The best weather is often the worst

Mawddach Estuary - Nikon Z50, 24-200mm lens @ 44mm, F8, 1/180 sec, ISO 100, handheld

The sun is shining and the sky is blue.

“Josh, get your camera out, this is perfect weather for a nice photo, isn’t it?”

Er, no not really. Don’t get me wrong, I like nice weather. I’m a keen sailor and nothing lifts my spirit more than a lovely warm summer’s day with bright sunshine and a nice breeze. It’s perfect weather for sailing, sunbathing, beaches and BBQs.

But it’s not really the best weather for landscape photography.

Why? Because the light we typically associate with mid summer is often harsh and uncompromising. It creates too much contrast and, to make matters worse, mid summer sunshine often comes with haze that robs a scene of any interest. And finally, those clear blue skies that look wonderful from a deckchair are devoid of detail and do little to enhance a landscape photograph.

It doesn’t mean it’s impossible to take photographs in mid summer and I do use my camera throughout the summer months (but I take far more sailing photos than I do landscapes). My favourite times of year for photography are autumn, winter and spring - probably in that order.

I look forward to autumnal storms, frost and fog and winter snow and ice. The landscape is always enhanced by a coating of frost or a shroud of early morning mist. I’m feeling excited just thinking about it! And most of all, the skies have far more character. Big, bubbling clouds, shafting sunlight and bands of rain. Yes, it’s wonderful! Put on some wet weather gear and experience all that mother nature can throw at you! You’ll love it, I promise you.

If you take a look at those landscape photos you like the most, I bet they were not taken on bright sunny days with blue skies - unless you’re looking at a travel brochure for the Caribbean. Landscape photos benefit enormously from stormy skies and sunlight that dapples the hills and mountains. Light is everything to a photographer and the best light often comes as a result of the worst weather.

I’ve spent many an hour stomping around Welsh mountains in the pouring rain waiting for the weather to deliver up a moment of stunning light and, quite often, it does just that! Weather-sealed cameras are a must during a Welsh winter and when the going gets really bad out comes a camera cover and lens wipes, but rarely do I pack up and head for home simply because the weather has taken a turn for the worse.

So precisely what type of weather am I looking for?

The simple answer is anything other than blue skies and sunshine, but let me be a bit more precise.

Snow, frost, fog and ice are all pretty obvious. A snow or frost covered landscape is irresistible and a woodland shrouded in fog or mist is equally as alluring. But days like that are relatively few and far between, so you have to make the best of them when you can. The weather feature I’m most often trying to follow is a passing weather front. I know that when bad weather passes through, there is often interesting light to follow and it’s a great time to head for the hills.

I keep a close eye on several weather forecasts and links to some of my favourites are given below. The Met office website is a good starting point, but it’s pretty basic in the information it gives (which is not a criticism; it’s aimed at the ‘man in the street’ and is not designed for mad photographers). Head for the Met Office synoptic charts and you’ll get a far better sense of where the weather is coming from and what’s likely to happen, than simply looking at a TV style forecast for the UK.

I also look at the Norwegian forecasts from a company called YR. Quite often, it gets the weather forecast right when others don’t. It’s certainly worth comparing a couple of forecasts to see if they agree with each other, or if there’s a disparity. If I’m heading for the hills, I’ll also look at the Mountain Weather Information Service (MWIS) which provides detailed information about cloud cover, the freezing level and temperatures at different altitudes. And don’t forget local weather stations (sailing clubs etc) as they will give a good picture of what’s happening on your doorstep.

If I’m planning to do some coastal photography, sites such as Magic Seaweed, Windy.com and local surf reports can be handy. There are plenty of weather sites and consulting a few can help you build a comprehensive picture of what’s happening to the weather and what’s likely to happen in the days to come in your local area.

When I look at my photographs I frequently muse as to whether I should describe myself as a landscape photographer or a cloud photographer. Clouds and moody skies are quite often a key element in a memorable landscape photograph. So do keep a careful eye on the weather and when it’s looking bad, get your wet weather gear on, grab your camera and head out in search of some stunning photographs.

Here are a few useful weather related website that are worth taking a look at:

Met Office www.metoffice.gov.uk

YR (Norwegian forecast - but for the UK!) www.yr.no/en

Mountain Weather Information Service www.mwis.org.uk

Windy.com www.windy.com

Magic Seaweed www.magicseaweed.com