Shooting for Gray
Gray Days: An Unlikely Friend to the Nature Photographer
Text and photos by Heather Cline
We are well into the gray days of winter and if you are anything like me, too many of these days in a row have me begging for the sunshine to return. But - these overcast days are actually quite beneficial for creating amazing images. You just need to know how to use it to your benefit. This post will cover 5 ways to leverage these gray days to capture better photos.
#1 High Key Imagery
A common recommendation for shooting on days with gray skies is to crop out the sky since it will often render as a blown-out highlight and doesn't add any visual interest. This is typically very good advice but there are compositions where this works in your favor. Taking advantage of the sky to create high key images with some negative space can produce unique images that others are passing up.
 
Song Sparrow |
#2 Graphic Elements
Reflections captured with a dull gray sky may appear flat and boring, but if you look beyond the obvious, you can locate graphic elements to create minimalistic imagery. Again, most would pass this up, but why not capitalize on the conditions to make a new and different image.
Cracked earth, Death Valley National Park |
#3 Even Lighting
A gray sky is basically just a giant scrim between you and your subject, creating soft even light. There are many images that benefit from this type of lighting, such as waterfalls, foliage, and wildlife. The soft light aids in capturing texture and detail as well, vital elements in macro images.
- Waterfalls rarely benefit from harsh light on them. When it is overcast, you can better capture the details of waterfalls. Since motion blur is a desirable effect with waterfalls, overcast days are ideal because the light is reduced, allowing you to lengthen the shutter speed needed to achieve this effect.
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- When photographing wildlife on overcast days, you can also try different compositions that eliminate the sky. In order to get a proper exposure on darker fur or feathers, the sky will often render as white in the final image and any light areas in your frame will naturally draw a viewer's eye, which would detract from what you really want them to focus on.
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- Overcast days are gold for capturing details that would otherwise be blown out on a sunny day. The soft even light is ideal for capturing saturated colors as well.
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#4 Color Saturation
As mentioned above, those gray skies act as a giant diffuser, scattering light evenly and reducing harsh shadows. This naturally results in more saturated colors. Two ways you can help improve saturation in the field is to check the white balance settings in your camera to ensure the colors render true to the scene and not too warm or too cool. Another handy tool is a polarizing filter to reduce glare and enhance colors. Don't forget post-processing techniques to boost saturation and vibrance.
Tulip detail |
#5 Monochromatic
In contrast to creating bold color images, overcast skies are great for capturing monochromatic or black & white imagery.
- The removal of color can often allow the message - or expression - to be conveyed more directly. If you have a well composed, well exposed image, but you find the colors a bit distracting, there is a good chance your viewers will too. Removing that color can turn transform a good photo to a great one.
- The mood conveyed in a photo is often enhanced when it is converted to black and white.
- If you have some photos in your collection that were shot on overcast days, go back and see how they look when converted to black and white. It doesn't cost a thing, and you might find a few gems hidden in your collection.
Harbor, Winchester Oregon |
So there you have it - five ways these gloomy overcast days contribute to more interesting and unique images. Now get out there and take advantage before these gloomy days turn into the blazing heat of summer!
