5 Greatest M-Mount Film Cameras of All Time

5 Greatest M-Mount Film Cameras of All Time

Picture “Leica M3″ by Rama via Wikimedia Commons

Leica M-mount rangefinder film cameras have always held a special place in photo history. For one,
because it was Leica who started the 35mm film revolution. Then, because the M3, the first M-mount rangefinder camera that Leica made, started a series of incredibly popular photographic tools used by countless professionals and amateurs alike for decades. And finally, because Leica-made M-mount
lenses can be considered to be some of, if not the best lenses there are for 35mm film cameras. In
this article, we take a look at what we deem the five greatest M-mount film cameras that were ever
made. Not necessarily all by Leica, though.

Leica M2 (1957-1968)

Picture “Newseum Leica M2 Vietnam” by Mr. T in DC on Flickr

Yes, you read that right. We’re starting this list with the Leica M2, and not with the Leica M3. While
 I am sure that many die-hard fanboys will feel deeply insulted now, there’s a simple reason for this.
 While the M3 was indeed the camera that started the M-series and is by many considered to be the
 best camera to use with 50mm lenses (due to its high magnification viewfinder), the M2 has one
 clear advantage: framelines for 35mm lenses. These weren’t so popular yet when the M3 came
 out, which is why Leica opted for 50-90-135mm framelines in the M3.

The viewfinder of the Leica M2 was the first to feature the 0.72x magnification ratio and the
35-50-90mm frameline set which became the standard for all later M-mount models. What makes
the M2 especially awesome is the fact that the viewfinder is large, bright, and uncluttered, as for each
focal length only one frameline is shown at a time, unlike the later models that show framelines pairs
for two focal lengths at a time.

As with all Leica cameras, the M2 is a machine that was built to last. Even today where it’s well over
fifty years old, a well-serviced M2 is still a joy to use. And it since it’s all-mechanical, it can be
(relatively) easily repaired. On top of all that, you can find a perfectly fine M2 for a perfectly reasonable
price, so it’s also the ideal all-manual meterless M-mount Leica unless you absolutely need 28mm
framelines. Which takes us to the next camera.

Minolta CLE (1980-1984)

Picture “Minolta CLE and CV 28/3.5″ by Andrew Sales on Flickr

The Minolta CLE was an evolution of the Leica CL, a small entry-level M-mount rangefinder that Leica developed and sold jointly with Minolta. Also known as the Leitz Minolta CL, the camera was first
introduced in 1973 and featured framelines for 40mm, 50mm, and 90mm lenses. It was sold in kits
with the still highly esteemed 40mm Summicron-C f2 lens (branded 40mm Rokkor for the Minolta
version) and the 90mm Elmar-C f4 lens. The original Leica CL was so popular that it compromised
sales of the Leica M5, which is why the production was eventually halted.

Minolta, however, decided to take things one step further, and improved the CL in almost every way
possible, which yielded the Minolta CLE in 1980. Now sporting framelines for 28-40-90mm lenses
and a lower magnification viewfinder, the Minolta CLE was one of the most advanced M-mount
cameras of all time, featuring a highly elaborated metering system that actually metered off the film
during exposure, as well as an aperture-priority auto-exposure mode–something that Leica only
introduced with the M7 in 2002. The Minolta CLE, together with the Leica CL, is also the smallest
M-mount camera ever made.

Besides all this awesomeness, it has one huge letdown, though: because of its unconventional
28-40-90mm frameline set, the CLE is virtually incompatible with standard M-mount lenses, unless
you like to guess during framing. Putting a standard M-mount 28mm lens on the CLE will actually
activate the 90mm frameline, and putting the 28mm f2.8 Rokkor that came with the CLE on a
standard M-mount camera will activate its 35mm framelines. So in that regard, the CLE only really
works with the lenses that were made specifically for it.

Konica Hexar RF (1999-2003)

When the Konica Hexar RF was first released in 1999, it was the most advanced of all M-mount
cameras, even though its exposure metering system was nowhere as elaborate as that of the
Minolta CLE that came almost twenty years before it. However, the Hexar RF managed to
significantly up the ante over all previously released M-mount cameras, especially those made
by Leica, by including several technologies that had long been the standard for SLRs, but mostly
neglected in the rangefinder world.

The Hexar RF is to this date the only M-mount rangefinder camera that sports an automated film
advance and rewind, besides add-ons that are available for other models. The Hexar RF also has
the fastest shutter of all M-mount rangefinder film cameras, maxing out at a whopping 1/4000 sec.
In addition, it features an AE lock position on the shutter speed dial, a metered manual shutter mode
besides the auto-exposure mode, DX code reading (first introduced by Leica with the M7 in 2002),
and as another unique feature among M-mount film rangefinders, an LCD panel that shows the
battery status as well as the frame counter.

The viewfinder of the Hexar RF sports the same 28-35-50-75-90-135mm frameline set as those of
all Leicas from the M4-P onwards, and with a magnification of 0.6x is better suited at the use with
28mm lenses than Leica’s standard 0.72x magnification viewfinder (though Leica has been offering
an 0.58x magnification option for some models.) One big letdown with the Hexar RF is that–according
to some reports–it is not 100% compatible with all M-mount lenses, due to slight differences between
Konica’s and Leica’s bayonet mounts. So the Hexar RF is best used with the accompanying
Konica KM lenses.

Leica MP (2003-Present)

The Leica MP is the pinnacle of Leica rangefinder film cameras. Not because it’s so technically
advanced, but rather because it isn’t. It’s an all-manual camera that combines the best of all of
Leica’s previous models in one: the highly accurate and virtually silent cloth shutter that made the
Leica M so famous as a reporter’s camera, the large and bright viewfinder with precise rangefinder
focusing, virtually the same unobtrusive body styling as the Leica M2, the 28-35-50-75-90-135mm
frameline set that was introduced with the Leica M4-P, and finally the center-weighted meter of the
Leica M6–the only part in the MP that requires a battery.

Add to that the fact that the MP is pretty much built like a tank, and you’ve got a camera that will
accompany you anywhere, and that won’t stop working whether you travel to the arctic or to the
desert. Which is why it’s preferred by many over the technically more advanced M7 with its
battery-dependent exposure system.

Zeiss Ikon ZM (2006-2012)

The Zeiss Ikon ZM carries the honorable name of a line of German-made 35mm cameras of the days
past, yet it was made in Japan by Cosina under license from Zeiss. That doesn’t make it any less of
a high-quality product, though. In fact, the Zeiss Ikon has a number of features that make it the better
choice over a Leica for some. For one, there’s the auto-exposure mode with a fast 1/2000 sec.
shutter (Leica cloth shutters traditionally only go as fast as 1/1000 sec.) Then, there’s the combined
shutter speed/exposure compensation/ISO speed dial which is very convenient.

But most of all, what makes the Zeiss Ikon ZM stand out is its incredibly huge and bright viewfinder.
If you thought the viewfinder of a Leica M is like a window into the world, try that of a Zeiss Ikon ZM,
and the Leica viewfinder will seem like a tiny peephole. It seriously is that huge. On the downside, it
lacks framelines for 75mm and 90mm lenses and instead adds 85mm framelines to match Zeiss’
85mm M-Mount lenses. Speaking of which: the Zeiss Ikon ZM was built specifically for the amazing
Zeiss ZM lenses, which can rival those from Leica in almost every aspect, besides being a lot more
affordable.

Honorable Mention: Voigtländer Bessa R-Series (2004-Present)

Finally, a series of M-mount rangefinder film cameras that didn’t make it into this list, but that deserve
an honorable mention: the Voigtländer Bessa R-series. Like the Zeiss Ikon ZM, these are made by
Cosina in Japan. But unlike the Ikon, the Bessas are not meant to be a top-of-the-line product, but
rather entry-level choices that enable those on a budget to get into the world of M-mount cameras.
But despite their position at the lower end of the market, they’re still very high-quality products.

What makes the Bessa R-series stand apart from all other current M-mount cameras is that they
come in a number of different flavors to choose from. For one, they’re available either as all-manual
models (unfortunately now discontinued but with stocks remaining), or as auto-exposure versions.
Secondly, there are three different models with three different viewfinder magnifications and different
sets of framelines:

• the Bessa R2A/M sports an 0.7x magnification viewfinder with 35-50-75-90mm framelines,
• the Bessa R3A/M sports a 1x magnification viewfinder with 40-50-75-90mm framelines, and
• the Bessa R4A/M–unique in the world of M-mount cameras–sports an 0.52x magnification viewfinder designed specifically for the use with wide-angle lenses, showing 21-25-28-35-50mm framelines.

Just like the Zeiss Ikon ZM was designed to be used with the Zeiss ZM lenses, the Bessa series of
cameras was designed to be used with the Cosina-made Voigtländer VM lenses.

_______________

*Felix Esser is a postgrad doctoral student in historical linguistics and photography-enthusiast. He
 created his site efix:photography in January 2010 to share his thoughts on photography. Since early
 2012, he's writing forThe Phoblographer as News Editor.

Larry Clark Sells Photo Archive

Art Review

 Larry Clark ,Kids,Archive

Larry Clark Sells Off Photo Archive To Friends And Fans

05-07-2014

Kids director and artist Larry Clark presents a large selection of works from his photographic portfolio at the Simon Lee Gallery, London. The artist recently turned 71 and decided to gift this body of work to friends and fans; rather than sell the photographs at auction or bequeath them to museum or gallery. The works are on sale for a limited period with the viewer able to sift through Clark's large selection of prints.

Clark was born in Tulsa in 1943, the artist and film-maker lives and works in New York and Los Angeles. Clark's first film 'Kids' was launched to immediate success when it was first seen at the Cannes Film Festival in 1995. The artist went on to make 'Another Day In Paradise' 1998, 'Bully' 2001, and a number of other features.

Clark's photography is in fact a documentation of the people, places, and kids he was interacting with during his various periods of film-making - including The artist's cast members and even lead actors - all in the form of snapshots at 4 x 6, and 5 x 7. The prints have been processed commercially at various photo shops and pharmacies, and represent an intimate portrait of a period in Clark's life and the relationships formed while creating works on film.

The Photographs are stacked neatly in a large white wooden crate in the centre of the Lower Gallery, Clark's snapshots already reside in collections including The Museum of Modern Art, New York, and The Met; yet this is a unique experience for an audience. The usual distance between art and viewer is bridged, affording a very intimate experience with the artist's photographs. The viewer is able to rummage through thousands of Clark's prints and either buy or simply replace the works in the crate and begin again.

This has a similar effect to flipping through the family album; immersing the viewer in Clark's work; allowing the vantage point of a very personal perspective, leaving the viewer with a slight sense of nostalgia felt by the septuagenarian photographer. As Clark has stated himself; 'All the kids that come to my shows in thousands and could never afford 10 to 15 thousand dollars a print, this is pay back to all the skate rats who would like a souvenir so I can die happy'

The artist and film-maker's white cube garage sale is also a form of installation in which direct interaction between viewer and work - in the handling of Clark's photographs by thousands of people - allows a relationship rarely afforded in the viewing of an artist's work; and in this relationship we glimpse a portrait of the artist and film-maker himself.

Larry Clark Simon Lee Gallery London until 6 July 2014  

Words: Paul Black  Photo: Larry Clark Archive all rights reserved

Photography Videos

In response to phone requests about the Nikon 6006 camera I bought on Ebay, here's the video I posted June 22, 2014.  If you're thinking about taking a film photography course as an elective subject this coming school year (or you're the parent of someone who is) this video is for you.

Above is a video slide show I made of some of the free computer wallpaper quality photos available here at the blog.  Please check out all my videos on Youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/user/DarrylMrT

The videos above are of much higher quality when viewed on Youtube.

Finding Perspectives in the Landscape

The untamed beauty of the landscape and its unpredictability is what attracts me most to this field. The idea of photographing a moment in time that was not the result of orchestrated efforts, but rather the erratic temperament of nature, is a source of great inspiration for me. This lack of control means that as a photographer, I must adapt my workflow to compliment the environment, using in-the-field techniques to create the image I want to express.

Perspective plays a key role in manipulating an environment I have no control of – the conscious choice of vantage point and placement of the horizon line can greatly improve the balance, flow, and overall success of my composition. However, altering the perspective is more than simply choosing where to place and position my camera. By making deliberate technical choices in my gear, I can develop my ability to improve a composition without sacrificing my vantage point.

Focal Lengths

Longer focal lengths will decrease your depth of field, but also bring forth the background/ foreground elements – you’re basically compacting the distances, making objects around your main focal point appear to be much closer to it than they really are. Alternatively, wide focal lengths will exaggerate those distances, making objects appear to be much further away from your focal point.

Adjusting the focal length is a method I use often in the field when I want to redistribute the weight of my main subject(s) for a more balanced composition. Below are two images that show how differently your composition can appear by simply changing your focal length. Both these images were taken on the same evening, within minutes of each other.

The scene above was captured with my Canon 85mm f/1.8 lens set at f/11, with the focus locked on the foreground wheat. Since I was focusing so closely, I was able to obtain a shallow depth of field with a relatively small aperture, throwing the lighthouse and sunset sky into some degree of obscurity. The reach of 85mm was able to pull all the elements together and compact the distances between the background sky and tree line, middle ground lighthouse and pier, and foreground wheat.

Alternatively, the image below had a much different workflow. The approaching thunderstorm made for quite the sunset display, so the wider focal length of my Canon 24mm f/1.4L II lens was needed to capture the entire scene on a full frame sensor. Using a deep depth of field at f/16, foreground to background was rendered in sharp focus. The distances between the foreground, lighthouse, and background had been exaggerated, making the environment seem much deeper than it was in reality.

I was standing in the same position for each image, but the 24mm lens made the lighthouse seem much further away, while the 85mm compacted the distances and brought the focal points closer together.

Focal lengths also affect your depth of field, despite using the same f/stop. The longer your focal length, the more shallow your depth of field will be for a given aperture – which explains why the 85mm image had a very shallow depth of field, despite using an aperture set at f/11. So not only can you use your focal length to control your depth of field, but you can also use it to manipulate your environment – pushing elements further back, or bringing them forward.

Depth of Field

Even with the same lens, you can drastically alter the composition and content of your environment simply by controlling your depth of field. Aperture certainly has a prominent role to play here, but other elements affect your depth of field in a profound way, such as distances, placement of focal point, and your focal length (as mentioned above). I go into further detail on how to control your depth of field in my eBook The Art of Bokeh, but for now I want to demonstrate how differently your perspective can change by exploring different depths.

The image above was taken under sunset light filtered by a thin layer of clouds, side-lit as it descended towards the horizon. I used my 24mm f/1.4L II lens, with the aperture set wide open, to capture this unique shoreline rock with a very thin slice of focus.

The photo below was taken the same evening just moments prior, and with the same lens. Instead of focusing on the rock and making
that my main focal point by isolation, I turned towards the setting sun and set my aperture to f/16. By simply changing my vantage point and depth of field – moving away from the rock and widening my frame to include more of my environment – I was able to create two entirely independent images from the same location and conditions without ever changing my lens or gear.

Any element of your landscape can be a potential focal point – from grand vistas to small pieces of foliage. While the volatile forces of nature may constrict your ability to manipulate the environment, it does not mean that you have to limit your compositions. I find this lack of control to be quite liberating – allowing yourself to be influenced by the environment, which can be conducive to your development as a photographer. By using your skills to direct a composition, you can transform mundane subjects into textured focal points of light and shadow, creating a successful representation of your vision.

Landscape photography can call on many different photographic techniques in order to find a successful perspective – long exposures, macro, panoramics – and can require various combinations of apertures, focal lengths, shutter speeds, and vantage points. The opportunities are endless, and are only limited by the creative boundaries that you define for yourself. Look around your environment and fully embrace the light and texture you see; try new techniques and explore different subjects, and don’t let the assumed quality of your atmosphere discourage your endeavors. If you find your surroundings uninteresting, pursue other parts of your environment by changing your perspective – you may be pleasantly surprised by what you find.

14 Fabulous Photography Freebies That Include E-Books, Courses and Presets
By Ritesh Saini
I'm re-posting this article by Ritesh Saini because everybody loves free stuff.

Freebie Friday has a nice ring to it, right? It would have made for a compelling title but we didn’t want to keep you waiting till Friday for your freebies just for the sake of a nice-sounding title. Yes, we are an impatient bunch when it comes to freebies. Our earlier post on freebies was wildly popular – obviously, everybody loves freebies. So we, at Light Stalking, decided to indulge our readers once more in freebie fantasy by sharing links to fabulous free stuff. We’ve scouted the whole wide world of web to put together 14 more cool freebies for you that include photography eBooks, online guides & courses and software presets. We hope you like them.

Photography E-Books

Good Photos in Bad Light, by Darwin Wiggett

We’ve all gone through situations where bad light played a spoilsport in our photography trip, or so we thought. You don’t have to worry about it any longer because Darwin Wiggett, in this eBook, gives you plenty of tips and techniques that you can learn to create great photos in bad outdoor light.

Explore Flickr, by Thomas Leuthard

Flickr’s Explore is a double edged sword. On one hand, it brings tons of views and activity to your photos, and on the other hand, it makes you want to see all your photos on Explore, for the very same reason, almost to the point of making you addicted to it. A celebrity in his own right on Flickr, street photographer Thomas Leuthard shares some tips to get your photos on Explore.

Set Up Your Own Photoblog, by Nancy Messiah 

Photoblogging requires you to have a knowledge about a wide range of areas, from hosting your site to getting traffic to it. This eBook by Nancy Messiah tackles the topic in a comprehensive manner with attention to specific details about getting your site running and everything that you need to keep in mind.

A Photographer’s E-Guide to Making Sharp Photographs, by Scott Bourne

While it’s true that image sharpness should not be the ultimate gauge of a photo’s merit, it should also be remembered that sharper images can have a much higher impact than their blurred counterparts. In this eBook, photographer Scott Bourne gives you tips to get sharper images and avoid blur.

Street Photography, by Alex Coghe

Street photographer Alex Coghe shares everything he has learned through these years in this eBook. A really comprehensive guide on street photography, it gives a first hand account of how to approach street photography and get better, with some really insightful tips coming from his experience.

Online Courses and Guides

Ditch Auto: Start Shooting in Manual

In this course at Udemy, photographer Jerad Hill teaches you how to move from Auto mode to the more powerful Manual mode. With better control over the picture-taking process, Manual mode enables you to use settings that would perfectly capture how you vision a scene. 

Apple Aperture 101

If you are among those who utilize Apple Aperture for editing and managing your images and would like to get better at it, this live course is for you. Course instructor Sara France will teach you the tools, tips and tricks that will enable you to use Aperture like a pro. The course runs on May 29-31, 9AM-4PM (Los Angeles time).

Short Guide to Landscape Photography

A beginner’s guide aimed at helping you create beautiful images of the world around you. The guide will cover: elements of composition, leading lines, shadows and highlights, diminishing contrast, scale of known objects, use of a focal point, color temperature changes and much more.

Photoshop and Lightroom for Photographers

If you are looking for a one stop shop for learning Photoshop and Lightroom, this Udemy course has to be it. With lots of tutorials on specific tasks that cover photo retouching and techniques in Photoshop and Lightroom, professional photographer Yanik Chauvin will cover it all to enable you to easily edit your photos.

Short Guide to Travel Photography

Looking for some quick photography tips for your next trip? With this guide, you will learn how to find great subjects in a new place, what to know before you go on a trip and how to photograph people during your travels. There’s many more tips too.

Software Presets

Lightroom Preset – Fall Color, by Lightroom Killer Tips

If you have a collection of fall images that you need to quickly transform into colorful and vibrant ones, this preset by Matt Kloskowski will do the job for you. To know more about the preset, click here. Check more free presets by Lightroom Killer Tips here.

Lightroom Preset – Instant B&W, by Preset Love

There’s a magic in black and white and when done correctly, the images can captivate the audience. This preset by Preset Love will beautifully transform your photos to black and white. To know more about the preset, click here. Check more free presets by Preset Love here.

Photoshop Action – Portrait

Nothing beats a perfectly done portrait post-processing that brings out the character of the person. While that may be an overstatement of sorts, this preset certainly tries to give your portrait photographs those subdued tones, and emphasizes facial features.

Perfect Effects 8 Software

onOne Software has once again rolled out its popular program Perfect Effects 8 for free. You may want to quickly grab the opportunity before it features a price tag again. You can use it as a standalone application or as a plugin with Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Photoshop Elements, or Apple Aperture to utilize some amazing effects to add to your photos.

Before we bid farewell to this freebie fiesta, I will leave you in Scott Kelby’s company. Do watch this inspirational video to see what makes him tick when he’s photographing.  

Beth Roach Photography

Reminiscing

POSTED ON JULY 3, 2014

With things getting slightly on top of me I took the time to look back at some old work, work that I’m still to this day not sure how to feel about, but have been encouraged to share. I know this is personal but I’ve always felt self conscious about my portfolio, and anxious about how others may perceive it but as it’s a Thursday I thought I would keep up with the tradition ofThrowback Thursday and share some little bits.

These two were from my first Unit on my college course, a topic based on Urban Landscape and of course me being me I managed to distort the criteria to suit my love for portraiture. Moving around busy London, being shoved in all different directions, caught in the atmosphere and a lady doing a “duck face” in Carnaby Street made for an interesting day and some real characters.

For those of you that don’t know me, being subtle isn’t my greatest talent so the image above was made even more special by the subject’s attention elsewhere. And who doesn’t love people watching anyway?

Within my Second Unit I chose to look into pattern, another distorted topic with parts inspired by De Joode’s Wallpaper designs with the help of some lovely models.

These two were to develop my studio skills, the one below being my first attempt at Medium Format Film processing. The quality of 120mm film shocked me, I loved and loathed it, the quality was fantastic as well as the new method I was learning, but the negative sure picked up any dust it could find! This shot of Dannielle was my favourite, after three attempts of removing dust there was only a little speck, but with time gathering dust in my portfolio the shot isn’t as clean as it was, and yet its still one of my favourites.

More experimentation with Studio set ups lead to a White backdrop typical high key lighting – cue sigh of relief!

Further experimentation in the studio got us to work with Shadow Portraits, a fun alternative to the 18th century Silhouettes.

For anyone feeling self-conscious about your portfolio, a particular shot, or even if it’s not photography related and you don’t know how people will react; just do it! You never know who you might inspire, even if it’s yourself!

Thank you for taking a look, as always feel free to leave a comment and check out myFacebook Page and Twitter!

Beth

Camera film: not vintage yet

By Open Producer Jane Curtis from Central VIC

NEX

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VIDEO CREDITSSHOW MAP

On what camera did you take your first photo? If you’re Gen X or older, it probably was a film camera. Maybe it was even a disposable camera (gasp).

These days, we hone our photography skills on digital - a different kind of disposable photography. So why, in this digital age of smartphones and DSLRs, do high school students learn photography on film?

Bendigo Senior Secondary College is one high school where the photography department has a bunch of analogue cameras and a fully equipped dark room.

"Fundamentally, it’s to learn about light", says photography teacher Andrea Jones, ."As well as composition, exposure, and attention to detail."

Shooting on film means shooting with purpose. Less happy snapping, more thoughtful framing.

"The power of photography is the ability to capture a moment in time that may never be repeated. With the limited frames per roll of film, you compose each frame with intent rather than shooting many frames as digital photography allows."

"These restrictions lead to creative compositions in camera. The students can be disappointed when their film does not work. The time to reshoot and develop the negatives again makes us aware of the process that was historically the common medium."

And then there’s the darkroom. 

Walking into a darkroom feels like entering another world, and another era. Pungent chemicals slurp in trays, lights glow dimly and dripping photos hang like washing on the line.

Andrea loves the first time students see a print develop in the darkroom. "The ohhh's and ahhh's feels like I have just shown them a magic trick!" 

She says students have a lot of fun and gain confidence in their skills, and the analogue process develops an attention for detail because they have to be in control of every element of the process. 

Analogue also offers the opportunity for the 'happy accident', where the unplanned is sometimes much better than what you were expecting. 

Using film offers the chance to experiment with negatives and prints, like double exposure, where a frame of film is exposed twice and two images are superimposed, or solarisation, where photo paper is re-exposed during development.

Photography students at Bendigo Senior Secondary College used analogue cameras and experimental darkroom techniques to create a series of photographs on positive aging. They shot older people contributing to the community and living actively - dancing, playing sport, enjoying the great outdoors and the quiet indoors.

Their photos in the slideshow above formed an exhibition in collaboration with Seniors Rights Victoria called The Best is Yet to Be. The exhibition title is a quote from a poem by Robert Browning 

Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be.

Does Watermarking really work?

Water marking your online photos works...or does it?  Can you really protect your images online?
Check out this article to find out  (copy and paste into your web browser, then click enter) http://mrdarrylt.blogspot.com/2014/07/good-info-on-how-to-protect-your-online.html

Or just toggle down two articles.

What To Photograph On An Overcast Day

 BY STEVE BERARDI 

Photo by Steven Burke (used under the CC-Attr-NC-ND license)

In Southern California, we have this thing called “June Gloom” where pretty much every day in the month of June is overcast or cloudy. Some people call it our punishment for having bright sunny days for the rest of the year.

But, I look forward to the overcast skies because although they produce some gloomy feelings, they also create some very unique lighting conditions that bring out some of the best colors found in nature.

What’s so special about overcast lighting conditions?

Overcast skies are special because of the soft and balanced light they produce. The clouds act as a natural diffuser, so the more clouds you have in the sky, the more balanced the light will be. This balanced light will eliminate virtually all shadows and reflections.

So, what are these conditions good for? Well, two great examples are wildflowers and waterfalls.

Example #1 – Wildflowers

Photo by Steve Berardi

As I discussed in a previous article, the secret to getting perfect light for your wildflower photos is to photograph them on an overcast day.

On a bright sunny day, the harsh rays of the sun will blow out the highlights of wildflowers and create some ugly dark shadows. The natural diffuser (clouds) helps balance the light to eliminate these shadows and cast a soft light on the flower (preventing those highlights from being blown).

Example #2 – Waterfalls/streams

Photo by Steve Berardi

The soft and balanced light of an overcast day is also helpful for photographing waterfalls because it helps reduce contrast and reveal detail in the shadows.

Another great benefit of photographing waterfalls/streams on overcast days is the need for longer shutter speeds. Since cloudy days are significantly darker than sunny days, you’ll need a longer shutter to capture the scene. These longer shutters are great for achieving that “silky” water look like in the photo above.

Another option: Capture the gloomy mood

If wildflowers and waterfalls aren’t your thing, then perhaps you can just capture the gloom of overcast days. Maybe you know of a lone tree in a meadow somewhere, that looks especially lonely on a cloudy or overcast day.

There’s no rule that says all your photos have to be happy, so don’t be afraid to capture the gloom 

For example, here’s a scene I photographed on a gloomy overcast day:

Photo by Steve Berardi

Sanderlings (the bird pictured in this photo) are almost always seen in large groups, so the fact that this one was alone is interesting. But, the overcast light gives this scene more of a gloomy feel, and helps emphasize the bird’s aloneness. If I took the same photo on a bright sunny day, I don’t think the image would have portrayed the same feeling.

What did I miss?

Is there something else you’ve noticed that looks especially wonderful on overcast days? Please share it with us by leaving a comment below!

If you enjoyed this article, and would like to read more, please signup for our free email newsletter.

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About the Author: Steve Berardi is a naturalist, photographer, computer scientist, and founder of PhotoNaturalist. You can usually find him hiking in the San Gabriel Mountains or the Mojave Desert, both located in the beautiful state of California.