TAOP - Light - Exercise - Cloudy Weather and Rain

TAOP - Light - Exercise - Cloudy Weather and Rain

Image pairs taken of the same view, one in sunlight and one in cloud

Sunlight v Cloudy

Pair One

Sunlight

Cloudy

Noticeable differences are in the colours of the grass, play park equipment and the shadows. Whilst taken within minutes of each other they appear as different days and possibly different months. Both images were taken at f/8, the sunlight image with a shutter speed of 1/250 and the cloudy image at 1/400. This rather interesting as the cloudy image had the faster shutter speed set by the camera in aperture priority mode. 

Looking at the images I think this because I've not matched up the images in terms of same frame and have more white reflective cloud. I'm tempted to redo this but will keep this pair as reminder of how more light does not always mean faster shutter speeds being set in aperture priority, the amount of reflectiveness / lighter colours in the scene can clearly impact the exposure settings.

Pair 2

Sunlight

Cloudy

Its that of the 2 images in this instance the image taken in the cloudy / shady light is the better image in terms of being able to see the petal structure. The second image appears more evenly lit, same as the cloudy image above. The top image though perhaps over exposed with the shadow from the sunlight does have a more 3D effect. I used a macro lens and took the images handheld. At such an open aperture this was a mistake as whilst I had auto focus at time of pressing the shutter I think my hand movement adjusted subject to lens length and with a small depth of field its out of focus. Big lesson learnt.

In terms shutter speed difference, both were taken at f4/5 but in sunlight a faster shutter speed of 1/1250 compared to the slower shutter speed in cloud of 1/200.

Using a handy internet site: http://imaginatorium.org/stuff/stops.htm it calculates there are 3 stops difference between the images.

Outdoors and Cloudy

Image 1

I felt this was an interesting image to take in terms of different types of light in the image. The foreground is lit with a low sun, just to the left of the frame and has back light the grass giving it texture and substance in addition to a strong green colour; a high sun would not create this view of texture.  

However the rolling hills in the background are clearly in shade and this can be seen from the cloudy sky which has also given a haze to the distant view

Image 2

Unfortunately I was out with just my wide angle lens but I do love the way I've caught the interest of the cows, there are 3 if you look close enough. The soft light from the overcast sky allows the undulations in the field to be more easily seen and the texture of the cow hair on the face of the cow nearest the camera, in addition the undulations of the side of the cow can also be more easily seen

Image 3

The cloudy sky and reduced light has not created the harsh shadows that a stronger sun may have. In stead the form and texture of the trees can be more easily seen. In addition the colour differences of the grass in the fields is more obvious and the colour appears more natural.

Rain

In this set of images I've focused on a single theme of rain drops

Image 1

Leaves are designed to capture rain and in most cases to direct the rain water toward the roots of the plant. I always find it fascinating that water in liquid form in very small amounts can take a different form to what one would expect. The surface tension of the water in the droplets of all sizes has created completely different shapes. The cloud has created a very soft light and the texture of the leaves can also been seen as a feature of the image

Image 2

I've used a Macro lens with a wide aperture and small depth of field to create the wonderful bokeh in this image but the subject is clearly the water droplets from the rain. Again the softer light gives the image shape and form and much more for the eye to scan and almost help the viewer feel the texture

Image 3

My tutor has encouraged me as part of my blog to show more unsuccessful or images I've not preferred as a final image and explain why.

This image is taken of rain on the rear screen of a car and the heating elements of this rear window can be seen and perhaps give the viewer an idea of what the image is of. However I felt the image too flat

However by simply changing my angle and using a wider aperture on the macro lens the small depth of field has singled out this column of raindrops. I've framed the image to capture the larger drop at the bottom of the frame and it gives a dynamic element to the image as the viewer would naturally appreciate that gravity will pull the rain and raindrop down and so a flow within the image is created.

The heating elements of the car window are just visible but now not dominating the image

Exercise Learnings

a) Cloudy weather will create much softer light. Whilst the golden hours do this also, cloudy weather now creates more opportunities for the photographer. Whilst people attending weddings will often wish for bright sunny weather, the bride might be more pleased with cloudy weather, softer light and more flattering images of her in the wedding album

b) As noted in the first pair of images, and in previous exercises the strength of light can dramatically change the colour of items in a scene. Until recently doing these exercises I had never really thought about this before. From years of polishing cars I had noticed that whilst sun appears to make a car more shiny following polishing, its actually in the softer light that it appears to look more clean and have more gleam

c) In landscape photography it is possible to have a mixture of different types of light in the image, particularly on sunny days with some cloud. This can be used to good effect

d) Living on a planet covered 2/3 by water then rain is a natural element for most people subject to their location. The capture of rain in images can create a calming scene as per the images above but can also create strong and violent images say when captured as part of a storm