Your photoshoot is coming up and you notice the weather report says it will be cloudy but don’t worry! Portraits taken on cloudy days actually come out amazing. Why do I say that?

-Even lighting on everyone’s faces

-The foreground (you) and the background (beautiful scenery) are in the same lighting (brightness)

-Sun is not harsh it is diffused by the clouds- basically the clouds act like a giant softbox around the sun

-No squinty eyes

-Not as hot/ more comfortable walking around

-Usually less people at the beaches, parks or other venues

Ever notice when you take a photo with your phone and you’re in a sunny spot with the sun on your back and the background is super bright, but your faces are totally dark and in shadow? That’s because it’s so much brighter in the background than it is in the foreground. This uneven lighting is harder to work with and unless you edit the photo, it may not come out the way you want it to.

Here’s a tip for your phone photos: Bring up the shadows and bring down the highlights until you think it matches nicely.

When I shoot in uneven lighting, I either use a flash to balance out the shadows or I shoot natural light and edit it in post processing to bring up the shadows. I judge the situation and use the appropriate lighting choice I see fit or will work well for the session. I don’t coin myself as either a natural light photographer or OCF (off camera flash) or on camera flash photographer- I just bring all the proper equipment for any lighting situation.

I hope this eases your worries if you have an upcoming photoshoot on a cloudy day. Or if you’re a photographer hopefully this gave you some insight on my process.