1/640sec @ f/4.5
18mm, ISO200, 0ev
Evaluative Metering
No flash
Nikon D40
AF-S 18-55mm 3.5-5.6

People often think cloudy days are the worst time to photograph – sunny, clear days are the best time to photograph, more light etc… This is NOT true at all. The best time to photograph is either sunrise or sunset and even then if you can get a mist or a nice even cloud cover you are in business. If you can’t get a sunrise or sunset then cloud cover during the day is the next best thing. Overcast days are spectacular for taking photographs, the natural colour saturation is incredible – if it has rained recently then even better. As with anything creative there are no hard and fast rules – but if you find your images feeling flat and lacking dimension try going out on an overcast day. As said in a previous post try to make sure the overcast sky stays out of the image. It will usually be the brightest thing in the image and our eyes naturally gravitate towards brighter sections of images. If you want your shot to include the sky then go just before or just after a storm – the clouds will be dramatic and textured, unlike overcast skies they will add to the shot rather than take away.

The image above goes some of the way to being shot at the right time. It wasn’t sunset or sunrise but the cloud cover was good. The openings in the clouds paint the landscape and mountains with colour. The Bow river running through to the back of the shot winds its way through the scene hopefully drawing the viewer through to the lake in the mountains. The dark trees in the foreground give some framing to the landscape. The mountains to the left and right form a V shape which again draws the eye to the river.