Weather and the Properties of Light.

Thought i was doing the wrong course for a minute when i got to this section, what the hell has the weather got to do with photography? When i read on a bit i understood where he was coming from, you don't realise at first but when you look and experiment a bit the weather does change the nature of light lot. Cloud depending on its thickness can soften the light, complete cloud cover doesn't have to stop you you just need to know how to use it (on a really cloudy day it might be better to go shot in a heavily wooded area because the shadows wont be as strong). When it rains and the sun comes out it can feel much brighter because the wet surfaces naturally reflect the light which can course problems but again its how you use this to your advantage. As it says in the course

"Often the most important decision for a landscape photographer is choosing the
best moment at which to shoot."

Found this article online think it explains things better then i could.http://digital-photography-school.com/time-for-landscape-weather-and-landscape-photography

I was glad to have the properties of light explain to me little better today, this was an area that I'd covered in previous courses but not from the point of view of a landscape photographer. Clearly if you know in advance how the light is going to behave you have won half the battle for example first you need to know which direction the light is going to be falling on your chosen subject, this can be affect by the time of day, the time of year or even where in the world you are. Add to this the weather condition as I've already talk about and even what the landscape you are shooting is like because a snow covered scene will reflect a lot of light while in a mountainous area shadows might be cast as the sun moves during the day. These things normally you wouldn't probably think about but you have to be aware to get the results you want because you might travel miles to a particular place and then have your time wasted because its raining or there's heavy cloud.

"Light is the most fundamental thing a photographer can work with. A picture taken in the wrong light just will not work, no matter how dramatic the subject, whereas with the right light a lump of coal can look good. Getting yourself in the right place when the light is near perfect for a shot is an all-consuming activity. Its probably the biggest difference between making a great shot and a snapshot."

David Norton.