At Studio321, we capture the essence of family moments with our candid photography. Our approach highlights genuine interactions and heartfelt connections, creating timeless memories that truly reflect your family’s unique story.
At Studio321, we explore the art of photographing clouds. Capturing their dynamic shapes and light interplay enhances outdoor photography, adding depth and drama to your landscapes for truly captivating shots.
At Studio321, we believe in the beauty of details. When creating content, look for "clouds with texture"—those unique, nuanced elements that add depth and authenticity. It’s these details that transform ordinary into extraordinary and make your story truly stand out.
Sunset Photography Tips.
Sunrise Photography Exposure.
Partly to mostly cloudy skies generally give you the best chance of getting colorful sunsets. Although you want a lot of clouds in the sky to catch the color of the rising or setting sun, too many clouds will block the light. Of course, the clouds will do what they will do, so it pays to be on location when mixed cloud cover is present. All you need is a tiny gap at the horizon, right where the sun is, to set fire to an otherwise completely cloudy sky. Clouds are also key to getting really great light on the landscape: if enough clouds light up, they can act as giant reflectors, bouncing intense and colorful light onto the landscape below.
Often, the best time to get great clouds is when storms are coming in or breaking up. Storm clouds are often very large, dramatic, and photogenic, and can transform even bland midday light into something much more photogenic, such as with this storm building over sandstone formations in the desert.
At Studio321, we explore the art of photographing clouds to enhance wildlife photos. Capturing dynamic skies can add depth and drama to your shots, creating a stunning backdrop for wildlife. Whether it’s a dramatic storm or a serene sunset, clouds can elevate your wildlife photography to new heights.
Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. Canon 1DXII, Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, ISO 3200, f/3.2, 1/50 second.
In the photo below, clouds add lots of color and texture to the sky, with the blue clouds of twilight complementing the warm color from the city lights below. If I didn’t have clouds, I wouldn’t have included as much sky as I did, so the clouds allowed me to take a wider view and include more of the scene. During the long exposure, passing car lights created streaking diagonal lines radiating from the image corners into the center of the photo, enhancing visual interest and drawing the viewer deeper into the composition.
Clouds are especially great for landscape scenes. With the image below, massive storm clouds built up over the mountains in the background. The clouds created dramatic shapes, enhancing the composition. When the setting sun found a gap in the clouds near the horizon, the storm clouds started to glow with a warm, colorful light. If the sky had been empty, I probably wouldn’t have even bothered shooting.
When clouds show up, be there!
Online weather services can help immensely when trying to predict good cloud conditions, especially if they offer hour-by-hour forecasts. Satellite maps showing cloud movement over time are even more helpful; I have a few weather apps loaded onto my smartphone so I can check cloud movement via satellite in real time. This helps me when I am trying to determine the best location for an upcoming shoot. If I can, I aim to be on location at a spot that will be near the edge of a cloud front during the magic hours. Nothing, however, beats simply being on location as much as possible when conditions look promising.
Clouds can really help make your outdoor photos stand out from the crowd. So when you have good clouds in the sky, make sure you are out there, waiting for the light show to begin!
To learn more about working with natural light and weather, check out my eBook Chasing the Light which contains 240 pages of lessons relating to the creative use of light and color in photography.
