Great skies make or break a picture

Over the past many years, I have written several articles in Photo Insights about replacing skies, but I wanted to revisit this subject because it’s such an important part of my Photoshop work and my photographic approach. It makes such a huge difference in a photographer’s ability to create ideal images.

The biggest uncertainty in outdoor photography is the weather. What’s going on in the sky is intimately connected to the weather, of course, and this directly impacts your pictures. We can’t control the weather, but by replacing a mundane and uninspiring sky with a dynamic one, your pictures will take a quantum leap forward in drama and visual impact.

Disclaimer: I know some of you still think Photoshop is cheating and you only want to capture what you see. I have no problem with that. Skip over this article and know that a large percentage of your outdoor pictures will be disappointing because of uncooperative weather. By replacing a sky, you can choose the weather conditions of the landscape, seascape, cityscape,

wildlife or human portrait, or any other subject you capture outside. It’s a remarkable ability to have as an artist, and today it’s easier than ever before. In the November 2020 issue of this eMagazine, I described how to use the new Sky Replacement feature in Photoshop. I’m not going to repeat myself here, but let me say if you’ve not been taking advantage of this new technology, you’re missing out of something truly great.

Compare the picture below with the one on page 12. This is Grand Haven Lighthouse in Grand Haven, Michigan, and I’ve included it in my Michigan’s Historic Lighthouse photo tour. Online, you can find fabulous pictures of these lighthouses in stormy weather with waves crashing on them and angry skies in the background. You can say to yourself, “Wow, I have to get pictures like that.” But when you visit the various locations -- or when my tour does -- the weather is fine, or overcast, or raining, or . . . boring. How disappointing. Where is a momentous storm when you want it!

I like my original shot as is, and if we were still shooting film, I would accept it as a successful image. I’d submit it to my stock agency (back in the day) and make money from it.

Now, however, if I want a stormy sky, I can have it. If I want a sunset, no problem at all. As photographers, we are the artists and our images are our creations no matter what we see with our eyes.

When I was researching this photo tour, I realized the lighthouses need a dramatic background to really stand out. The Menominee North Pier Lighthouse, above, is another ex-

Jaguars in the wild Exotic birds in flight Caiman Giant river otters

ample. By itself with a bland sky, it’s a ‘nice’ graphic shot that works and I’d call this a successful photograph. However, with a stormy sky showing a window of light, it’s in a class by itself.

The first thing you need to do, if you haven’t already, is focus your attention on photographing the sky. You’ll need all kinds of sky pictures for many different types of subjects. A subject photographed in diffused light, for example, won’t look right with a blue sky and puffy white clouds. Similarly, a scene photographed in the golden light of sunset won’t look correct with an overcast sky. Sure, it’s possible to see that, but it’s not expected and to many people it won’t look right. Therefore, you need to photograph many different types of cloud formations, light, and mood in the sky. In my ‘Sky folder’, here are the categories I have: Sunsets/sunrise Storm clouds Regular clouds Rainbows Lightning Aerial views of clouds Godrays

The sky above right is in the ‘Godrays’ category.

Taking advantage of Photoshop’s remarkable ability to add a sky even if the subject has minute detail like leaves, flagpoles, flowers, and even hair in many instances gives you the ability to produce superb images when the sky is white and distracting and the lighting is flat. For example, the picture of the old locomotive in Grand Haven, Michigan, below, is a good example. I replaced the unappealing sky with storm clouds and that changed the image pro-

foundly. You might think these clouds are overkill, but that’s where your artistry comes in. You can add a subtle sky with pastel clouds, a sky with pale sunset colors, a dramatic sky with oranges and yellows or, as I did, a sky showing an approaching storm. As long as the sky matches the lighting, it will look correct. In other words, in the example of the train, diffused light from a white, overcast sky was illuminating the train. Therefore,

the sky I used must provide the same kind of light. A stormy sky with angry clouds creates the same kind of diffused light as does a white sky and, therefore, the storm clouds look correct. When you photograph the sky, make sure you vary the compositions. For example, shoot with a telephoto to capture tight, graphic shots of cloud shapes and a wide angle to include the entire sky. You will need both of these. In additon, shoot both vertical and horizontal compositions. One great sky can produce many different types of shots.

For those of you who live in places where clouds are not commonly seen, such as Southern California, you’ll have to travel a few hours to capture usable skies. Do research online to learn about seasonal flucutations in humidity and cloud formation within driving distance. I used to live in the Los Angeles area, and almost every day the sky was solid blue. However, every July and August the monsoon season came to Arizona, so I drove six hours to Phoenix to photograph the giant cumulus clouds that formed every afternoon. This was the beginning of my cloud collection.

Don’t use the same clouds for many different composites. It would look foolish. That’s why you need a lot of sky shots. §

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