Why I love cloudy days

I'm lucky to live in Brisbane in the heart of Queensland the so-called 'Sunshine state' where it's sunny pretty much all of the time and blue skies are the norm, in fact it's the tropical weather and climate that is one of the key reasons why we left London - and I have to admit that I love it! However when it comes to taking photos the harsh sunlight and cloud-less skies are not something that I'm over keen of. It's been long recognised that photographers prefer softer morning or afternoon light and therefore avoid taking photos in the middle of the day, and during our photography courses I tell my students about the benefits of cloudy days over bright days and the problems that shooting in harsh sunlight can bring.

Last weekends all day workshop was held on a typically glorious sunny and hot day, however by 6pm as the sun started to go down the wind had began to increase and some dark clouds started to fill the skyline above us, I was delighted by this as I knew that the clouds would add some additional interest and drama to the sky as we prepared ourselves to shoot the Brisbane skyline.

Below is an image captured by Ellis Plata, one of the students on the workshop who had no previous experience of using a digital SLR camera prior to attending the workshop having only unpacked his new Nikon D90 the previous night.

I asked Ellis to send me a copy of the image to share on the blog both as an excellent example of what we cover on the workshop but also because it is a great capture helped by the amazing sky and the clouds blurring as they pass overhead.

 

- Click on image for a larger view -

Image info:
Camera : Nikon D90, Setting : Manual, Shutter speed : 30 seconds, Aperture : f16, ISO : 200, lens focal length : 18mm

"Thank you for an awesome day. I have gone from not knowing my D90 Nikon to now shooting on manual mode. I found your course relevant and easy to follow. The small group size also was good as we all got your personal attention."
Ellis Plata

Many thanks to Ellis for allowing the use of the image and to all the students for a great day. For more info on our all day workshop or any of our courses visit the Learn Photography website.

Paul Farris is Learn Photography's founder and tutor

Studio lighting workshop

Whilst Brisbane was having it's wettest October on record it was warm and dry in our studio as we hosted our very first studio lighting workshop with a small group of students getting to grips with the equipment, terminology, techniques as well as getting plenty of practical hands on experience.

The workshop is designed to cover the essential techniques of shooting in a studio environment with a particular emphasis on portraiture, so after an initial introduction and tackling the theory of studio lighting we got down to the business of photographing our guest model. During the workshop the lighting was continuously changed for different effects with plenty of equipment on hand to try and ample time to review images and even some costume changes (model not students!)

Topics covered in the Studio Lighting Workshop include :

1. The studio lighting set-up explained
2. Setting up the camera
3. Studio lighting types & accessories
4. Using speedlights / flash units in a studio
5. Off camera flash (strobist techniques)
6. Using a light meter for correct exposure
7. Creative lighting techniques

Here's what two of the students had to say about the workshop :

I absolutely loved the workshop you held on Saturday. I learnt so much about the lighting side of studio photography, that now I can't wait to set up my studio.
L. Petfield 

I personally loved the Lighting workshop course & want to thank you so much for organising it - very enjoyable!!  I could have spent the whole day there taking photos (time permitting), if only I had all of that equipment...
N .Tubman

For more info on the course, forthcoming dates and bookings please visit the Learn Photography website.