You know what they say in Michigan. “If you don’t like the weather, wait 15 minutes and it will change”. I thought I would do a post on how I deal with the weather when taking photos. Not so much as camera settings and weather proofing, but what and where to photograph when Mother nature gives less than Ideal conditions.

the Davenport House in Saline, the sun was directly behind the house when I took this photo. It would have been nice to take this pic in early morning or late evening but It was what it was when I was there. It was to beautiful of house not to stop and take a photo
When it’s nice and sunny, I like to photograph big open spaces that show a lot of sky, such as farm fields or the shoreline of a lake. The best time is sunrise or sunset, but I still like to take pics all day long. The mid-day sun is harsh and most photogs will tell you to stop taking photos but I don’t want to stop taking pics just because its not perfect, what in life is perfect. In bright sunlight It’s best to have the sun at your back so you are taking photos of buildings so if the sun is in the east then take pics of buildings facing west. If I find someplace I really like I will take a pic of it no matter what and then remember to go back and get a pic when conditions are better.
When it’s cloudy, I like to photograph downtown areas, that way I don’t have to worry about shadows on buildings. On a sunny day you could have half a building in sunlight, and the other in shade. I will make for a difficult situation when photographing. I also like to convert the cloudy day photos into black and white since the color captured on a cloudy day tends to be a little blah.

Seven Bridges in Kalkaska on a rainy day. I used to dispise the rain, I would only get one weekend to get pics of the the fall colors and it would rain. I have gotten some of my best photos on rainy days and I wish for them when I am doing waterfall photos.
When it’s raining out I like to photograph trails and streams in forest and parks. Leaves and grass are nice and saturated when they are wet, and since the sky is nothing but gray, it’s hidden by the trees. Rainy days are the perfect day to get photos of waterfalls if you are near one. If you have a tripod rainy days are the perfect day to use it.

The Strand in Lansing. I like taking photos of downtown areas on cloudy days to avoid harsh shadows. I also like converting the pics to black and white on cloudy days.
I love taking photos in northern Michigan, but since I can only make it up there a few times a year Mother Nature likes to challenge me with not so perfect weather, but I still photograph anyways. I have learned that you can still get some beautiful photos, even if they are not of sunny skies and sunsets, you just have to go with what you are given and not “force” a photo that’s not there. Check out my blog post HERE if you want to know how I find the places I photograph
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