Pixiq

Sky is a key part of most big scenes, from nature to cities, and can make or break your photo. A common challenge with skies is a washed-out, blank appearance. If the sky is full of featureless clouds or there aren’t any clouds, keep it mostly out of the photo—show just a small section of it in the frame to define the top edge of the scene and to add some depth to the photo.

Filters will always help reduce the problems associated with photographing the sky. A polarizing filter will deepen sky color, make a gray sky appear bluer or bring out flat-looking clouds. Remember, it works best when you are shooting at a 90° angle to the sun.

A graduated neutral density filter will darken part of the sky and make it more striking. A colored grad filter will add some color to make it more interesting.

The sky at sunrise and sunset can be very dramatic, especially if you use a wide-angle lens to capture more of the nuances in color, away from the sun itself. Contrast can be very high at that time, so look for interesting silhouettes in the foreground, as more detail will be difficult to expose for properly. Also, keep photographing past sunset, because the sky often has some incredibly rich colors at twilight.

The appearance of clouds in the sky changes significantly with the direction of the light. Backlit clouds may cause exposure headaches, but they are always dramatic. Be wary of too much overexposure, however, because clouds do need tonal detail to make them look right. Side-lit clouds can be an important part of a landscape. Front-lit clouds generally only occur when the sun is close to the horizon and behind you, and they often exhibit vibrant colors. So when you’re shooting at sunrise or sunset, don’t forget to look around. While the sun itself may be quite beautiful, there could be another awesome scene right behind you.