Changeable Weather Is Your Friend

In the UK uplands, the forecast is a rough guide. A still morning on the fells can turn to squall and back to raking light within twenty minutes. That shiftiness is not a problem – it's why our mountains look so dramatic. The trick is to be ready for it. That means packing for rain even when the sky is clear, and accepting that the best shot may come when you least expect it.

Protecting Your Gear Without Missing the Shot

A few habits keep your camera working when the cloud rolls in.

• Use a lens hood always. It shields the glass from rain and stray light, buying you seconds before a wipe.
• Keep a microfibre cloth in your chest pocket. Not your rucksack. You need it instantly. A spare in a dry bag is sensible.
• Carry a rain cover or dry bag. A clear plastic bag and a hair bobble make a decent cover: cut a hole for the lens, pull the hood over.
• Change lenses under cover only. Turn your back to the wind, keep the camera pointing down, have the new lens ready first.
• Add silica gel to your bag. It stops fogging when you return to a warm car. Keep spare batteries dry too.

None of this needs to be expensive. The aim is to keep shooting, not baby your gear. A small towel for your hands helps too, so you don't fumble with cold fingers.

Chasing Rainbows and Broken Light

Rainbows appear when sun breaks through after rain. You need the sun behind you, rain in front. Don't just point at the arc. Include a landmark – a fell top, lone tree, tarn or bridge – to give it scale. Polarising filters can deepen colours but may make the rainbow vanish at some angles, so check without first. A double rainbow is a bonus, but even a single arc can vanish in a minute, so shoot first and refine later.

Broken light is better still: cloud shadows racing across hills, a single beam on bracken or a silver thread of water. These moments last seconds. Fire when you see it, even if the framing isn't perfect. A sharp shot of fleeting light beats a perfect composition you missed.

Recomposing as the Light Shifts

A scene that looks dull under grey cloud can become extraordinary when the sun breaks through. React quickly:

• Move your feet. A few metres left or right changes the foreground. Use a rock, tussock or puddle to anchor the frame.
• Change focal length. Zoom in for layered ridges, go wide for dramatic cloud. Swap as the light dictates.
• Shoot into the light. Backlighting rim-lights grass and rain, adding depth that front-lit scenes lack.
• Bracket exposures. Bright cloud and dark land exceed most sensors. Three shots at different shutter speeds give you options. Manual mode stops the meter being fooled.
• Check the histogram, not the back screen. The LCD lies in dull conditions. The histogram tells you about clipped highlights.

The best compositions often come from moving, not standing still.

Reading the Sky and Staying Safe

Watch the wind. A veering wind often brings clearing showers. Cloud that sits on the tops can mean a clagged-in day. If the cloud base drops and wind picks up, descend or change plans.

Carry a map and compass, know how to use them, and tell someone your route. Waterproofs live in your pack year-round. Avoid exposed ridges in thunderstorms. No photograph is worth hypothermia or a slip on wet rock.

Embracing the Gloom

Sometimes the cloud settles in and stays. Don't pack up. Overcast light is perfect for intimate landscapes: mossy stones, ferns, a tumbling beck, wet slate. Use a long exposure to blur water and cloud, turning grey into ethereal. Mist simplifies a scene, isolating trees in layers of grey. Try black and white. The soft light reveals detail that harsh sun would blow out. And the best light often arrives ten minutes after you've given up. So keep the camera out, keep the cloth handy, and stay curious. The weather will do the rest. And if you need a break, a bothy or a welcoming café can be the perfect place to dry your kit and wait for the next blink of sun.