Weather conditions

Learning goal

You will be able to explain how cloudy, foggy, rainy and stormy weather changes light: that an overcast sky softens light and saturates colors, that fog separates a scene into layers with distance, that rain darkens surfaces and creates reflections, and that a storm puts a dark sky next to a bright light. You will know which subjects come forward in each kind of weather, go out to shoot even in weather thought of as bad, and take the basic precautions needed to protect yourself and your equipment.

The question

Imagine planning to go out and take photos one weekend. In the morning you open the curtains: the sky is gray as lead, with no trace of the sun. Most people put off the plan at this moment and wait for a sunny day. Yet if you had gone to a forest on that same day, you might have seen the leaves greener than you have ever seen them, the tree trunks wrapped in a soft light, and not a single glare to dazzle your eyes.

Is cloudy weather bad weather? No; it is only a different light. A cloud is like a giant light diffuser stretched in front of the sun: it wipes away hard shadows, lowers contrast and fills the scene with a soft light. Fog, rain and storms bring their own opportunities too. In this lesson we will learn to read the weather not as an obstacle but as another state of light.

Context

In the previous lessons you saw that the hardness of light depends on the apparent size of the source, and how it changes through the day under a clear sky. Weather changes this picture completely. The same hour, the same place, the same direction; but when there is a layer of cloud in front of the sun, millions of water droplets hanging in the air, or surfaces washed by rain, light behaves completely differently.

Getting to know weather conditions gives the photographer more shooting days. Someone who shoots only on clear, sunny days misses a large part of the year. What's more, some subjects reach their best not in the sun but on exactly those "bad" days: a forest, a waterfall, a portrait, a foggy shore, a wet city street. The aim of this lesson is to see which weather suits which subject, and to learn to change the subject rather than the plan when you look out of the window.

Simple explanation

How does light behave in cloudy weather?

On a cloudy day, sunlight strikes the cloud layer and spreads in every direction. Light no longer comes from a small disc but from the whole sky. The result is an even, soft light with no sharp shadows. The white glare that appears on leaves and surfaces in bright sun disappears, and colors look more saturated. That is why forests, flowers, waterfalls and market stalls are often at their liveliest in cloudy weather.

The thickness of the cloud matters too. A thin, veil-like layer of cloud softens light but still lets you feel the direction of the sun; shadows are faint and directional. A thick, dark layer, on the other hand, both reduces light a lot and makes it almost directionless; the scene can look flat and a little cold. There is one detail you need to know as well: an overcast sky gives light largely from above. This can make the eye sockets and the area under the chin go dark on faces. Moving the person just under an eave, a tree or a doorway cuts the light from above and lights the face with a soft light coming from the front.

What do fog and rain add to a photo?

Fog is millions of tiny water droplets hanging in the air. These droplets spread light and lower the contrast of everything far away. As distance grows, objects look paler and lighter. This is called atmospheric perspective, and it separates the scene into layers: the tree in front dark and sharp, the one behind it a little pale, the one at the very back almost a ghost. Fog also simplifies a busy scene; it swallows the clutter in the background and brings a single subject forward. A foggy scene often fools the camera: it makes the bright white fog come out gray. In that case you may need to brighten the exposure a little.

Rain, on the other hand, changes surfaces. A wet surface such as stone, asphalt or leaves looks darker and more saturated than it does dry. After rain, streets turn into mirrors: lamps, shop windows and traffic lights leave colorful reflections on the ground. In the evening or in the blue hour, a wet city street carries much more light and color than a dry one. Right after the rain stops, the air is cleared of dust and haze and distant views sharpen. In this kind of weather, protecting the camera with a rain cover or a simple plastic bag and checking the front glass of the lens often is enough.

Why is storm light valuable?

The time before and after a storm gives the photographer one of the most striking lights there is. While a dark, leaden mass of cloud covers one side of the sky, sun leaking between the clouds can light a hill, a building or a field on the ground like a stage light. This storm light, the contrast between a dark background and a bright subject, creates a tension that is hard to find on a calm day.

When there is rain and sun at the same time, a rainbow can appear. A rainbow is always seen with your back to the sun; it draws an arc of about forty-two degrees around the point directly opposite the sun. That is why, when the sun is low, the rainbow is a high arch, and as the sun rises, it sinks. When shooting in a storm, safety comes before everything. The moment you hear thunder there is a danger of lightning; get away from open areas, hilltops, the water's edge and tall trees standing alone, and go indoors. No photo is worth this risk.

Different weather also shows faces differently. The soft light of cloudy weather keeps tonal transitions on both light and dark skin and doesn't make the face look coarse. But because this light is a little cool, it can pull dark skin toward gray and light skin toward a pale pink. Keeping the white balance a little warm, or leaving a cream-colored shawl on the person's lap, brings back the skin's own warmth.

Visual evidence

Imagine photographing an old vendor standing behind a fruit stall at a market on two different days. On the sunny day the sun is straight overhead and the sky is deep blue. There are white points of glare on the apples and oranges on the stall, and the colors are faded. The vendor's hat has cast a thick shadow over their face; their dark-skinned face is lost inside the shadow, and their eyes can't be made out. The edge of the awning cuts a sharp line across the middle of their face.

On the cloudy day the picture changes. On the same stall the apples are deep red and the oranges a deep orange; the glare has gone, and the color of every fruit is saturated and full. The vendor has moved just under the awning, to the edge of the shade. The light from above is cut off by the awning, and their face is lit by a soft light coming from the open sky in front of him. Their eyes, their wrinkles and the warm coffee tones of their skin can be made out. Because you warmed the white balance a little, their skin hasn't slid toward gray. The same stall, the same vendor; the sunny day gave a hard, messy frame, while the cloudy day gave a calm portrait full of color.

Common mistakes

Summary

Cloudy weather isn't bad weather but a different light: the cloud, like a giant diffuser, wipes away shadows, removes glare and saturates colors. Fog separates a scene into layers with distance and simplifies it, rain darkens surfaces and creates reflections, and a storm puts a dark sky next to a bright light; choosing the right subject in every kind of weather and keeping safety in mind multiplies your shooting days.

Mini assignment

This assignment is the weather page of your light journal.

1. On a cloudy or overcast day, photograph the subject you chose for your light journal again, at a time close to when you photographed it before in sunny weather.
2. Find a scene in cloudy weather where colors come forward, for example a flower, leaves or a fruit stall, and photograph it without including the sky in the frame.
3. After rain, or on wet ground, take a frame that includes a reflection on the ground.
4. Put the sunny and cloudy frames side by side and note the difference you see in the shadows, the colors and the contrast.

Check yourself

• Were you able to compare the same subject in sunny and cloudy weather?
• Did you remember to leave the sky out of the frame in cloudy weather?
• Did you observe how a wet surface changes color and reflection?

Glossary

Mini quiz

1. Why do colors look more saturated in cloudy weather?

• A) Because the clouds paint the colors
• B) Because scattered light removes the white glare on surfaces
• C) Because the light is harder
• D) Because the camera works differently in cloudy weather

2. Under an overcast sky, how do you reduce the darkening of the eye sockets on faces?

• A) Bring the person out into the very middle of an open area
• B) Ask the person to look up at the sky
• C) Move the person just under an eave or a tree
• D) Turn off the flash and shoot from further away

3. What does atmospheric perspective describe?

• A) Objects looking paler and lighter as distance grows
• B) The air always looking blue
• C) Rain darkening surfaces
• D) Clouds softening light

4. Where should you look to see a rainbow?

• A) Straight at the sun
• B) Straight overhead
• C) At the ground
• D) At the sky opposite the sun, with your back to it

Answers

1. B — Because the cloud spreads light in every direction, bright white reflections don't form on surfaces; when this glare is gone, a surface's own color looks more saturated.
2. C — An overcast sky gives light largely from above; an eave or a tree cuts the light from above and the face is lit by soft light from the front.
3. A — The water droplets and particles in the air spread light; as there is more air in between, the contrast of objects drops and they look paler.
4. D — A rainbow appears as an arc of about forty-two degrees around the point directly opposite the sun; that is why the sun must always be behind you.

Summary card

• Cloud = a giant diffuser: soft light, no glare, saturated colors.
• An overcast sky lights from above; move the face under an eave.
• Fog separates the scene into layers and simplifies it; brighten the exposure a little.
• Rain darkens surfaces and creates reflections on the ground.
• Storm: dark sky + bright light; when you hear thunder, go indoors.

Bridge to the next lesson

You have seen how the weather outside changes light. But sometimes you don't even need to step out of the door to look for light. Inside your home there is already a big, soft light source you walk past every day. The next lesson turns to this source and asks whether there is a free studio in your home. There you will see how to use a window as a big, soft light source.