Visual Wilderness
  • Get Started
  • Shop
    • SPECIAL OFFERS
    • STREAMING SERVICE
    • Browse by Topic
    • Learn To Shoot
    • Post Processing
    • Online Classes
    • eBooks
    • Landscape Photography Guide
  • Blog
    • Blog
    • Guest Photographers
  • About
  • My Account
    • My Account
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
  • 0Shopping Cart

Don’t Dismiss Daylight Hours for Taking Great Photos

March 15, 2017/in Equipment & Fieldwork /by Patricia Davidson

As nature photographers, we usually prefer photographing during morning or evening light. We’ll often use the daylight hours to scout new locations and plan out different compositions for returning when there is optimal light later. Sometimes various daylight conditions can present perfect opportunities for taking great photos. Here are 4 examples of the kind of conditions to take advantage of during the daylight hours:

25% OFF NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY TUTORIALS
Sale Expires In:
0Days0Hours0Minutes0Seconds
SHOP NOW

1. Grey & Overcast Skies

Being that I am from the Pacific Northwest I have seen my share of rainy or overcast conditions. I don’t let these conditions stop me. If I did, I would really miss out on some great light because there are more days like this than not!

Moisture on the foliage and soft light are perfect conditions for photographing streams, rivers and particularly, waterfalls. I absolutely love photographing waterfalls on days like this.

These are also often optimal conditions for getting close ups or macro images. So definitely look around for these types of opportunities.

As long as you are prepared by being dressed properly and have protection for your gear, you can enjoy several hours out in the elements.

stream

Gorton Creek within the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon.

Flowing creek water nestled among mossy rocks at near the base of Elk Creek Falls and the Coquille River. Southeast of Coos Bay, in Powers, Oregon.

Flowing creek water nestled among mossy rocks.

2. Sunlight & Puffy Clouds

Sunlight with puffy clouds sounds like perfect conditions but it can be difficult to get the right exposures. The sky might get blown out and the shadows may have heavy contrasts.

After finding your desired compositions, you should be prepared to wait it out and see how the light changes as the clouds move and the sunlight shifts around.

When I took this series of images from the Palouse in Washington, I had to wait several minutes until I felt I had good photos as the clouds moved and the sunlight highlighted the hilltops. I only had to make minor adjustments in post processing because the photos were pretty good straight out of the camera.

Canola and wheat fields merge to highlight a shaded barn on a beautiful day in the Palouse, Washington.

Palouse Highlights

Canola Field & Barn

Canola Field & Barn

3. Cloudless Sunny Days

A super sunny, cloudless day can be really tough to photograph in. This too might be too contrasty and bright.

25% OFF NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY TUTORIALS
Sale Expires In:
0Days0Hours0Minutes0Seconds
SHOP NOW

Here are a few ideas depending on the type of location you are at:

  • For photographing waterfalls, rivers, streams, consider leaving out your sky in the image. Also use neutral density filters to reduce the amount of light. You’ll probably already be using a polarizing filter to reduce the glare on the water.
  • For calm rivers or streams, look for mirror reflections. These are perfect reasons to include your clear sky in the composition.
  • For ocean beaches with rocks, shells, sea life, plant life or driftwood, you might find interesting compositions you can photograph close up so as to minimize the sky in your shot.
  • In forested areas you might look for sunlight filtering through the trees. You can shoot a sunburst by using a smaller aperture.
  • If you are in an arid desert area consider making use of backlight on cacti.
  • For sand dunes consider composing without the sky and focusing on the details and shadows in the sand.

Concretion embedded within sand stone.

Agave plant near Deming, New Mexico.

Agave plant near Deming, New Mexico.

4. Smokey or Foggy Conditions

We all know smoke or fog can contribute to nice conditions during a sunrise or sunset, but it can also help out during daylight hours.

If there is smoke or fog on a sunny day, filtered light can create some interesting effects like light beams or streaming light. If you have trees around in a forested area, this can make for a beautiful and dramatic image!

Foggy conditions at a beach or within a forested area can also contribute to some nice, moody images.

Fog & reflections along the Umpqua River.

Light & fog creating light beams.

Light & fog creating light beams.

I hope I have given you a few ideas to make your photography trips more productive during daylight hours. Maybe you have ideas you can share that I didn’t mention. Feel free to leave a comment and let us know what you do during daylight hours while out on a photography trip!

For more help with photography tips and techniques check out the following related information:

  • Coastal Fog and Trees Equals Pure Magic!
  • Tips for finding Intimate Scenes in Nature
  • Photographing Waterfalls in Autumn

 

About Author Patricia Davidson

Patricia Davidson is a professional landscape and nature photographer based in Oregon. She spent over twenty years on the southern Oregon Coast developing her landscape photography skills on the beaches and in the forests of the Pacific Northwest. In 2015, she set off in an RV on an epic four year journey to photograph the American West. Her work has been featured in Landscape Photography, Country Woman, To & From, Outdoor Photography, Loaded Landscapes, Fuji X Passion, the AAA Oregon / Idaho Atlas, Oregon’s 1859, 123RF Create, Inspire TV, and My Modern Met. She has written for Visual Wilderness, Scott Kelby’s blog, and Fuji Love Magazine. With a background in the visual arts and web development, Patricia devotes herself to creating images that express her artistic vision and passion for photography, and to sharing her love of nature and the outdoors with the world.

Website |FREE eBook | Facebook| Instagram| Twitter

25% OFF NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY TUTORIALS

Step-by-step workflow for nature photographers to create spectacular natural-looking photos with stunning details and vibrant colors.

SHOP NOW

NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY NEWSLETTER

Join 45,000+ Nature Photographers and get the free eBooks, free creativity course & discount codes right in your inbox.

loader

Note: We never share your email address with anyone. More Info.

PRODUCTS WE USE

Shimoda Camera Bags
10% OFF Code: PATEL10
NIK Collection by DXO
10 Day FREE TRIAL

Testimonials

All-in-all, The Essential Filters Course along with the others in this series, are the most informative and easy to learn instruction I have taken. I am a complete fan of Jay and Varina and love their instructions.
Joe HudspethPrineville, Oregon
Just finished your Hyperfocal Distance Tutorial and I must commend you on giving a crystal-clear explanation of this tricky subject, and for suggesting a workflow that makes good sense. Many thanks!
Kas StoneNova Scotia, Canada
Thank you for your Hyperfocal Distance Course. That answered and made it so easy to understand what HD is and how and when to use. Perfect.
Bill DomanskyIowa, USA
Histograms Exposed is a great tutorial too – I learned some stuff myself, as I didn’t realize you could even get a live view of your histogram before you took a shot! Love learning new techniques! 🙂
Kirsty FaulknerChristmas Island
Thank you Jay and Varina . Another great collection of instructional videos. I watch a lot of videos and you two are really the best in giving useful information.
Richard DuckworthFlorida, USA
Hi amazing people at Visual Wilderness…Two thumbs up on your Histograms Exposed Course.
Regina VelasquezSherman Oaks, CA
I have to say, you both are great teachers. I’ve learned so much from The Ultimate Landscape Photography & Focus courses I’ve purchased.
Lorian KeramarisToronto, Canada
The Hyperfocal Distance Course is excellent and enlightening. It will definitely come in useful when I go to the Yading Nature Reserve in China next week on a photography trip.
Claire TanSingapore
Like all other educational material that you’ve produced, the Essential Filter Course is simply wonderful! You both have the gift for imparting knowledge in a simple and straightforward manner.
Paul PetersBritish Columbia, Canada
I appreciate your combined abilities to teach me at my level on the photography learning curve.
H.C.”Tex” SchneiderSanta Ana, California

Blog | Shop | About

 Email Policy  |  Privacy Policy  |  Terms

INFOCUS NEWSLETTER

Join 45,000+ other photographers and get the Free eBooks, Free Creativity Course & Discount Codes right in your inbox.


loader

Note: We never share your email address with anyone. More Info.


All Rights Reserved, © Copyright Visual Wilderness

Dealing with Extreme Tonal Range Cover Image for Fast, Redundant, Fail-Safe Photo Storage Solution Blog Post The Tao of Landscape Photography
Scroll to top