Cloudy Days
14 July 2010
Can there be anything more frustrating than a fine day turning overcast
and grey? On these occasions what photographer wouldn't harbour a desire
to own a machine that neutralises that annoying blanket of unwanted
nimbostratus? And yet, although cloud cover is unsuitable for certain
types of landscape photography, for some subjects it can be just what is
needed. 
Woodland scenes in strong sunlight can be a mess of highlights
and dark shadows, a wide range of tones outside the limit that film or
digital can successfully capture. It is on overcast days that woodland
scenes (particularly when the autumn colours are at their strongest) can
be at their best photographically. The moral to be learned is that
cloudy days aren't necessarily bad photography days, it is all just a
question of having the imagination to see past the grey to the subtle
greens and reds beyond.