Great Escape Publishing

Posted May 30th, 2014 by Daniel Nahabedian & filed under Travel Photography.

I can’t argue that beautiful sunny days and deep blue cloudless skies are great, especially when you’re on a break by the beach. But when it comes to photography, this kind of weather usually offers challenging conditions. The harsh light from the sun bleaches colors and creates ugly dark shadows. In addition, the featureless sky creates an uninteresting backdrop in landscape images. Most photographers swear by the “Golden Hour,” that time of day right before and after sunrise and sunset, when the light covers the landscape in a beautiful warm glow. But oftentimes, cloudy days and rainy weather also offer great conditions to create unique images that can really stand out. Here are a few ways you can take advantage of rain storm photography: – Cloudy and stormy skies are great backdrops for dramatic images. The dark clouds enhance and add texture to the sky and create powerful and moody images that can work in color as well as in black and white. – An overcast sky works like a giant softbox. The harsh sunlight is diffused by the cloud cover and gives way to a beautiful soft light that is perfect for outdoor portraits and landscapes. – If it’s really raining hard and going out is not an option, consider it a good way to let the creative juices flow and find some projects to accomplish indoors. It’s when we have less choice that we can come up with new interesting ideas. – Once the rain is over, and with all the puddles around, you can take advantage of the reflections to create unique and even mind-bending images (tip: try turning your images upside-down). – Sometimes, after a rainy day, the clouds slowly start to clear up and let the setting sun shine through. The rays can create incredibly dramatic images that are worth capturing. You might get lucky and spot a rainbow, too. Share on Facebook