How to photograph on gloomy days

Winters in the Netherlands don’t spoil you - neither with temperature nor with light.

Around December and January, the days are ridiculously short, and the sky is often overcast or hidden behind a thick layer of fog. A bit of a mood killers.

My favorite conditions are the two or three hours around golden hour, or blue hour., on sunny days. The last time I experienced either of those was weeks ago. Waiting a few more weeks for better light - or for the seasons to change - isn't really an option.

I just want to shoot. Preferably at my favourite coast.

To fight my fair-weather photographer, I decided to head out anyway. Over three days, I photographed three locations: Zuiderstrand in The Hague, 's-Gravenzande, and the pier in Hoek van Holland.

I knew the conditions weren't going to give me the kind of light I normally look for.
To make sure the photos didn’t turn out flat or lifeless, I had to pull out every trick I know.

Raising ISO for proper exposure

When the light is so this bad, it’s easy to end up with blurry shots (especially if you’re shooting in aperture priority), so keeping the ISO high enough is a must. I never shy away from bumping up the ISO. Noise is super easy to clean up in post, and second - we’ll circle back to the topic of noise and grain later.

Trying Slight overexposure

When the light is dull and colors are naturally washed out, I like to slightly overexpose by 0.3 or 0.6 stops. It’s just a look that resonates with me more. It's not a rule, and it won't work for every photograph. It's simply a look that works for me. A little extra exposure can make these gray scenes feel lighter and less lifeless.

Using fog to create atmosphere

Fog and drizzle can actually be your allies.

Shooting in perfect conditions is satisfying, but it can also become predictable. Fog removes some of the visual clutter and gives even ordinary subjects a little more atmosphere.

Black-and-white edits where there’s no color anyway

On the third day, while wandering around Hoek van Holland, the light was practically non-existent, and the colors were nowhere to be found. So, I decided to ditch them entirely in post. A black-and-white edit brought a vibe to the shots - just a couple of clicks and slider tweaks in Lightroom, and suddenly, things are starting to make sense.

Adding grain for mood and timelessness

These kinds of conditions are also perfect for a bit of grain.

It can help disguise digital noise, but more importantly, I like what it does to the mood of an image. Grain combined with fog, drizzle and muted colors can give a photograph a slightly rougher, more timeless feel.

Of course, it's easy to overdo it. Too much grain can destroy detail and make a photo look crappy - unless that's exactly what you're going for.

I often use my own Lightroom presets as a starting point for this kind of edit, but the important part isn't the preset itself. It's deciding what kind of mood you want the photograph to have.

→ Want to experiment with a film-inspired look?
I've put together a small collection of Lightroom presets with grainy, moody and black-and-white looks.

Finding A clear subject and strong storytelling

Probably the most important aspect: focusing on storytelling by bringing the subjects of my shots - like like small details, shapes, traces, objects and simple scenes - to life through minimalist and strong compositions.

Below are the results of these three walks.

Keep photographing, even when conditions aren't perfect

If gloomy weather is one of the things that makes you put your camera away, try turning it into an excuse to photograph differently instead.

My 100 Day Photography Challenge is designed around exactly that idea: regular prompts that get you looking, noticing and making photographs instead of waiting for inspiration or perfect conditions.