A Bad Weather Tip: On a recent trip the weather was less than ideal - cloudy, misty, rainy and occasionally stormy. However I was determined to make the most of it (I don't get out...

R.G. Loc: Scotland

On a recent trip the weather was less than ideal - cloudy, misty, rainy and occasionally stormy. However I was determined to make the most of it (I don't get out much

). I was on the west coast of Scotland, which is known for its mountains, and while mountains can look good when shrouded in cloud and mist, I already had a sizeable collection of misty, cloudy mountain shots and I wasn't looking for more.

I found myself gravitating towards river and stream shots because they're a good option even if the weather's not great. Apart from being a realistic option in flat light, if it's raining or has been raining, the rivers and streams will have a good amount of flow, which makes it easier to find photogenic and possibly dramatic stuff. The same can be said for waterfalls, but that's not what I was looking for at the time.

In the process of hunting down and finding shootable stretches of rivers and streams I came to the realisation that mountains still made very desirable additions to river shots. Not only that, but with a strong foreground (e.g. a photogenic river) the mountain doesn't have to be perfect or in perfect light or even clearly visible, because in those circumstances they are delegated to the role of background provider. Normally mountains command so much of our attention that they almost automatically become the main subject of a landscape shot, and when that's the case you want them looking at their best. However, if your foreground river (the main subject) looks the part, that's the most important criterion fulfilled and a less-than-perfect mountain becomes very acceptable.

The first three of the following shots are examples of what I just described. The last shot, which was taken on a very misty day, shows that river shots can sometimes provide their own background. And one of the things that rivers and streams have in common with mountains is that they can look just fine with a bit of mist and subdued lighting.

If you have any other bad weather suggestions, feel free to share them - and any examples that you may have - on this thread.
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Curmudgeon Loc: SE Arizona

Beautiful set. I can't decide between the first and last one

Quixdraw Loc: x

Excellent set! The first three were Scotland as I saw it on one trip. I was more fortunate with weather the second visit.

NMGal Loc: NE NM

Lovely scenes.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

R.G., sometimes those times, when everyone else stays indoors, provide the more dramatic photographs. Yours prove that point in these.
--Bob

R.G. wrote:

On a recent trip the weather was less than ideal - cloudy, misty, rainy and occasionally stormy. However I was determined to make the most of it (I don't get out much

). I was on the west coast of Scotland, which is known for its mountains, and while mountains can look good when shrouded in cloud and mist, I already had a sizeable collection of misty, cloudy mountain shots and I wasn't looking for more.

I found myself gravitating towards river and stream shots because they're a good option even if the weather's not great. Apart from being a realistic option in flat light, if it's raining or has been raining, the rivers and streams will have a good amount of flow, which makes it easier to find photogenic and possibly dramatic stuff. The same can be said for waterfalls, but that's not what I was looking for at the time.

In the process of hunting down and finding shootable stretches of rivers and streams I came to the realisation that mountains still made very desirable additions to river shots. Not only that, but with a strong foreground (e.g. a photogenic river) the mountain doesn't have to be perfect or in perfect light or even clearly visible, because in those circumstances they are delegated to the role of background provider. Normally mountains command so much of our attention that they almost automatically become the main subject of a landscape shot, and when that's the case you want them looking at their best. However, if your foreground river (the main subject) looks the part, that's the most important criterion fulfilled and a less-than-perfect mountain becomes very acceptable.

The first three of the following shots are examples of what I just described. The last shot, which was taken on a very misty day, shows that river shots can sometimes provide their own background. And one of the things that rivers and streams have in common with mountains is that they can look just fine with a bit of mist and subdued lighting.

If you have any other bad weather suggestions, feel free to share them - and any examples that you may have - on this thread.
.

On a recent trip the weather was less than ideal -... (show quote)

UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

Beautiful set, R.G. I only wish that I had more days shooting in the conditions you show, we could use all that wonderful moisture.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Curmudgeon, Quixdraw and NMGal, thanks for the comments. Mike, I wish there was a way for us to swap some of that "wonderful" moisture for some heat and sun. We have moisture aplenty

.

Bob, thanks for the comments. One of the problems with that sort of weather is the limited possibilities - which aren't always obvious. I'm hoping others will make suggestions that get us thinking about more of those possibilities.

Delderby Loc: Derby UK

All are great shots. The first one wins the prize - a 2D still pic alive with movement and 3D effect.

nimbushopper Loc: Tampa, FL

Nice work!

tshift Loc: Overland Park, KS.

R.G. wrote:

On a recent trip the weather was less than ideal - cloudy, misty, rainy and occasionally stormy. However I was determined to make the most of it (I don't get out much

). I was on the west coast of Scotland, which is known for its mountains, and while mountains can look good when shrouded in cloud and mist, I already had a sizeable collection of misty, cloudy mountain shots and I wasn't looking for more.

I found myself gravitating towards river and stream shots because they're a good option even if the weather's not great. Apart from being a realistic option in flat light, if it's raining or has been raining, the rivers and streams will have a good amount of flow, which makes it easier to find photogenic and possibly dramatic stuff. The same can be said for waterfalls, but that's not what I was looking for at the time.

In the process of hunting down and finding shootable stretches of rivers and streams I came to the realisation that mountains still made very desirable additions to river shots. Not only that, but with a strong foreground (e.g. a photogenic river) the mountain doesn't have to be perfect or in perfect light or even clearly visible, because in those circumstances they are delegated to the role of background provider. Normally mountains command so much of our attention that they almost automatically become the main subject of a landscape shot, and when that's the case you want them looking at their best. However, if your foreground river (the main subject) looks the part, that's the most important criterion fulfilled and a less-than-perfect mountain becomes very acceptable.

The first three of the following shots are examples of what I just described. The last shot, which was taken on a very misty day, shows that river shots can sometimes provide their own background. And one of the things that rivers and streams have in common with mountains is that they can look just fine with a bit of mist and subdued lighting.

If you have any other bad weather suggestions, feel free to share them - and any examples that you may have - on this thread.
.

On a recent trip the weather was less than ideal -... (show quote)

WOW! Scotland is a beautiful place. Please post more when you can. Always love to see photos from our Hog's in different country's as I will never get there. Thanks BE SAFE!!

Yom

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

rmalarz wrote:

R.G., sometimes those times, when everyone else stays indoors, provide the more dramatic photographs. Yours prove that point in these.
--Bob

Bob, you took words from my mouth. In my case and when confronted with this type of photography I like to add some punch to the images in the way of contrast. I know that for many that will alter the misty feeling of the images but that is the way I am. I duplicate the image and then in the layers palette I select multiply reducing the opacity to taste.

These are beautiful images.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Delderby wrote:

All are great shots. The first one wins the prize - a 2D still pic alive with movement and 3D effect.

Thank you Delderby. These kinds of scenes lend themselves to foreground-mid ground-background.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

nimbushopper wrote:

Nice work!

Thank you nimbushopper.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

tshift wrote:

WOW! Scotland is a beautiful place. Please post more when you can. Always love to see photos from our Hog's in different country's as I will never get there. Thanks BE SAFE!!

Yom

Thank you Yom. Glad I could share. PS - Scotland isn't always cloudy and misty - just most of the time at this time of year.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

camerapapi wrote:

Bob, you took words from my mouth. In my case and when confronted with this type of photography I like to add some punch to the images in the way of contrast. I know that for many that will alter the misty feeling of the images but that is the way I am. I duplicate the image and then in the layers palette I select multiply reducing the opacity to taste.

These are beautiful images.

Thank you camerapappi. I must admit I have to resist the temptation to ramp things up with this type of image and resist the desire to get rid of the mist/haze. I just keep reminding myself that there's something to be said for letting each shot be what it is - let the vivid shots be vivid, let the misty shots be misty. That way the variety of the natural world continues on into our photo collections. Bright and breezy isn't the only desirable look.