Any time I tell a client we may need to reschedule due to overcast weather, they almost always ask me, “But aren’t cloudy days best for photos?” The short answer is: it depends. It’s true that clouds serve as kind of a diffuser that makes the lighting really even, but it also keeps direct sunshine from coming through. If you look at my images, you’ll notice that most of them are bright and sunny looking, and they often have that kind of “golden hour” glow in them. It’s not possible to get images like that if it’s cloudy!
My goal with each shoot is to deliver images that match the style and quality you see in my portfolio, and to do that, I really need some sunlight! Now, if we absolutely can’t reschedule, don’t fret. We can still take some beautiful pictures on a cloudy day! Just know that the images will look a little different than what you see on my site. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing! It all just depends on what you’re wanting from your photo shoot.
Here’s some links to shoots I did on cloudy days that still turned out awesome!
Elizabeth & Fernando | Cedar Hill State Park Engagement Session
The Bobziens | White Rock Lake Family Session
When are clouds a good thing?
- When you need to take pictures in the middle of the day.
- If we’re forced to take pictures at 1pm outdoors on a wedding day, it can be helpful if we have a little cloud coverage! Otherwise, we’ll be forced to look for shade to keep that harsh sunlight off everyone’s faces.
- When you want that kind of dark, stormy look in your photos!
- Some people dig that look! There are plenty of photographers out there that prefer to shoot on cloudy days because it fits their style more. So if you like images that are a little moodier with a darker tone, then cloudy days are perfect!
What if we have to take photos on a cloudy day?
- Wear colors
- If it’s a cloudy day, try to avoid wearing grey or white. Wearing color will help you pop out against the dreary sky!
- Choose a location with lots of open space
- When it’s cloudy, shooting in a wooded area isn’t a great idea because it will be much darker under the trees than usual. It’s best to shoot in open spaces to get the most light!
- Be prepared to move the shoot up to earlier in the day
- Clouds cover up the sunset and cause it to get dark outside much sooner than on a clear day. Because of this, we may move your shoot up an hour or more to make sure we have enough light to work with.
The most important thing when taking pictures on a cloudy day is to make sure you hire a photographer who knows what they’re doing, and take their advice! But hopefully this gives you a better understanding of how clouds could affect your portrait session.
