Taking Photos on a Cloudy Day: I would like some advice please, how can I take photos on a cloudy day, so they look as if they were taken on a sunny day. I do set my white balance to...

johneccles Loc: Leyland UK

I would like some advice please, how can I take photos on a cloudy day, so they look as if they were taken on a sunny day.
I do set my white balance to "cloudy", saturation is set at +1 and contrast to +1. What ideas do other members have.
Thanks, John

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

Obviously, one huge difference will be lack of shadows from not having the sun. Nothing you can do there unless you are doing a portrait or something else you can light with a flash.
Boosting Color balance and saturation are good starts.
Great photos don't have to wait for sunny days.

Crewman Loc: Fleetwood, Fylde, Lancashire, UK

You can always change the sky with Photoshop or similar post photo programe after the event!

johneccles Loc: Leyland UK

Hi Goofy, thanks for your help, I was just wondering if I could tweek my camera setting even more.
Cheers, John

Searcher Loc: Kent, England

johneccles wrote:

I would like some advice please, how can I take photos on a cloudy day, so they look as if they were taken on a sunny day.
I do set my white balance to "cloudy", saturation is set at +1 and contrast to +1. What ideas do other members have.
Thanks, John

Here is an image taken on Beachy head on a cold, miserable cloudy day, followed by 2 mins of Lightroom brushwork and colour temperature manipulation.
From a distance, maybe it works, close up it does not feel right and I would have to add some shadows.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

johneccles wrote:

I would like some advice please, how can I take photos on a cloudy day, so they look as if they were taken on a sunny day.
I do set my white balance to "cloudy", saturation is set at +1 and contrast to +1. What ideas do other members have.
Thanks, John

What exactly do you mean when you say "so they look as if they were taken on a sunny day"?

White balance?

Shadows?

What?

authorizeduser Loc: Monroe, Michigan

Searcher wrote:

Here is an image taken on Beachy head on a cold, miserable cloudy day, followed by 2 mins of Lightroom brushwork and colour temperature manipulation.
From a distance, maybe it works, close up it does not feel right and I would have to add some shadows.

The original looks a lot more natural.

DaveMM Loc: Port Elizabeth, South Africa

johneccles wrote:

... how can I take photos on a cloudy day, so they look as if they were taken on a sunny day.

The short answer is, you can't. Cloudy days will always have much flatter lighting than a sunny day with, at best, faint shadows.

For some type of pictures, such as natural-light portrait, shadow is far better. For others, sun is best. Just learn to take the right picture for the conditions.

If you really want to play with white balance, exposure and saturation, set the camera to save in RAW and you can experiment with any changes you like afterwards. This is much better than trying to set it in-camera.

GDRoth Loc: Southeast Michigan USA

When I'm shooting on a cloudy day, I assume that I'll convert the images to black and white in post..............you really can't add the sun into a cloudy day.......

johneccles Loc: Leyland UK

Thanks Dave, shooting in RAW is something I hadn't considered.
I have just read an article which confirmed what you suggest, so I will will use RAW for cloudy conditions next time.
Cheers, John

dusty3d Loc: South Florida

Use a plug in like nik, topaz or onOne. They introduce filters ie, sunshine etc that will enhance a photo.

johneccles wrote:

I would like some advice please, how can I take photos on a cloudy day, so they look as if they were taken on a sunny day.
I do set my white balance to "cloudy", saturation is set at +1 and contrast to +1. What ideas do other members have.
Thanks, John

behzad Loc: UK

sorry if i sound uninformed, if you change everything in a photo using photoshop then that would not be the photo you took in the first place!! why take it in the first place if it needs a lot of changing? i am not sure if "artistic licence" applied to photography.

GDRoth Loc: Southeast Michigan USA

behzad wrote:

sorry if i sound uninformed, if you change everything in a photo using photoshop then that would not be the photo you took in the first place!! why take it in the first place if it needs a lot of changing? i am not sure if "artistic licence" applied to photography.

Yes, you are uninformed. Is your Kodak Instamatic still working?

Kingmapix Loc: Mesa, Arizona

My advice is to not try to make a cloudy day look like a sunny one. Cloudy days are a photographer's best friend. Diffuse light makes for great photos.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

johneccles wrote:

I would like some advice please, how can I take photos on a cloudy day, so they look as if they were taken on a sunny day.
I do set my white balance to "cloudy", saturation is set at +1 and contrast to +1. What ideas do other members have.
Thanks, John

It depends on the subjects. If you are up close to your subject use off camera flash. Try to keep the sky out of your images.

If you are shooting landscapes etc., then you are pretty much out of luck. You will have to get to know Photoshop.