Nature Photography How To

We’ve all had the unfortunate experience of traveling to an awesome location for landscape photography, only to discover that Mother Nature threw us a curve, with bland, gray skies and boring, dull light. That’s what happened to professional nature photographer Thomas Heaton on a recent trip to Northern Ireland.

Rather than pack up his gear and wait for better conditions, Heaton decided to give it a go, by shooting in black and white. In the video below he demonstrates how you can salvage a disappointing day, the next time weather conditions don’t cooperate.

Under the worst of circumstances, the Irish coastline is still quite impressive in color. But once Heaton switches to black and white, his photographs are spectacular. He explains why monochrome photography requires a totally different approach, in terms of composition, camera settings, and the use of filters. He notes that “a bit of good luck” is also extremely helpful.

After watching this video, you may even find yourself praying for rain. There are more shooting tips on Heaton’s YouTube channel, and be sure to look at last week’s article with our favorite gear for making black-and-white photographs.