AirPacific747 From Denmark, joined May 2008, 2091 posts, RR: 23 Posted (7 years 3 months 4 days 22 hours ago) and read 3506 times:
I have a Nikon D70S and I am still pretty new at photographing. Can anyone please tell me what the best camera mode for a cloudy, dull and grey day is?
Dc10tim From United Kingdom, joined Jan 2005, 1405 posts, RR: 16 Reply 3, posted (7 years 3 months 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 3482 times:
One tip for shooting on a dull day is not to use the auto white balance. Set it manually either to 'cloudy', or dial in the correct temperature, if you have that option.
AirPacific747 From Denmark, joined May 2008, 2091 posts, RR: 23 Reply 4, posted (7 years 3 months 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 3422 times:
Quoting Dc10tim (Reply 3): One tip for shooting on a dull day is not to use the auto white balance. Set it manually either to 'cloudy', or dial in the correct temperature, if you have that option.
Staffan From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 5, posted (7 years 3 months 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 3414 times:
Quoting Dc10tim (Reply 3): One tip for shooting on a dull day is not to use the auto white balance. Set it manually either to 'cloudy', or dial in the correct temperature, if you have that option.
Wallace From United Kingdom, joined Jan 2005, 67 posts, RR: 0 Reply 6, posted (7 years 3 months 4 days 15 hours ago) and read 3377 times:
You will have to work extra hard to get a good photo on dull days; light levels are low, shutter speeds are slower and aperatures are wider, they all add up to blurred or soft images.
The easy option is to stay at home and only photograph aircraft on days with blue skies because that will give you the best success rates. Everyone likes to see sunny photographs but life is not like that , aircraft fly in all weathers.
The light is the key - get a good light with the right cloud conditions and you will get a real atmospheric photograph.
The old addage about not having your shutter speed slower than the focal length on your lens is so true, eg 300mm don't use anything less than 1/300th of a second, which can give a wide aperature and a corresponding narrower depth of field - and a good chance that a part of your subject will be out of focus.
There will be photos out there, just a matter of finding them.
"..... for beauty is written on the eye of the screener."
JeffM From United States of America, joined May 2005, 3266 posts, RR: 53 Reply 7, posted (7 years 3 months 4 days 15 hours ago) and read 3359 times:
Quoting AirPacific747 (Thread starter): Can anyone please tell me what the best camera mode for a cloudy, dull and grey day is?
If you are new to photography, this is an excellent time to get out and learn something. There are no "best" modes, a good photo can be made using any one of the modes you have available, it is up to you to know how to use which each one in the most effective manner. The modes on your camera are like tools in a tool box. You can't use a hammer to turn a screw. Sure you can pound the screw into a board, but you won't get the same effect as using a screw driver. It's the same with photography.
Pick some stationary planes if available and put the camera in full auto, and try the different metering settings. Take note of the shutter and aperature settings the camera is selecting, and how the photos look on your screen overall. Look closely at the histogram and try to interpret what it is telling you. (use your manual).
Then set the camera to either aperature or shutter priority and then manual, and experiment with changing the settings, all the while comparing the photo to the histogram. The histogram is the key. Make only ONE change at a time and try to see what effect that change had on the image. If you make more then one change, you may not be able to determine which change made what effect on your image.
While your out, disregard the comment on not shooting slower then your lens' focal length. Why? Because it is not true. Many people can (and do) shoot much slower then the focal length of their lens. But, YOU have to learn how slow YOU can go, and under what conditions. Try anything you want, but learn from it.
Take the bad weather day and put some money in your "experience bank" you will be drawing from that "bank" years down the road IF you put something in it.
Fergulmcc From Ireland, joined Oct 2004, 1916 posts, RR: 54 Reply 8, posted (7 years 3 months 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 3350 times:
Quoting JeffM (Reply 7): Take the bad weather day and put some money in your "experience bank" you will be drawing from that "bank" years down the road IF you put something in it.
I think a Grey card will be quite valuable too, very inexpensive and a good way to meter.
Have a look at this thread, unfortunatley some of the diagrams are missing it may help. RE: What Metering Mode Do You Use? (by Photopilot Sep 9 2005 in Aviation Photography)#ID200840
Wallace From United Kingdom, joined Jan 2005, 67 posts, RR: 0 Reply 9, posted (7 years 3 months 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 3331 times:
Lens v. shutter speed, a rough rule of thumb, useful for shooting hand held. By all means go fit it and break the rules, like Jeff suggests, have fun.
I have been using the Lastolite Eazybalance gray card for a couple of months, can recommend it. My Canon has a Custon white balance setting. Just take a picture of the grey card, then set the Custon white balance to that picture and away you go.
Shooting in RAW mode also helps with exposures.
Make the most of shooting in dull conditions, it's as near to revenge as you're going to get!
"..... for beauty is written on the eye of the screener."
Newark777 From United States of America, joined Dec 2004, 9348 posts, RR: 33 Reply 10, posted (7 years 3 months 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 3327 times:
Quoting Staffan (Reply 5): Or shoot RAW and set the WB when you get home...
The best photos are the ones that require the least editing. The auto settings are meant for old ladies and little kids.
Quoting JeffM (Reply 7):
Take the bad weather day and put some money in your "experience bank" you will be drawing from that "bank" years down the road IF you put something in it.
AirPacific747 From Denmark, joined May 2008, 2091 posts, RR: 23 Reply 11, posted (7 years 3 months 4 days 8 hours ago) and read 3293 times:
Thankyou for your replies everyone! I really appreciate it! I was out today trying to get some good photos.
this photo was probably the best one I got, so as you can see, I am not that experienced with photography yet, but its a good thing that taking a picture doesn't cost you anything with digital cameras, so you can experiment more.
on a sidenote: I thought Iran made a boykot against Denmark
Sponsor Message: 
From Denmark, joined May 2008, 2091 posts, 
From , joined Dec 1969, posts, 
From , joined Dec 1969, posts, 
From United States of America, joined May 2005, 3266 posts, 
From Ireland, joined Oct 2004, 1916 posts, 
Printer friendly format 
