Cloudy Overcast is Good Too

Earth’s constantly changing weather is part of what makes it so unique, but sometimes it doesn’t always align with each person’s photo session. Our weather app will say sunny skies for next week, but we discover thick gray clouds hovering above us on the photo shoot day. This has happened to many of my sessions, and the most common concern I get is, “Will the lighting still be good like this?”

The short answer is YES.

Cloudy weather is still AMAZING for shooting portraits, believe it or not. People fear too many clouds will cause lousy lighting, but it does the opposite.  Take a look at the images above. These were taken with clouds looking as if it was ready to downpour on us, yet the photos don’t really look like it! Compared to a bright sunny day with harsh lighting, clouds smoothly distribute light evenly upon a person’s face and background.  Think of clouds as a light defuser! Whereas lighting is one of the few things that change, color is another. Because the lighting of the photos is more even and not brightly lit, the colors of images can have darker, deeper, richer Earth tones compared to bright, vibrant, sunny photos.

With all that being said, the sole purpose of me writing this is to tell you not to fret if grey clouds appear on the day of your photo shoot. This doesn’t mean your session has to be rescheduled. But I totally understand that some specifically seek those hazy summer portraits—and I can not blame them! Both weather conditions result in beautiful portraits, so it’s whatever style of photos you desire! I am here for either.