Overcast

[richard64]

Photography is all about light and what you do with it. An overcast day gives virtually no shadows and subdued contrast. So how do you use that to your advantage? On a grey day what would you photograph? (Yeah, my spelling of grey gives away the fact that I am in England, and grey days are the norm.)

Richard

[Marc Sabatella]

Look for scenes in which color and/or "local tone" (how light or dark the objects are) creates a composition as interesting as the kind of compositions formed by light & shadow patterns.

On a day in which the greyness itself is unusually strong, look for scenes that exploit that.

Shoot scenes that would actually be very difficult to pull off in bright sun because dynamic range would be too high.

[Wheatfield]

Originally Posted by richard64

Photography is all about light and what you do with it. An overcast day gives virtually no shadows and subdued contrast. So how do you use that to your advantage? On a grey day what would you photograph? (Yeah, my spelling of grey gives away the fact that I am in England, and grey days are the norm.)

Richard

Personally, I prefer to shoot on overcast days, I just tend to choose scenes that don't include the sky.
Bump the saturation a notch and go have some fun.

[Ahab]

It was very cloudy this day but I liked the somber feeling.

[Ron Boggs]

Macro, macro and macro. Also Porteresque intimate landscapes (no sky). High haze is the best possible shooting condition. Gray overcast would be second. Just don't include sky in your compositions and you'll see how nice "shadowless" can be. (I grew up on the coastal side of Washington state with Seattle type weather not terribly unlike yours).

Here are a couple examples of the kinds of shots you'll be able to do under a gray sky. Same holds true for cityscapes stuff--avoid the sky and you'll be fine!

[enoeske]

The evenness of natural light on overcast days makes it a great time for black and white photographs. Look for good compositions. Picture the shot you want in black and white in your head first, then make it happen in PP.

Portraits


Or landscapes

[DAZ]

Grey days can be good days that are all Gray anyway like B&W. So on the grey rainy day around here (although living here I don't see that many ) I put on my B&W eye and look for that kind of photo.

DAZ

[kerrowdown]

It's good even lighting for close up and macro type of stuff for flowers etc.

[Ron Boggs]

Daz--most people don't realize how little rain actually falls in the Seattle area--under 40 inches annually as I recall--less than New York City. And almost none from July to Sept. which is an annual drought period with a presumption of 3 or less rain days--that's a travel hint for those outside the area. I did notice it was raining--or Seattle drizzling--during the Huskies big win last weekend.

The foggy ridges image I posted above was made within an hour of your house, somewhere in the North Cascades...not far from one of the waterfall overlooks as I recall. The other 3 images were from the Olympic Peninsula where much of the rain falls on the Olympic Mountains leaving Seattle in a "rain shadow" and sending often barren clouds across the Seattle sky.

I "collect" restaraunts and always enjoy visiting Anthony's there in Everett (or any other Anthony's location). There's a great sandwich shop within a block or two of Anthony's too as I recall.

Oh another gray sky idea--seashores and even seascapes with sky. Sometimes the ominous gray sky works well and not just in black and white...dark gray water dark sky with black patches of thicker cloud cover. I'm sure the original post has access to seascapes living on an island...

[Jim Royal]

I agree that cloudy days + interesting architecture make for ideal black and white shots. They are also great for portraits, especially if you can add just a hint of directionality to the light — either by adding a touch of shade, or by adding a touch of flash.

These are some of my favorite cloudy day shots I've taken in the last year:

[DAZ]

Originally Posted by Ron Boggs

Daz--most people don't realize how little rain actually falls in the Seattle area--under 40 inches annually as I recall--less than New York City. And almost none from July to Sept. which is an annual drought period with a presumption of 3 or less rain days--that's a travel hint for those outside the area. I did notice it was raining--or Seattle drizzling--during the Huskies big win last weekend.

The foggy ridges image I posted above was made within an hour of your house, somewhere in the North Cascades...not far from one of the waterfall overlooks as I recall. The other 3 images were from the Olympic Peninsula where much of the rain falls on the Olympic Mountains leaving Seattle in a "rain shadow" and sending often barren clouds across the Seattle sky.

I "collect" restaraunts and always enjoy visiting Anthony's there in Everett (or any other Anthony's location). There's a great sandwich shop within a block or two of Anthony's too as I recall.

Oh another gray sky idea--seashores and even seascapes with sky. Sometimes the ominous gray sky works well and not just in black and white...dark gray water dark sky with black patches of thicker cloud cover. I'm sure the original post has access to seascapes living on an island...

Shhhh ixnay onway ethay onay ainray uffstay. That’s are little secret. We don’t want everyone to know or they may all want to come live here. Oh wait it looks like that is too late. There goes the neighborhood. But we do get a lot of cloudy days in the winter.

I like the Anthony's restaurants too. My favorite is the one at the Point Defiance boathouse by the yacht club. I think it has the best view. You can sit on the deck and watch the Rhododendron come and go.

I most definitely agree on the seashore and stormy cloud part. Here are some from West Point of the lighthouse.

DAZ


DAZ_4562 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!


DAZ_4563 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[Lowell Goudge]

while overcast days have no shadow and reduced contrast, I find colors often look more saturated and definitely warmer than mid day on a bright sunny day.

Also, depending on how you shoot, flat lighting might help out as it eliminates harsh shadows.

Yoou can also increase the contrast in your camera or photoeditor to compensate for contrast, something you couldn't do easily with film

[adamkean]

inside a forest looking up the tree trunks in overcast is just one thing you could try.

[KJon]

As Kerrowdown mentioned, it's great for even lighting of flowers...



Best to all,
Kevin

[mysticcowboy]

Overcast is relative. A heavy cloud cover is very different from a thin one. With a light to medium overcast, I've gotten some very nice people shots.