Many photographers prefer not to shoot landscape imagery when it is overcast and cloudy. While it is true that this kind of weather suits flowers, forest scenes, and outdoor portraiture well, there are many photographers who will do landscape images even when it is cloudy. Cloudy skies can be boring and pose exposure difficulties. So why bother taking landscape images in this kind of light?

          The secret lies in the post processing. When the clouds have some gaps here and there the light comes through and lights up certain patches in your landscape that can be very interesting. When the clouds don't have gaps the lighting tends to be flat and boring (and so is the sky). However, what stops you from creating that effect in post processing? It is not cheating, the only thing that you are doing is playing with light (dodge and burn; just like the purists did in their darkrooms).

          Take a look at this example which I shot during a recent trip to Sedona:

This scene was as flat and boring as you can imagine. I added some brighter and darker spots in the sky to create the illusion that the clouds are patchy. Now the color in the sky is still not there. To create interest I used the radial brush in Adobe Camera Raw to lighten and darken various parts of the image as if the light was shining through some of the gaps in the clouds.

          Please don't just randomly throw light and dark patches on your image. Think composition. Remember that the viewer's eyes move to the lighter parts first. Therefore we can use these lighter spots to pull the viewer's attention there. In the image above I lightened the front left grass (the patch in the stream) to grab the viewer's attention. Next, I lightened Cathedral Rock so that they balance each other out. Now I want the viewer's attention to move from the lightened grass to the peaks. So I lightened the greenery between the grass and the peaks to create a light path. Then I also lightened a few smaller patches upstream in the river to pull the viewer's attention that way too. Now the lighter parts form a triangle (patch of grass in the water, upstream, peaks).

          The make the scene look right I also darkened sections I want to subdue and to make it really look like patchy light. The next time the light is not the greatest don't just see the lighting conditions as it is, think what can be made of it. Now, this image is not the greatest, but it is MUCH better than what it was at the time of shooting. The light adds interest and drama.