Misty mornings

A scene can be totally transformed by a touch of mist or fog. Catch it first thing in the morning, when the earliest rays of sunshine appear, and you could be in for an award-winning photo. Avoid just thick blankets of fog without any interesting details at all.

Plenty of sun

Bright overhead sunlight can drain the colour out of an image and give harsh shadows in portrait pictures. As always, early morning and late afternoon light are much more flattering. If you're getting less than impressive results leave the bright sunshine in favour of a shady spot for you subject instead.

Touch of frost

There's plenty of inspiration for frost filled images on cold winter mornings; the key is to get out there early enough to catch them! Try taking a wide angle landscape shot of a frosty scene, then go to the other extreme with a really tight close up. Look for examples of frost strengthening the outline of whatever it's clinging to. Capture both the heavy frost and later as it starts to melt for different effects.

Send in the clouds

Most of us love the sunshine but photographically speaking cloudy weather is often easier to work with, as clouds help to diffuse the light. It's also worth watching for sun starting to break through cloud and provide wonderful shafts of light for stunning landscape shots.

Windy weather

Windy weather is one of the most troublesome conditions to work with. It can provide really dramatic images but it's a good idea to find a sheltered position to take your photos from if you can. If you're using a tripod make sure it's a heavy one that is unlikely to get blown over. Many tripods enable you to attach your camera bag as extra ballast against the elements, which can be really useful. You’ll be glad you made the extra effort when it comes to creating personalised gifts for family and friends.

Let it snow

Snowy landscapes make beautiful pictures. When you're surrounded by snow though you'll find it reflects loads of light, making getting the right exposure a little tricky. Cameras tend to overcompensate giving rather grey images. Solve this by setting a slightly longer exposure time than your auto exposure recommends.

Rainy days

Yes you want to keep your camera dry, but that doesn't mean putting it away the moment you sense a downpour. Work undercover and you can capture plenty of great shots. Ideally you want a combination of sun and rain for high contrast images, rather than dull rainy days. It's also great if you can point your camera towards the sun to highlight the raindrops. After the rain has gone take close ups of water droplets and look for interesting reflections in puddles.

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