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Cloudy Autumn Photos
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Oct 19, 2020 08:56:01   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
Whenever I read about how to take autumn pictures, there is always the suggestion to go out on a cloudy day. I can't understand that. It's cloudy right now, and I might just as well shoot B&W. As far as I'm concerned, it's the sun that brings out the colors. Since I'm shooting for myself, I'll wait for the sun to come out.

"The sun'll come out
Tomorrow
Bet your bottom dollar
That tomorrow
There'll be sun."

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Oct 19, 2020 08:58:35   #
Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington
 
Low angle of sun is best, wet after rain is second-best in my opinion. Mid-day bright sun washes out colors. There are many forms of "cloudy" - from featureless gray high sky to fluffy white clouds in brilliant blue.

I also love backlighting. The first is mid-morning sun:


(Download)

Just after sunrise, with a bit of ground fog.
Just after sunrise, with a bit of ground fog....
(Download)

Softer, dappled light.
Softer, dappled light....
(Download)

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Oct 19, 2020 09:08:55   #
bleirer
 
jerryc41 wrote:
Whenever I read about how to take autumn pictures, there is always the suggestion to go out on a cloudy day. I can't understand that. It's cloudy right now, and I might just as well shoot B&W. As far as I'm concerned, it's the sun that brings out the colors. Since I'm shooting for myself, I'll wait for the sun to come out.

"The sun'll come out
Tomorrow
Bet your bottom dollar
That tomorrow
There'll be sun."
Whenever I read about how to take autumn pictures,... (show quote)


I think bright overcast is the usual recommendation. But sun at the wrong angle depending on the angle of a particular leaf can reflect directly to the camera blowing one or more of the 3 sensor colors. Software tries to recover the lost color with strange results.

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Oct 19, 2020 09:38:06   #
Ourspolair
 
I shoot whenever I can in the Fall - still manage to get some good images. Even though they don't necessarily look "spectacular", (like Linda's ones do IMO, BTW) on the camera LCD, it is surprising. Apart from the good exercise, it gets you looking for interesting angles - as they say in a well-know ad, "just do it". Please stay well and keep on posting.

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Oct 19, 2020 09:42:54   #
BB4A
 
jerryc41 wrote:
Whenever I read about how to take autumn pictures, there is always the suggestion to go out on a cloudy day. I can't understand that. It's cloudy right now, and I might just as well shoot B&W. As far as I'm concerned, it's the sun that brings out the colors. Since I'm shooting for myself, I'll wait for the sun to come out.

"The sun'll come out
Tomorrow
Bet your bottom dollar
That tomorrow
There'll be sun."
Whenever I read about how to take autumn pictures,... (show quote)


I spend 90% of my photographic time shooting outdoors in natural light. No supplemental lighting, no fill-in flash; I rarely even carry a reflector. I also normally have restrictive time in which to conceptualize, initiate, plan, execute, and close on many of my commissions. For most, I rarely have the luxury to be able to pick my time to shoot. When the action starts, I have to shoot, regardless of sunny day... or mud bouncing 3 feet off the ground, while the rain lashes down.

I’ve come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as bad natural light, just a variety of challenges for the photographer to resolve.

As our equipment these days is so fantastically excellent (for example, my 5D MkIV bodies work far better than my eyes can, in very dim light!), I find experience & experimentation helps me over all light obstacles. For Fall photography, from landscapes to close up leaves, I believe that light overcast gives the photographer the easiest challenge, but all natural light offers possibilities, even if some are more challenging than others.

These days, when I create a poor quality image, I’m 100% certain I’m the only one to blame... there were enough photons available, but the idiot in charge of the sensor failed to capture them. Here’s an example (my most recent forum submission) from September 18th; that was a “challenging light” day in my area: https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-669906-1.html

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Oct 19, 2020 10:15:12   #
Iron Sight Loc: Utah
 
Nice Leaves 👀
Especially no3

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Oct 19, 2020 11:47:52   #
Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington
 
Ourspoiler mentioned looking for "interesting angles," and BB4A suggests "there is no such thing as bad natural light."

I like these nuggets of advice very much! It can be a fun challenge to work with what you're given. There are numerous online articles with examples of leaf close-ups, low angle shots with shallow depth of field, single trees and other ways to avoid blah gray skies.

But gray skies can still produce reflections. And don't overlook the possibilities of the last bits of autumn color.

Ellensburg pond, on Flickr

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Oct 19, 2020 12:00:35   #
BB4A
 
Linda From Maine wrote:
Ourspoiler mentioned looking for "interesting angles," and BB4A suggests "there is no such thing as bad natural light."

I like these nuggets of advice very much! It can be a fun challenge to work with what you're given. There are numerous online articles with examples of leaf close-ups with shallow depth of field, low angle shots, single trees and other ways to avoid blah gray skies.

But gray skies can still produce reflections. And don't overlook the possibilities of the last bits of autumn color.

Ellensburg pond, on Flickr
Ourspoiler mentioned looking for "interesting... (show quote)


👍

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Oct 19, 2020 13:19:22   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
Linda From Maine wrote:
Low angle of sun is best, wet after rain is second-best in my opinion. Mid-day bright sun washes out colors.


Yes! Early or late.

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Oct 19, 2020 14:27:17   #
larryepage Loc: North Texas area
 
When we lived in Seattle, we drove (or rode) up to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival several times. Consistent with the Western Washington climate, it was usually overcast when we went. One year, though, the sun was shining. It was much tougher to get good photographs of the tulips...both the whole fields and individual blooms that year. Lighting was much too harsh. The overcast provides a natural fill lighting that significantly enhances the tulips and daffodils and also makes photography so much easier. I was more into using polarizing filters then, and they could not fix the problem like the overcast could. Colors begtter, contrast less harsh, dynamic range much more manageable.

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Oct 20, 2020 05:21:13   #
cmc4214 Loc: S.W. Pennsylvania
 
Linda From Maine wrote:
Low angle of sun is best, wet after rain is second-best in my opinion. Mid-day bright sun washes out colors. There are many forms of "cloudy" - from featureless gray high sky to fluffy white clouds in brilliant blue.

I also love backlighting. The first is mid-morning sun:


Agreed. I have also found that on bright, sunny days being at a 90 degree angle to the sun lets the light come through the leaves with less lens flare than I sometimes get with backlighting.
Great photos by the way.

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Oct 20, 2020 06:40:33   #
Jimmy T Loc: Virginia
 
jerryc41 wrote:
Whenever I read about how to take autumn pictures, there is always the suggestion to go out on a cloudy day. I can't understand that. It's cloudy right now, and I might just as well shoot B&W. As far as I'm concerned, it's the sun that brings out the colors. Since I'm shooting for myself, I'll wait for the sun to come out.

"The sun'll come out
Tomorrow
Bet your bottom dollar
That tomorrow
There'll be sun."
Whenever I read about how to take autumn pictures,... (show quote)


Early or late, cloudy, and always with a polarizer for brilliant fall colors.
Smile,
JimmyT Sends

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Oct 20, 2020 07:35:46   #
billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont
 
jerryc41 wrote:
Whenever I read about how to take autumn pictures, there is always the suggestion to go out on a cloudy day. I can't understand that. It's cloudy right now, and I might just as well shoot B&W. As far as I'm concerned, it's the sun that brings out the colors. Since I'm shooting for myself, I'll wait for the sun to come out.

"The sun'll come out
Tomorrow
Bet your bottom dollar
That
There'll be sun."
Whenever I read about how to take autumn pictures,... (show quote)


Actually, you DO get richer colors on a cloudy day than on a sunny day. Personally, I wait for cloudy days for producing my richest fall colors.
I had one bride crying at her home before going to the church, I asked her why she was crying, she told me it was because she so wanted beautiful images at the park but it was over cast and not sunny out. I then assured her that actually for outdoor bridal images you could not get better than an overcast day. She was then in a much better mood and her images, as always, were outstanding.

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Oct 20, 2020 07:48:21   #
CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City
 
I've been setting my alarm and being up before sunrise. It the sky isn't clear when the sun comes out, I just go back to bed.

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Oct 20, 2020 07:54:11   #
Leitz Loc: Solms
 
CHG_CANON wrote:
I've been setting my alarm and being up before sunrise. It the sky isn't clear when the sun comes out, I just go back to bed.

If the sky isn't clear, how can the sun come out?

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