quality or use a faster shutter speed for less chance of camera shake.

The downside of shooting on sunny days is mainly that the high contrast may make choosing the right exposure quite tricky, but by no means impossible. If in doubt, just shoot several different exposures and choose the best one later. The issue of the sun's direction can be a blessing or a curse. Most things will look better in sunlight, but more often than not, only at one particular time of day and from one specific angle.

What's best?

For portrait photographers, probably overcast most of the time and landscape photographers are much more likely to prefer sunlight, especially at the beginning and end of the day.

Colin Aiken is a professional photographer based in the United Kingdom. His new website is full of photographs, useful information and news about photography. Take a look at: http://www.lovethepictures.co.uk

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Digital Photography During Any Kind Of Wealther

If you are a photographer you know that bad weather does not have to stop you from going out and getting that fantastic digital photograph. This is your chance to get that kind of photograph that you can't just go out and take on any kind of day. These photographs can really show some crazy weather shots, like lightning storms, or just a dreary, rainy afternoon, and snow shots are very cool to see.

The harder it is for you to capture these kinds of photographs the more money someone would probably pay you for them. If you're an adventurous kind of photographer these kinds of shots will be just ideal for you. With safety in toe, take a calculated risk in order to create the perfect digital experience.

If you are taking digital photographs outside in the rain you will notice the way the rain tends to make everything around just shine. Whether your in the city or out in the country, looking across a field of grass or flowers, everything just seems to kind of sparkle. This can create a really nice photograph. Actually the rain, along with a few good size clouds can create just the perfect natural light setting, removing any fade outs or shadows that might appear in your digital photograph otherwise. With a little bit of rain you will have the chance to create some really great landscaping photographs or even of the wildlife that surrounds you, if you're in the right spot at the right time. Just make sure you have something to cover up your lens to keep the droplets away. You don't mind the rain but when it gets on your lens that could be a problem.

Taking a photograph of lightning can be complicated, you have to snap it at just the right time and that is very unpredictable. You will have to have a tripod for taking these kinds of photographs and a rather long shutter speed. You can hold down your shutter manually if you'd like so that all you have to do is shut it on your own as the lighting passes through the sky or slams down onto the grounds. You'll want this kind of photograph to be as bright as you can possibly get it, to get that full affect.

Snow photographs are a very appealing photograph to create. The light from the snow creates such a nice contrast along with all of it's surroundings. Capturing a photograph of the snow melting off the tree limbs or using the snow as a nice background for whatever your main object is that you are photographing. Some nice nature shots or friends and family playing in the snow, or you could even get a nice portrait type picture with snow all around.

You can do so many things when using digital photography, even things that may seem a little bit extreme. Making sure you have all the right gear and the drive to get out there and take risks is all you need, no matter what mother nature has in mind for that occasion.

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Interior Photography

Interior photography is very demanding and the photographer must be sensitive to all the elements that will appear in the final print. Most rooms consist of small objects that look good in the room, but in a print, these objects may cluster the image.

Photographing interiors involves working within a confined space, so the first thing you need is a suitable lens. Most of us would prefer to use a wide-angle lens, but this lens causes problems with image distortion. Distortion is a large and common problem when shooting interiors, but can be reduced if you use a lens with the focal length set between 80 and 100.

Interior images should be bright, with perfect exposure and have fresh vibrant colours. This is the standard used by publishers all over the world. To achieve this the photographer must be able to control these elements and have a very good understanding of light.

Light will play an important part when photographing interiors. Most of your images will be shot with a low shutter speed, because natural light levels will be very low, so a tripod will be needed. If the natural light is good, use a reflector to bounce the light into the dark areas of the room.

If the natural light is not good enough you will have to use a strobe unit. Try to bounce the light off a photographic umbrella to soften the light in the room. If you are using more than one light have some reflectors with you.

Composition is very important when photographing interiors. Here are some pointers that you may find useful and helpful:

Look out for lines that will lead to the focal point of your image. By leading with lines into the main part of the scene you will draw observers into your photograph. These lines don't have to be straight. They can be a row of seats or interesting converging vertical objects.

Simple foreground objects are also perfect for composition. Patterns on a floor can give your interior a greater sense of depth. Use a small aperture (f/22) to keep the entire scene in focus.

Try to frame your scene with some of the elements in the room. This will focus attention on the main part of the picture.

Tiles on the floor and walls can be very handy as composition when photographing a room - use the tiles to focus attention on the focal point of the room. When photographing bathrooms, if possible exclude the toilet. Always try to exclude anything that you think is distasteful.

Sometimes framed pictures hanging on walls will appear distorted so it is best not to include them. If you are photographing someone's home ask the owner before you move items.

Good interior images are not easy to take but the rewards are great if you can master the trade. If you are unsure of the standard, buy some of the magazines that use these images. Publishers pay fine prices for well exposed, good quality indoor images.

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