There are advantages to taking pictures when the sun hides behind the clouds…as well as disadvantages. Colors tend to be more vibrant, and you don’t have to deal with the annoying stark contrast between highlights and shadows that might destroy an otherwise brilliant picture. An unintentional highlight can easily distract the eye from the main subject in the photo, especially if the rest of the picture is middle tone or dark. When the clouds blanket the sun, the lighting becomes even, eliminating this problem. The downside? Your friend’s skin might look dull, no matter how sparkling her personality, and the colors might come out a little on the cool side.
The solution for your friend is simple. Use the flash on your camera, which I’ll be discussing next week. And don’t forget what you learned in tip #11 about directional lighting. The same principles apply here. You might even have enough light to skip on the flash. Try both when taking photos to see which one you like best—with a flash or with an object that directs the available sunlight. The outcome depends on the position of the sun in the sky, and how thick the clouds are.
Warming filters do what the name implies, but unfortunately they’re expensive. The good news is they’re unnecessary with digital cameras. You can warm up the colors in your photos by adjusting the color temperature setting on your camera—found on digital SLR cameras—or play around with the colors in your photo editing software. Or you can leave them alone for a different look.
So don’t be afraid to play with your camera when the sky looks less than enticing. Just grab your camera, and pray it doesn’t start to rain…