Many photographers get misty-eyed when talking about “magic light”… either that first light right after sunrise or the golden light right before sunset. Why the emotion? Well…the light is quite beautiful. Especially here in Oahu where you can get stunning sunrise and sunset shots. But what about the other hours of the day? A bright sunny day or a cloudy overcast sky before a rain? Do we leave the camera in the bag? Not at all!

Sunshine and blue skies brings out the colors in our tropical landscapes. Just remember the polarizer for your camera lens. For grey skies increase your ISO, make sure to bracket your exposure ( over expose and under expose ). Darker skies brings drama to the scene. Overcast skies give us a soft, balanced light with no harsh shadows – good for portraits or details in nature.

The photo in this blog post was shot by John Wulfert. He was one of our guest photographers on an Island Tour and when we started out it was partly cloudy and a bit overcast. It didn’t stop him from getting a dramatic shot.

Sometimes on a tour we have sun, rain, and grey skies all in the same tour! Don’t let the weather stop you. Keep shooting.