Mary Presson Roberts Photography

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.

Sand Patterns

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.

Lifeguard Drill

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.

Incoming Tide

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.

Morris Island Light

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.


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Mary Presson Roberts

I am a travel and fine art photographer living and working in the Carolinas. My camera has taken me to places I never would have experienced and to people I never would have met. Photography has truly changed my life! Using my blog, I hope to share the joys of both travel and photography.

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