It can be difficult to obtain the correct camera settings for shooting on an overcast day.
Gray, overcast days have such low-light conditions that can make it difficult to shoot a good photo. Sometimes, a professional photographers must complete a shoot on such a day. In those situations, the automatic adjustment settings on your camera might not provide the fine control needed to produce the best shots. Manually adjusting the camera's settings might be more beneficial.
Adjusting ISO Settings
A camera's ISO setting determines its sensitivity to light. The higher the ISO setting, the more light that the camera's sensor will pick up in photographs. Most commercial cameras have ISO settings ranging from 25 or 50 to 400. Higher ISO settings capture more light but also introduce "noise" into the photograph. This "noise" makes the image appear grainy. Shoot on the lowest ISO setting possible on sunny days. Usually, this setting is around 100. Dark, overcast days shoot best with an ISO setting between 200 and 400.
Adjusting Shutter Speed
Shutter speed refers to how long the camera's shutter stays open when taking a photograph. This affects both the amount of light allowed to stay on the photo and how well the camera stops the action of whatever is photographed. For example, a shutter speed of 1/1000 means that the photo is exposed to light for 1/1000th of a second. Because dark days offer less light to illuminate subjects in a photograph, a shutter speed of 1/60 for example would keep the shutter open much longer. By contrast, shooting on a sunny, bright day with a shutter speed of 1/125 -- signifying a smaller exposure time -- would be more appropriate.
Adjusting Aperture
The aperture is the size of the hole in the lens through which the picture is taken. Aperture is measured with "f-stops," such as f/4, f/5.6, f/8 and f/11. Each f-stop setting doubles the size of the aperture, in decreasing order. So, an f/4 aperture is twice as large as an f/5.6 setting. A smaller aperture allows less light to enter the camera lens. A larger aperture, such as f/8 or f/5.6, is more appropriate for low-light shooting conditions.
The "Sunny 16" Rule
The "Sunny 16" rule is a guideline for photographers to determine the correct settings on cameras. The name of the rule refers to the f/16 aperture setting used for sunny days. To find your "Sunny 16" setting, match your chosen ISO setting with the closest shutter speed setting. For example, if your ISO setting is 200, choose the 1/250 shutter speed. Next, adjust your aperture to an appropriate setting for the light conditions. A sunny day with shadows would call for an aperture of f/16, while an overcast day would photograph better with an aperture of f/8 or f/5.6.
Tags: shutter speed, less light, more appropriate, more light, overcast days