Just in from ten days in Alaska working on an assignment and just enjoying being up north. You never know what kind of weather you are going to get there, some summers are sunny all the time, and other summers it just rains and rains. During our trip we got rain, so much so that there were flood warnings from the arctic all the way to Anchorage. It rained everyday of our trip. I was hoping for stunning northern lights over fall tundra, but instead got pea soup. What’s a photographer to do?
I learned very early on shooting assignments that editors and art directors weren’t interested in what the weather was or how hard the shoot became, they just wanted results. As one editor put it, “don’t call me with problems, just tell me solutions.” You might not be able to come back another day.
With this in mind I’ve lived by the rule of ‘optimize the light’. In other words, no matter what kind of weather or light you get, there is some subject that will make a beautiful photograph. I’ve often heard during landscape workshops how the light just isn’t right and the shoot is a bust. It may be true the photo you had in your mind isn’t going to work, but instead of letting that get you down, how about thinking about what you can photograph in that light. Think of it as a challenge. You’re on an assignment, and you have to come back with something, doesn’t matter what the conditions are. Optimize the light and create a beautiful photograph. If if is midday harsh sun what about shooting in the shade or photographing BW shadows in the scene. Overcast and rainy…great macro and wildlife conditions. Snowing? Perfect atmospherics for a unique and compelling shot. Don’t let the weather get you down, be flexible, take the blinders off, and find a new photograph. This approach, thinking outside the box, will make you a better photographer.
With no northern lights and big landscapes a possibility, I just looked down at my feet. The fall tundra was ablaze with color and berries, all I had to do was look. Not the northern lights I was hoping for, but a beautiful photograph none the less.