Weathering the Weather

Any photographer worth their salt knows that light is the number one factor to consider when designing the look of your portraits.

One of the most popular questions I get from portrait clients is “What will we do if it’s cloudy?”. It’s a common misconception that photos taken outdoors in cloudy or overcast weather will turn out dull, gray, and gloomy. On the contrary, cloudy or overcast weather is some of the best, in my opinion, for beautifully soft, universally flattering portraits.

But what is the best weather to shoot in? If you ask me, I’d say it really depends on your personal preferences. While none of us can control the weather, here is a short guide to how our final images might look in different kinds of weather and lighting conditions.

Partly Cloudy

One of my all time favorite portrait lighting scenarios. We have all the softness of the clouds, but with enough sun to give skin that perfect subtle glow.

Heavily Overcast

While a little bit trickier to work with, we can still find plenty of soft beautiful light. This light can make for some unique color stories.

Foggy

On the rare day where the fog is so thick you could cut it with a knife, we can capture some moody, dramatic images.

Full Midday Sun

Lots of people are quite surprised to find that the sunniest days are some of the trickiest to work with! On days with full, direct sun, I’ll be looking for shade, evenly exposed areas, and creative poses to combat the sun.

Sunset (Golden Hour)

A subgenre of the cloudless, sunny day, “golden hour” is one of the most widely beloved lighting scenarios. The hour before sunset (or after sunrise) makes for romantic images with that coveted warm sunset glow.

Sunset (Blue Hour)

Another subgenre of the cloudless day, the hour after sunset (or before sunrise) is the lesser known cousin of golden hour. Blue hour makes for calm, cool-toned images, and is one of my personal favorite lighting scenarios!

Night

What do a photographer and an optimist have in common? They both can find light in even the darkest of situations. Whether it’s creating their own or getting extra creative about finding it in their environment, a good photographer can light up the night.

My philosophy is that we can make it work, no matter what light we have. At the end of the day, capturing light isn’t actually the key to great photography — it’s capturing joy!