Photographing a Less than Magnificent Sky

“A camera is a tool for learning how to see without a camera.”

-Dorthea Lange

Beautiful skies are such a welcomed sight to a nature photographer.  Magnificent, colorful skies add so much to a landscape image.  Often, the nature photographer will be rewarded with brilliant skies to enhance his/her composition.

Unfortunately, this past weekend in Charleston, there would be no help from

gorgeous, vibrant cloud-filled skies to compliment our compositions.

This fact simply caused my photography friends and me to seek out to fill our frames with subjects that either eliminated the sky entirely, or just included a small portion of the lifeless looking skies that were present.

If you focus on what you see rather than what you hoped you would see, you will find wonderful images at every turn.

As I walked along the beach, my eye was drawn first to the wonderful patterns in the sand.  When I found an additional element lying within the pattern, I knew I had found what I was seeking.

As I made my way further down the beach, I was initially alarmed when I saw what looked like an ocean rescue.  As I got closer to the action, I realized it was an opportunity for the lifeguards to practice rescue techniques in the turbulent surf.

The bright colors of the flag and bathing suits of the lifeguards helped minimize the less than stellar sky.

Motion, color, and texture became the focus of this image of the approaching tide.  I just kept a small part of the sky in the frame.

My favorite image from the day was not one that I knew I loved until I came home.  In order to minimize the sky at Morris Island Lighthouse, I focused instead on the wonderful textures on this rock.

The next time you are out photographing or just enjoying the day with a less than spectacular sky, simply shift your focus to explore the beauty that surrounds you at every turn.