Exercise 6: Cloudy weather and rain.

"For the first part of this exercise photograph the same view in sunlight and under cloud, this can be done at different times or on different days.  Put the pairs of images together, note the different exposures, how did the f-stops vary between each picture and is there a colour difference?  You should be able to see that the cloudy photographs are slightly bluer".

With the exception of the church at Blackheath I revisited places where I had taken photographs this summer, knowing I already had pictures that were taken in full sun, I retook the same scene in very overcast conditions.

Both taken at ISO 400, Sun image - 1/90 f11, Shade - 1/30 f11, = 1 1/2 stop difference.

Sun - ISO200, 1/60 f16. Shade - ISO400, 1/125 f11, 2stops difference.

Sun - ISO100, 1/40 f16. Shade - ISO800, 1/350 f9.5. 7 stops difference.

Blackheath church was photographed late afternoon, so the sun was quite low, the image is therefore bound to be warmer, there is a slight blue cast to the shade picture.  New Brighton beach was first photographed in March on a cold but sunny day, a polarising filter was used.  The second image was taken in October, also cold but this time very cloudy, I can see a slight blueness in this photograph.  The last pair of images were taken near Rhuabon last April, at the time I was looking for images to include in the colour assignment.  I returned to the same place also in October for the above photograph, I am unable to see any colour cast to this image.  All the photographs were taken with the camera's white balance set to "daylight".

"When clouds cover the sun, the shadows are softer and the edges less distinct.  The subject is more evenly lit but not so definitely 'modeled', it looks flatter, with a less obvious form.  Find a couple of photographs that were taken on a cloudy day, say why they are better because of that".

The two photographs above, taken from my library were both taken on cloudy days.  The contrast in both images is within the camera's ability to record it, the man's face would have been lost in the shadow made by both his hat and his hand holding onto it, had it been sunny.  The same applies to the fungi and leaves, the background would have overpowered them, fallen dry leaves tend to be very bright when caught by the sun.

"For the second part of the exercise take three photographs outdoors, on an overcast day, that make good use of the enveloping, shadowless light.  Look for some detail that has pronounced relief, such as the roots of an old tree.  Also look for an object with a strong colour".

A walk in the rain.

Breakwater at low tide.

Chirk castle.

The photographic possibilities on cloudy days are a lot better than I ever imagined, the colours especially in autumn are so much richer when it is overcast.  The people walking under the trees would have been almost impossible to photograph with the sun shining and of course they would not have had their umbrellas which add colour to the picture.  I'm not sure if the texture of the concrete breakwater shows up better without the sun, however the green algae looks very bright on a cloudy day, it could be seen from some distance and was the reason I walked out to it.  The autumnal colours of the wild flowers in the last picture, give the impression of flames reaching up to engulf the castle.  The dark overcast sky also adds to the image, not only is it slightly menacing, it is helping control the contrast within the image.  Finally, in all three images, the greens are very vibrant, standing out above most other colours.

"Rain is needed for the third part of this exercise, produce at least two images.  Most people feel that dull weather is less than ideal for photography and rain is thought to be quite unsuitable.  This is when photography usually stops altogether, but why should it?  Rain can produce interesting visual effects; glistening pavements, lots of reflections, pattern of raindrops on glass and a misty appearance to landscapes".

I photographed this man begging by a shop doorway in Blackheath, it was pouring with rain and luckily for him, passers by took pity, giving him some of their loose change.  With this exercise in mind I took this picture, although it tells a story about the beggar and the kindness of the man about to give him some money, it is not obvious that it is raining heavily.  The photograph below, tells a much better story, the women have their umbrella's up, also the reflections in the wet pavement combined with the overcast flat light confirm that it is raining.  To complete the overall scene the beggar now looks wet and thoroughly fed up because nobody is taking any notice of him, has the woman with the checked umbrella angled it so as to avoid eye contact, I wonder!

This picture is quite simple, reflections in rain drops on the car windscreen, it's colourful and slightly abstract but also fairly obvious.

This again has been taken through the car windscreen, the blue tall object is an Owl telescope on the promenade at Crosby nr Liverpool.  The Owl telescopes were made in Crewe not far from where I live, they can be found in numerous seaside places.  I photograph them just for fun and as a record for when they disappear, I've no idea when the last one was made but they have been around for a long time.