Today was a pretty good day for snapping. Whats interesting is that the two most beautiful days this week by normal human standards were the days that I didn't snap a single image. The bright sunny days, gorgeous as they are, just provide too wide a range of light to be effective for my style of snap. Too contrasty and too problematic with lost information in the highlights and shadows. Its the overcast days that are truly gold for me. Tones are rich with subtle shifts from light falling to shadow and the colors pop and glow not having to compete with too much imposed spectrum. You can keep your sun, for me and my snaps, I'll take a light overcast any day.
I find that I have to worry a lot more about where I am standing if I am taking pictures in bright sunlight. It can lead to dramatic shadows but it can also lead to a flattening of features if you take a picture of someone head-on who is facing the light. Also, as you note, the risk of blowing things out is more prevalent for these, but how do you deal with that white sky? I have to work with fill light in editing not to blow it out.
ReplyDeleteI try to meter for the lightest area in my shot, the white sky for instance, and drop a couple stops when shooting to achieve some tonality in the sky while preserving detail in my subject since it is always easier to do so from shadows.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's what I do, but often I have to add fill light selectively to get the detail in the foreground. But I'm the kind of person who worries about truth in images when in reality there is no such thing.
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