The Sutro Baths + San Francisco are so fricken cool.
We met up with Jacoby + Mel at the Sutro Baths in San Fran for a couple’s session, and it was a super chilly + overcast day. For San Francisco, overcast is pretty common, but I often hear from couples that I work that they feel disappointed when it’s a gloomy or overcast day. It doesn’t have to be though! I want to share a few reasons why overcast is actually GREAT for a session!
While I do love sunrise and sunset photos, shooting in an overcast condition is actually my favorite! But I want to make a distinction between overcast and stormy. When I say overcast, I mean light gray cloud coverage in the sky, not a thunderstorm 🙂 (Though, those are fun too!). The light gets diffused in a hazy, dreamy-like way, and it makes for really lovely skin tone lighting!
Other reasons why I love shooting in overcast:
- Colors: the surrounding area/background colors tend to stay truer to tone.
- Time Frame: When it’s overcast, I am able to shoot for hours and hours, unlike when the sun is blazing and high 🙂 While you can definitely shoot in bright light, it’s definitely harder for both the photographer and the couple.
- Heat: especially in the summer, if we can get an overcast day, it will be less sweaty for everyone involved.
- Mood: I tend to prefer a “moodier” style, and the lighting during overcast days definitely provides some drama to the shots!
So with that being said, if the day you plan for your session ends up being overcast – no worries! There are tons of positives for those overcast days 🙂
