UK weather

So, how do you folks deal with poor weather conditions?
I don't mean rain etc, just consistent, grey overcast skies!

We went away at the weekend and I thought I'll really get chance to play with my new camera and knowledge.

No chance. When the sky wasn't dark grey, it way light grey. Not enough light to cast a shadow. All the colours were washed out and the landscape looked flat.

I gave up in the end and only brought a couple of "snapshots" home with me.

Oh, the equipment I have...Pentax ist DL. Kit lens ( 18-55mm ) and a polarising filter.

Any tips?

Tips?

Buy a flash gun, and shoot people indoors.

When the light is poor, landscape photography is a waste of time.

G

There's no such thing as bad light, play to the light you have.

Overcast gray skys = no shaddows = ideal Macro weather.

I did try one macro shot, just to see.
I might put it up on here for comments when I've got it off the camera and played with it a bit.

With the greatest respect, Mongoose, I beg to differ.

Go through your best pics, and tell me how many were made with bad light. Then good light.

No contest.

G

But he's just said there's no such thing as 'bad' light, just different light. I had a quick think through some of my favourite shots, and most of them were taken on overcast days.

That may be the law of averages, but it still says something.

Braod landscapes, with the sky included - yes, clearer conditions are best. But many of my shots exclude the sky completely, and I love the soft, even lighting that a layer of cloud gives.




Dan

Lovely photo Dan!
I agree if you are doing broad landscapes with sky the a grey day is useless, but for other photos the diffuse light can result in lovely photos.

I've removed my OT picture and reposted it in the Your Photo's forum to keep this thread on track:
https://www.pentaxuser.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7686

Nice pic, Chirpy, but it's not what most people would call a landscape, which is what we were talking about.

And Daniel, I didn't say sunny, I said "bad light". There are days when the light just doesn't lend itself to landscapes, and that's when going inside, or shooting macros or whatever is the only way to get good pictures.

G

PS: What your experience tells us is that the UK has lots of overcast days. No surprise there!

Oops, sorry, didn't spot the landscape part of the thread - concentrating too much on the UK weather+overcast bits.

Okay, just a bit of confusion between everyone about the term 'bad light' I think.

George, when you say 'bad light', what do you mean? I took it to mean overcast.

I'm of the opinion that 'bad light' doesn't exist. One type of light will not suit certain subjects, whereas it will be perfect for others.

I think you're of the same mind, but then "Go through your best pics, and tell me how many were made with bad light. Then good light." doesn't fit that, unless you meant to have the word 'landscape' in there.

Of course, the term 'landscape' would be open to interpretation too - would a woodland full of bluebells be a landscape? In which case overcast days are a godsend then, too.

Dan

Just to clarify, I think most photographs, to be effective, depend to a very great extent on the quality of the light.

Exceptions include very strong photo-journalist pictures where the subject is so arresting that the other qualities of the photograph don't matter.

But for many photographs, the light is just as important as the composition, if not more. Often, it's what makes the picture. (Think of your entry to the Natural Light competition.)

But good light doesn't mean sunny, although it might. It's whatever is the best light for the type of picture you are trying to produce.

And if you are doing landscapes, the typically English grey day is usually (but not always) a no-no. Sometimes an overcast sky can produce a luminous light that is very attractive.

I set Natural Light as the subject of my competition to remind people how important light is. Of course, it doesn't have to be natural. If I ever win again, I might set "Artificial Light.

I have to say that Natural Light produced some stunning entries. Many, including yours, were of an extremely high standard.

G

Edit: "Bad light" is the wrong light for what you have in mind.

Flattery will, of course, get you everywhere!

Dan

P.S. It was a poppy, not a tulip.

P.P.S. Father Ted, does all this answer your question?

Obviously I need to clarify what I meant.

Clearly you can't expect to go out on a cloudy day and take sprawling landscapes, you'll just end up with dull colours and uninteresting skys. But the same light which is a dead loss for landscapes gives lovely soft even lighting for macros. This is just one example, but I firmly believe there is no light condition where you can't take a decent photo. The challenge is to figure out what that photo needs to be of.

There is no bad light, only the wrong subject.

If you're going out to shoot a specific subject, and the light is wrong, you are basically stuffed. On the other hand, if you are just going out to take photos then you just need to pick a different subject.

Edit: mmm should have read the whole thread before replying really

As I read the OP he is asking what we do when the weather is not so good, not how to take landscapes in poor light. He merely says the landscape looked flat.
In that case you look for details, get up close, photograph flowers, stonework, a fence. Anything in the landscape but not the landscape. It is an ideal time to play with a camera and explore it´s abilities.