Bad weather makes good photos

It’s #TravelTuesday and I, Dave Williams, am here as always. Not only is it Travel Tuesday, but it’s also that strange time of year when the weather isn’t quite sure what it’s supposed to be doing. Today I want to touch on exactly that.

Countless times we all, as photographers, have found ourselves staring through windows, willing the weather to change, but it can often be the case that bad weather makes good photos. I’m going to give you three reasons why.

Clouds create drama

Clouds can be moody and sinister, which is often a perfect backdrop to landscape and cityscape photos, both in colour and in black and white. The mystery created by clouds, in that they hide elements of a scene, is something that we can use to entice viewers into our image. Given the option of a clear, blue sky, or a dramatic sky filled with cloud, I’ll take the clouds every time.

It’s also worth shooting cloud-filled skies and collecting a bank of images to use with Adobe’s Sky Replacement feature, which will be particularly helpful to composite into images shot in weather that’s ‘too good’.

Snow is magical

Even outside of the context of a typical ‘winter wonderland’, snow is captivating and enchanting. A simply, monotone scene is interesting. The weather is terrible, but combining the snow with the previously mentioned clouds gives us something not-often seen.

Snow is something that isn’t enjoyed by all, so those who live in places where snow doesn’t fall are particularly drawn to images depicting it in various forms. Snow photos can be easily manipulated to become soft and dreamy, but they can also be made rugged and harsh. Get your snow boots on and get out!

Wet and windy wins

Doesn’t everything look awesome when it’s shiny after a rain storm? The moments right after or right before a storm, in terms of the wind creating dramatic cloud and the rain creating reflections on every surface, are ideal for photography. The colours of sunset combined with the lights of New York City, all shining on the wet streets, made this photo so much better than if it were dry.

Bad weather really does make good photography. At this time of year when things are changing, often stuck in some kind of limbo as we exit winter in the northern hemisphere, there will be many opportunities to pick up your camera and get outside.

Until next week…

Much love
Dave

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