If you’re reading this, you’re probably wondering whether your photos will still look good if it’s supposed to be cloudy. It’s a question I get all the time, and I get it——that gray sky probably isn’t exactly what you had in mind for your pictures. However, cloudy days aren’t a bad thing, and some photographers even prefer them over sunny days! Here’s what you should know.
About 30 minutes before a Florida downpour
A cloudy day means the light is diffused through the clouds, so although there’s more light on a sunny day, cloudy days have more even lighting. If you’ve ever seen a photographer have lights with softboxes or umbrellas, this gives the same effect. Cloud cover is one thing I look for in the hourly forecast—50% or more is beautiful in the middle of the day when it’s otherwise super bright out.
Weather Forecast for Cloudy Days in the Mountains
The two things you should look for in the hourly forecast on Accuweather are cloud ceiling and visibility. Visibility refers to how far away you can see. The first photo was taken with a forecast with 10 miles of visibility, and the second was taken with 6 miles of visibility.
10 miles of visibility
6 miles of visibility
Cloud Ceiling
Sometimes being in the mountains means there might be clouds might be down below. We might not know until we get there, but sometimes, it’s a really pretty effect called cloud inversion. If there’s a chance of rain, it might mean washing out the view you were excited about. If it’s raining and the cloud ceiling is lower than the elevation of the location you’ve chosen, then you might not be able to see what’s down below. When you check Accuweather for cloud ceiling (distance between sea level and the bottom of the clouds), you can get a better idea of what you’ll be able to see. Compare this number to the elevation of where you’ll be. If you’re in South Carolina, the highest elevation is 3,555 feet (Sassafras Mountain), so look for a cloud ceiling that’s higher than that. Here are two examples of low clouds:
Cloud inversion - this cleared within about 20 minutes
Rainy day - this only got foggier
What will be different on a cloudy day?
On a sunny day, I choose angles and locations based on where the shadows are and what the shadows will look like on your face. Having you face the sun gives your face harsh highlights and shadows, not to mention it hurts your eyes. I might use shade to block out some of the light.
On a cloudy day, it looks like it gets dark earlier. I account for this when I set the time of a session, so it’s not a problem if it looks dark 20 minutes before the sun is supposed to set. I try to stay out of shady areas on cloudy days since a lot less light is hitting them, but going out in the open is great!
These clouds moved quickly, so we went back and forth between a total washout and beautiful cloud inversion.
Although I plan my sessions to be close to sunrise or sunset, it doesn’t always work out that way. Sometimes scheduling is tight and sometimes that’s what works best with a wedding day. I can find the right angles at noon, it’s just harder to get the background you want when it’s in harsh light or if the light isn’t even.
Both of these photos below were taken close to noon in the same place. In the first photo, notice how I put them at a funky angle to the building behind them so the light would be even on them. You can see that there’s a little bit of harsh light on his chest. A little later in the day, the angle of the sun will change. The reflection of the light on the water almost hurts your eyes when you see it in person and that brightness takes away from the rest of the photo. The second photo has much more even lighting and it wasn’t an issue to position her where I did.
Won’t it be dark?
If you’re out in the open, not really. Your face is always the focal point, and keeping that from looking dark sometimes makes the sky look lighter. If we go in the shade, there will be less light to work with, so I use more shady areas on sunny days and open areas on cloudy days. I also allocate for an hour and a half if we have an hour-long session so that it doesn’t get cut short by heavy clouds at sunrise or sunset. You can also see the brightness index on Accuweather to get an idea of how dark it will be. Brighter isn’t always better, especially in the middle of the day when the sun can go in your eyes.
We started this session an hour earlier because the clouds were so dark that day. Falls Park is usually darker than the rest of downtown because it’s so low compared to the buildings, but this spot is especially dark because it’s through the woods. The lighting, the location, and her outfit paired together so perfectly on an October day!
I hope this helped you get an idea of what your photos will look like! For more posts about the weather and how it affects your photos, check out these posts:
Ready for the best day ever?
Photo by Shehzad Ziaee
My name is Christine (Scott) Gow and I’m an elopement photographer based out of Greenville, South Carolina. I’m a wife and a beagle mom. The three of us have visited beautiful places in every corner of South Carolina, to include all of our state parks. We love being outside just as much as we love being together on the couch and watching Pixar movies.
One thing I love about South Carolina is that it’s not just the beaches and colorful houses that you imagine when you picture it. Whether you’re looking for mountains, beaches, or anything in between; I can help you find the perfect place for the two of you and make it as smooth of a day as possible. No matter how you two choose to spend your day, I’m happy you’re doing it the way that you want.
I can’t wait to meet you!
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