Grey Sky Versus Sunny Day (Page 2): Strongly suggest you get that flash off-camera. There are three things that make a great photo as far a light is concerned . . . the color of the...

Weddingguy Loc: British Columbia - Canada

Moose wrote:

Thank you all again for your comments. I feel like I'm on the right track sticking with a sunny or partly sunny day. Interesting timing as I'm to be at a shoot in a Rose Garden and it will be all in the shade at the time I'm there. I think I'll use the flash to help with the lighting.

Strongly suggest you get that flash off-camera. There are three things that make a great photo as far a light is concerned . . . the color of the light . . the quality of the light . . and the direction of the light. All three are equally important.

Moose Loc: North Carolina

I agree. I'll be using the flash off camera. Thanks for the reminder.

Weddingguy wrote:

Strongly suggest you get that flash off-camera. There are three things that make a great photo as far a light is concerned . . . the color of the light . . the quality of the light . . and the direction of the light. All three are equally important.

Pablo8 Loc: Nottingham UK.

Weddingguy wrote:

I would guess that what they are talking about is ... (show quote)

I would suggest picture number three suffers from the white bar intrusive cutting through/behind the head of the subject. Even if it was not 'seen' at the time of shooting, it should have been cloned out/toned down before printing. And as a 'Portrait Photographer' of many decades, you have added your name to the picture to show your quality of work.

Weddingguy Loc: British Columbia - Canada

Pablo8 wrote:

I would suggest picture number three suffers from the white bar intrusive cutting through/behind the head of the subject. Even if it was not 'seen' at the time of shooting, it should have been cloned out/toned down before printing. And as a 'Portrait Photographer' of many decades, you have added your name to the picture to show your quality of work.

These images were shown to demonstrate the adding of light in otherwise very flat shaded light. When one shows there name including a "copyright" it is not meant to take credit for the image, but to prevent unauthorized use of the images.
Instead of an non requested critique . . . would it not be better to show samples that you feel would show the intended purpose better?

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

Moose wrote:

I've read and been told that you can get your best... (show quote)

Different kinds of pictures work best under different kinds of skies. Gray featureless skies are not usually good for the kind of photos I do most - wide angle landscape. When skies are gray and dull I look for waterfalls, flowers, architecture, animals - many of those are better on cloudy days without harsh light. My favorite landscape skies are bright blue but filled with puffy well defined white clouds, later in the afternoon once the harshness of the light is diminished. Of course, you can't just order those up, so you shoot what you've got, and sometimes you find wonderful surprises in difficult lighting (fog is my second favorite weather forecast).

Sometimes with landscape you have to crop out the dull gray skies. Sometimes with over-bright blue skies you have to go find some flowers in the shade. I must say have never taken the advice I see so often to shoot only in the first hour after sunrise and last hour before sunset and scout or sleep in the middle of the day. I can always find some way to make something work.

nimbushopper Loc: Tampa, FL

Moose wrote:

I've read and been told that you can get your best... (show quote)

A cloudy sky produces the kind of light we try to simulate in the studio with softboxes/umbrellas. It's a soft light with wrap around quality and great for showing detail. I took these the other day while it was raining(only used the umbrella to keep myself from getting wet).

nikonshooter Loc: Spartanburg, South Carolina

nimbushopper wrote:

A cloudy sky produces the kind of light we try to simulate in the studio with softboxes/umbrellas. It's a soft light with wrap around quality and great for showing detail. I took these the other day while it was raining(only used the umbrella to keep myself from getting wet).

I prefer a overcast day to a sunny one. I am assured that my cameras will be able to catch almost all of the dynamic range. This is a problem for all cameras when the sun is throwing it's beam, unobstructed by clouds, on your subject. You have to add fill flash in that case to cover the eyes....you fight shadows if you can't find a protected place to shoot. Sunny days are just a challenge.

To add saturation and vibrancy to a pic taken on a cloudy day is a snap......pulling details out of dark areas (if you choose to expose for the highlights) is not always a snap if possible at all. ...and it you are in to compositing, changing the sky is also an easy tweak.

So for me, yea overcast days (giant softbox) and boo sunny:)

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

For me it's how grey is the sky and how can I exclude the sky, I prefer blue skies with clouds,
Bob.

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

For me cloudy gray skys give a uniformity of light without harsh highlights or shadows and I add clarity Vibrance etc. in PP. If it is a landscape that I want and the sky is gray then in PP i replace the sky. I a many pictures of skies and clouds to allow me to PP a picture

Papa Joe Loc: Midwest U.S.

Moose wrote:

I've read and been told that you can get your best... (show quote)

Hello Moose,
I believe what that statement means is when you are photographing a subject or item (other than the actual sky), then you'll find the distribution of light to be more pleasing than on a harsh, sunny day. Of course, if you're including the sky in the photo, most will prefer a pretty blue sky with white puffy clouds. Sometimes, if you're into post processing, even when you DO get a gray sky in the photo, you can add clouds and blue, with many programs including Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, etc.

Jblanke Loc: Metairie, LA

Weddingguy wrote:

I would guess that what they are talking about is ... (show quote)

Wow!! What great portraits!! Wish I could do that!!

Mudshark Loc: Illinois

I think you all are expressing different views on different images in your different minds...if I say imagine a red barn on a hillside...no two people on this planet will have the same image in their mind...so when you try to compare photograph and light quality of a "grey sky" to a bright sunny day...it's exactly the same thing. Having said that...there is a type of overcast...I would describe as a bright overcast...still very soft with extremely soft shadows that I love to shoot color under. Sometimes you can get some great saturated colors under overcast conditions. When you think about it, the sun is a really...REALLY...bright light source but it's very small so it makes very harsh shadows and extremely high contrast but an overcast sky, at the right time of day is the ultimate, really large soft box...and it doesn't get much better than that...
All this said, it depends on what type of light you need...perhaps you need a high contrast really strong light...

Jblanke Loc: Metairie, LA

Mudshark wrote:

I think you all are expressing different views on ... (show quote)

I think your dog is getting cuter, mudshark.......

Mudshark Loc: Illinois

Jblanke wrote:

I think your dog is getting cuter, mudshark.......

I just looked to see what was readily available on this computer...here she is on the past two Christmas cards...you could call her a "Dobby Ham..."

Jblanke Loc: Metairie, LA

Mudshark wrote:

I just looked to see what was readily available on this computer...here she is on the past two Christmas cards...you could call her a "Dobby Ham..."

Wow!! You gotta Luv her!!