Shooting in Inclement Weather

Cloudy days can provide great opportunities for picture-taking with a digital camera because the cloud cover diffuses the light, turning the world into a gigantic softbox. This softer light is not only more flattering for portraiture, it also allows you to record more detail in both highlights and shadows -even with a compact digicam. The cloud structures can also provide some dramatic pictures – especially when storms threaten.

Stormy days can produce dramatic shots. Make sure your camera is protected from rain.

Here are some tips to help you take better pictures in inclement weather:

1. Work with the conditions wherever possible and use your camera’s controls to compensate for lighting problems.
Setting the white balance control to ‘Cloudy’ or ‘Overcast’ will warm up the colours in the picture and make it look more appealing. Use this control with care as sometime shots have more impact when colours are recorded with their natural (cooler) bias.
Increase the ISO setting to minimise the risk of camera shake. But be cautious about using ISO settings above 400 because images taken with high ISO settings can be noise-affected. It’s better to mount the camera on a tripod and use a slower shutter speed.
Fill flash can add impact to portrait shots and close-ups but cut the output back by between 0.7EV and 1.0EV to ensure it doesn’t overwhelm the natural lighting.
Bracket exposures. Depending on which metering pattern you select, your camera may under- or over-expose shots. Bracketing across the metered exposure in 0.7EV increments should produce at least one shot in which tones are recorded correctly.

2. Look for suitable subjects.
Overcast days are ideal for shooting waterfalls, especially if they are normally in bright sunlight. They can also produce excellent results on beaches and snowfields where the normal light would be too contrasty. Cloudy days are great for taking close-ups of flowers, insects and any other subject that benefits from even lighting.

Cloudy days are ideal for photographing waterfalls. Mounting the camera on a tripod allows you to use long exposures and create a ‘creamy’ effect with the flowing water.

3. Use a polariser.
Polarisers can improve cloudy day photos by restoring colour and contrast to shots that would otherwise suffer from reflected light from grass, leaves, water and buildings. By suppressing the reflections, the full impact of the subject’s hues and tones is revealed. A polariser can also help you to make white clouds stand out against a blue sky.

A polarising filter allows you to emphasise the structure of white clouds against a blue sky and subdue reflections from vegetation to make colours look brighter and more lively.

4. Protect your equipment.
Unless your camera is waterproof, don’t let it get wet. Water can damage electronic components and make the camera unusable. Use an umbrella, rain hood or large plastic bag to keep your camera dry.