I found this an interesting topic, as it is the source of much debate with my father in law. Although a very keen photographer, and 35mm SLR owner, he has not been able to embrace modern IT technology and is therefore now limited to a digital point & shoot. His view is that it is not worth getting the camera out if it is cloudy, and all subjects should be in the sun (including unwilling portrait subjects). At 77, it is unlikely that he will change his views. However he has a point with certain subjects, and his view has perhaps formed as a consequence of his photography style, and is perhaps a throwback to the heavy expense of film whereby you can't afford to waste a shot. He likes to photograph boats and flowers, as well as capturing the memory of a sunny day out. Given that flowers often require macro photography, a bright light is needed to enable hand held photography. Boats (and seascapes in general) look much more attractive in the sun, as the sea tends to look grey if it's overcast. And sunshine, and the shadows it casts, often add to the fond recollection of a day out - wasn't the weather so much sunnier back then! Even though unflattering to the people in the pictures (eyes squinting in the sun etc), it is the memory of the warmth of that day that is the raison d'etre for the photograph. The squinting eyes of the children in the 60s portray the heat of the day.
A slight diversion there, but it perhaps illustrates that to form hard & fast opinions of how things should be done (always have the sunlight on your subject etc.) can lead to missed opportunities in photography. An open mind, and a willingness of break the rules, can sometimes result in a gem for the collection. The great gift of the digital age is the low cost of experimentation.
An example of such a rule to be broken is the slight snobbery that exists against taking pictures in the midday sun. Only amateurs do that don't they! However I have included one or two shots, where the shadows cast by the hard light actually make the picture worthwhile. For example, the shadows of the leaves on the bough, or the patterns created on the garden furniture. Patterns of light through treetops are examples of where bright sunlight can add an element of interest to an otherwise bland shot. The other consideration is the scene itself, whereby the effect of sunlight is essential to make the scene appeal. What I am driving at is the fact that a British seaside town can look dull & grey on an overcast day, but transforms in the sunshine. The same applies to a photograph. If the subject is of something related to warm weather (picnic tables, people dining al fresco, park games, gardens etc), it needs evidence of sunlight to complete the message of the image. Otherwise it would only be half way there.
Back to the tasks in hand. Firstly I photographed 4 scenes in sunlight & in cloud. The portrait & tulip were much more attractive images in cloudy light, but the playhouse & garden furniture were much more appealing in sunlight (partly to do with the rationale in the paragraph above). Although some flowers look better in sunlight, the texture of the tulip (and strong colour) are better represented in cloudy light. The general consensus is that cloudy light is more flattering for people, however I have also included a portrait of my younger son taken in bright sunlight. With a young subject (who has smooth peachy skin), a bit of post processing to give the shot a soft focus look shows that sometimes a portrait taken in bright sunlight can be effective, as the shadows across his face are not unflattering (in my opinion anyway!). The shadows added interest to a snapshot of a child. Generally the cloudy shots were 2 stops darker than the sunny ones, but this did not always work as a hard & fast rule. The auto white balance setting on the camera seemed to correct the colours on all my shots, although I must admit to having a bit of "blindness" to colour casts unless they are extreme.
For the cloudy shot from my archive, I chose one of Ayr High Street. I felt compelled to take a series of shots with my point & shoot because I was gobsmacked at the deterioration of the place. There were boarded up shops more often than not, and the streets were littered with to let signs and windows covered in windolene. Sometimes the name of the former occupier remained, as a reminder of who they were before they went bust. Anyway, the cloudy light makes the place look even more depressing, whereas sunlight would have made it more cheerful and therefore at odds with the meaning behind the image.
The 3 shots taken in cloudy light are best represented in that way, as reduced contrast enables capture of the highlights & lowlights, and colours are not washed out. The softness of my dogs fur is also best captured in that light, as she can look quite "wiry coated" in direct sunlight (not to mention half in shadow).
The final part of the project required a critical assessment of the light used in other images, to identify those taken in cloudy light. The Textbook is "The Photograph" by Graham Clarke, and I have previously commented that I find a number of the images within the book (especially nudes) quite unpleasant. However I focused on the chapter "The Landscape in Photography" as these were outside shots. As they are nearly all in black & white, and some dating from 100 years ago, a lot of the images in that chapter had quite a drab feel to them anyway, implying cloudy light but not necessarily so. I looked specifically for a lack of shadow as evidence of cloudy light. I also looked elsewhere in the book for a portrait image clearly taken outside in cloudy light. I identified the following images:
1. Angecroft Power Station, Pendlebury, Salford, Greater Manchester 1983 by John Davies. This includes a washed out completely cloudy sky and is a particularly effective photo because of the football game going on in the field next to the power station. This photo clearly does not follow the rural idyll of earlier landscape photographers such as Roger Fenton.
2. Inscription Rock New Mexico 1873 by Timothy O'Sullivan. Not strictly a landscape (although included within that chapter), but most definately captured in cloud or shade because of the textures evidence in the rock & the inscription.
3. Migrant Mother by Dorothea Lange - a photo that is etched in my mind, and clearly a portrait in cloudy light as there are no harsh shadows in this image.
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