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How to make the most of bad weather in landscape photography

Feb 27, 2023 by Alex Baker Leave a Comment

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The temperature has just plummeted today. This weekend we were on the beach, today it snowed in Barcelona! Now, of course we all love snowy photographs with crisp sunshine. But what about when it’s just overcast, cold, soggy and miserable? Or you’re long looked forward to mountain trip is permanent mist?

Not to worry, there’s always something you can photograph, even in misty mountains. In this video, landscape photographer Andy Mumford explains his approach to making the most of less than ideal weather, even when you can’t see the mountains in front of you.

Mumford’s approach is to look for monochrome, slightly abstract details like fog hovering over snow laden fir trees. The result is an ethereal, moody image, not unlike something you might find on a winter holiday card. Using a telephoto lens is ideal for this type of scene, particularly for removing distracting foreground elements and for scene compression.

Of course, it’s disappointing when you’ve travelled somewhere like the Dolomites in Nortern Italy, only not to be able to see them. However, in mountains, this can happen a lot. You have to be ready for those split seconds when the clouds part and sun light streams through, often with dramatic effect. It’s usually worth the wait.

Shooting in flat light is often a challenge (I grew up in the UK, so I understand!). However, Mumford says there are several things you can do to create a greater impact in your images. Sometimes the images you set out to create just don’t happen due to bad weather.

Andy explains that you just have to get past that, and run with what nature has served up for you on that particular day. That’s possibly one of the most beautiful aspects of landscape photography. No two days will ever be the same, and you can always return to a location and capture a completely different photograph.

Once again, it’s about patience and watching and waiting for the clouds to move to a nice position. Yes, it can be frustrating at times. However, it also keeps you on your creative toes, making the best of any light and scenery that you find in front of your lens.

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Stop letting bad weather prevent you from making great photography 7 tips for taking photos in bad weather Make the most of bad light weather by finding new awesome locations 2020 Weather Photographer of the Year winners prove that you can take stunning photos in any weather

Filed Under: Tutorials Tagged With: bad weather, landscape photography

About Alex Baker

Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

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Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

Dave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

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