Weather or not to shoot! - by Ken Sklute

Well, the big day is here and you get out of bed and go right to the window. Boy, I hope that it's sunny outside! It is. All is good in the world.

As you get ready for your shoot, you can't help notice that the clouds are rolling in. Not to worry, they say that cloud cover is good, isn't it? Great, no one will be squinting. It continues to get darker and you begin to sweat. As you load the car you think, 'should I cancel this session?' What if it's a wedding. I can't cancel the session! Oh no, are those rain drops I feel?

This isn't fair, why does this have to happen to me?

Have you ever been there? I know that I have. I’ve been caught trying to decide what to do, should I cancel or not? These thoughts often go through the minds of all photographers, whether they shoot landscapes, race cars, weddings or any type of outdoor photographic assignments, you have been at that point where you are thinking of giving into the weather. I may have planned the day around the sunrise time or come to an area late in the afternoon for some very specific light. If we are dealt something other than we have planned on, like fog instead of lovely, direct sunlight, embrace it. Accept the change with open arms. There is an old adage that says...’When given lemons, make lemonade.’

So is the case when I was out photographing a new model launch for Harley-Davidson Motorcycles in the hills of California last fall. We had set out to shoot in the late afternoon working with direct sunlight against the warm fall foliage colours. Suddenly, the sun was replaced by dense fog. I changed gears (mentally) and looked at the previously scouted area through totally different eyes now and came up with Image #1. It ended up as the title page on the next catalogue. I couldn't quit and come back, well, I guess that I could have, but I kept going, looking deeper inside myself to see how I could better deal with what I was dealt. I had to be 'in' the moment.

In going off to shoot landscapes, I was coordinating the afternoon session around the sunset, and it began to rain. It rained all afternoon, but I chose not to give up. I was going to see it through. I'll be ready in case the rain comes to an end anytime before the sun hits the horizon. It did. Just a few minutes before the time the sun was to set, it peeked through an opening in the clouds. Someone once said, 'If you want a rainbow, then you have to put up with the rain.' Please see image #2. I put up with the rain and was given a nice reward.

A few weeks ago, I was shooting a good friend’s wedding in LA. The day started out sunny and wonderful. Soon the clouds rolled in. Have you read this before? I was going to get a few images of the bride and groom around the grounds of a lovely church. During the long Catholic mass, I was drawn to the outside, for two reasons; first because there was a nice breeze blowing in through a vestibule door and the second because of the approaching storm. It had now become clear that we were in a race, one that I had no control over. Who will be the winner? The two contestants are, in this corner, from parts west of here, the weather. It could deliver the knockout punch to the newcomers, the wedding couple and their photographer. Would the couple get the photos in – or, would Mother Nature step in and wipe out any hope of outdoor beauty? The ceremony couldn't move fast enough. Come on, kiss! Walk faster. OK, get the receiving line going...faster, please go faster. Was that, no, please, not the rain? We went inside for a quick image in the back of the church to show the awesome architecture and let's get back outside, please wait, please!

As I start to get the couple ready to go outside, I walked ahead to see what the current conditions were. NO! Why me? Why today? Can't I get a break? I went back inside to say that the rains won the game! I took the couple over to the doorway and asked them chat while I stepped back to see if I could capture the change in the weather with a photo of the couple framed in the doorway with the visible, falling rain. (See image #3). Now I see that the sun popped out and it was raining. HOLD ON! What does that usually mean...The rain + the sun = a rainbow! I went out the front door with a vengeance. I was searching. Where are you? Come on, show yourself! A groomsman then asked, what are you looking for? I explained about the rain and the sun. He understood. I found nothing so I went back to shooting by the other doorway. Suddenly I heard, 'Hey Ken, I think I found your rainbow!' I ran over to the door and there it was, a beautiful rainbow. 'Quick guys, come over here for a second,' I whispered to the couple. (See image #4). I looked up and said, 'Thank you! And I see that you are teasing me!' I had to put up with the rain if I wanted to get the rainbow. As the rains now lightened for a moment, I stepped outside with Laura and Matt for a moment to grab an image (Photo #5) of the direct, late, warm sun hitting the wet church and dark sky, creating a beautiful image, because, as Barry Manilow once said, 'We made it through the rain.' We were able to capture a remarkably beautiful image with fantastic light. Remember, when the sun goes away, it might not be a bad thing. Bad weather can be good for your images, if the time is right!

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