How to make the most of bad weather in landscape photography

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.