Because you might have missed his great posts the first time around, we’re republishing some of Jim’s greatest hits here on Tuesday (is it Wednesday already?!?) and Thursdays. Originally posted December 28, 2006.

We’ve been having some weather here in California for the past couple of days. Cold (for us), rain, and some ferocious winds blowing through the canyons and passes. It’s been tipping over semi-trucks and making the place look not-unlike a scene from the Wizard of Oz.

Metering Makes the Difference

All the clouds and the clear sky make for some magnificent photos, adding interest to what would normally be a plain blue-sky. As the light bounces off the clouds and adds the proverbial “silver-lining”, it can be a great time to shoot.

Metering becomes a little more tricky here because you have a very bright sun and the dark side of post-storm clouds can make for a very contrasty scene. These are best metered on the grayest part of the scene, and avoiding the sun as much as possible during the metering process. Center-weighted metering can help avoid under-exposure caused by the sun and bracketing is also recommended.

Also timing and color-temperature can have a dramatic effect on the final shot. Look at the difference between our opening shot, and the shot above taken not too long after the first. As the sun sets down and adds a red-glow to the underside of the clouds, it can make for some beautiful scenics.

The wind can also add drama to your scenic-shots. You can see the palm-tree above just whipping in the breeze. Set your camera up to take a long tripod-mounted exposure to catch the effects.

A low ISO (100 if your camera allows) and a small aperture can allow even a fully automatic point & shoot to take shots like this.

As the sun sets, the light fades and the need for a faster ISO setting and a bigger aperture help keeps the shots sharp and blur-free. You can even make out Mercury rising in the background of the photo.

After The Sun Sets

At the end of the day, a sturdy-tripod and a telephoto lens will help capture a beautiful half-moon in a newly cleared sky. Using your camera’s mirror lock-up and/or timed release settings will help insure camera-stability when the picture is taken.

All photos taken with a Nikon D200, Nikon D70s, Nikon 18-200 VR Lens, Nikon 80-400 VR lens, manfrotto tripod, Manfrotto geared head, and SanDisk and Lexar Compact Flash cards.