How can I improve wide-angle architecture photos on overcast days?
Asked 8/9/2011
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I often travel light and bring just one lens, sometimes a wide-angle prime, for city and architecture photography. On cloudy days my photos can look flat and dull, with diffuse light and low contrast. The sky may have beautiful tonal variation, but when I expose for the buildings those subtle cloud tones often disappear, or if I hold the sky detail the buildings get too dark.
What techniques help in this situation, especially in-camera? I’d prefer to minimize heavy post-processing, though basic adjustments are fine. I’m interested in exposure, metering, camera settings, composition choices, and whether accessories like a lens hood would help.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
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It sounds like the light metering in your camera is the prime source of problems on cloudy days. You should be able to take great pictures too in overcast weather. In fact, clouds will often bring the entire dynamic range of a composition down to a range where you stand a better chance to capture it all in a single photo, from the deep shadows to the brightest areas, and with more saturated colors to boot.
If your camera has multiple metering modes (spot, center weighted, average), then try to experiment with each of them to see the result. Also, if you are not already using the histogram functionality, learn to use that too in combination with exposure combination. The light metering modes in the camera will attempt to compensate for average situations, so in any given composition, you ultimately have to trust your own eyes and your own artistic direction. Use the exposure compensation dial or manual mode to adjust the decisions made by the light metering algorithm. Then you are completely in control of the image the camera captures.
Higher end cameras will have dedicated buttons or dials for quickly setting the exposure compensation, or for controlling both aperture and shutter speed in manual mode. On a lot of entry level dSLRs it is possible to program other buttons to serve as metering mode selectors and exposure compensation controls.
Originally by user2559. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user2559
15y ago
0
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Overcast light can actually work well for architecture because it reduces harsh contrast and deep shadows. The main issue is often exposure and metering, not the wide-angle lens itself.
Try these approaches:
- Use manual exposure or exposure compensation, and intentionally underexpose a little to protect cloud detail.
- Check the histogram and adjust from there rather than trusting the camera meter blindly.
- Experiment with metering modes such as spot, center-weighted, or matrix/evaluative, depending on whether the sky or building is dominating the frame.
- If your camera supports it, bracket exposures and choose the best frame later, or combine them as HDR if the scene exceeds your camera’s dynamic range.
- Camera settings like cloudy white balance, vivid/bright picture styles, and highlight/shadow correction can help preview and JPEG output.
- Shoot RAW if possible, since it gives more room to recover highlights and shadows.
- In very flat light, black-and-white can work well for architecture.
- A lens hood may help a bit with flare, but it won’t solve the low-contrast look caused by diffuse light.
If the sky-to-building brightness difference is too large, some form of post-processing or exposure blending may be unavoidable.
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