BTW, what equipment are you specifically bringing?
I'm bringing my Rebel XSi, an external flash, and lenses: 28-135mm IS USM and my nifty fifty.
We are bringing a tripod (wouldn't pass up on trying some HDR shots over there) so we got that covered. I just hope it doesn't bloody rain the entire time we're there but of course one can only hope.
off-topic: I agree. In Europe, pubs are places where people gather to drink and interact. hence the term public houses (or pub house for short). of course, a bit (or a lot) of alcohol helps with the socializing (it being considered the social lubricant).
Erm... we
do get sunshine in Britain... just not all the time.
And we have other places apart from London and Edinburgh...
Have a great time...
LOL, I am aware you guys do. I used to live in Seattle and I know it's nowhere near the UK, but the weather is somewhat similar.
I would love to explore when we get there, but we only have 8 days to cover a lot of ground (Bath, Oxford, Windsor, etc). Plus, it's my first time going there. I'm particularly excited to see the Stonehenge (day four in our itinerary).
You have it backwards. There is no better light then from an over cast sky. The problem is how to handle direct sunlight. Then we'd be talking about "fill flash" and high flash sync shutter speeds or maybe big white reflectors or even "silks". But overcast lighting is very nice for digital cameras because it is so even and has low dynamic range.
Typically yuor subjects should be close, walk up close and use a wider lens. The reason is atmospheric haze. Nothing kills sharpness and "punch" like fog and haze. But then your camera just can't record the full dynamic range of a brightly sunlit scene. So Adapt and shoot a lot of close to mid distance shots. Architectural details and people come out very well in over cast sky conditions.
If yuo are doing landscapes then really the only time to shot is very close to sun set and sun rise. Just don't bother mid day. Many pros simply don't shoot mid day but with clouds up you can. Take advantage of it and look for subjects 2 to 15 feet away.
Many times I've had to deal with bright sunlight while shooting windflowers by putting up a small white nylon tent ofer the subject to simulate cloud cover and improve color saturation. Not to have to do that would be great.
hmm, i've never seen it from that perspective (shows my inexperience). thanks, ChrisA! i will definitely keep that in mind.
keep the tips coming!
