Recently I had the opportunity to photograph a local cricket match at Coombe Lodge Playing Fields in South Croydon. It wasn't quite an international test match but was still an exciting game. The weather was nice and warm and overcast, which is actually great for taking photographs. Most people think that the sunnier the day, the better but this isn't the case. The last thing you usually want is a really sunny sky as it causes very harsh shadows and highlights. We've all seen photos of friends and family where one part of the face his bright white and another part is really dark.

Nothing like a fist bump to keep the runs flowing!

There are a couple relatively easy way to resolve this issue including; finding some shade, either from a tree or a building; using a diffuser of some sort; or by turning the subject round until the direct sunlight is off them. I did a post about shooting in harsh light, which goes into the issues in some more detail.

However, there are times, like a sporting event, when you cannot control where you shoot from or where someone is standing. My cloudy, overcast day was giving me soft, even light and so it was really an issue for me.

Here are some shots from the day. They were all taken with a 70-200mm f2.8 (click to see the images full screen):