![A view of the crowd from Main Stage looking south on Magnolia Ave](https://new.peterphun.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/IMG_5473.jpg)
![A pug sleeps peacefully as it is carried and rocked like a baby during the Arlington Business Partnership Annual Chili Cook-Off & Car/Cycle show](https://new.peterphun.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/MG_1726-300x300.jpg)
Overcast skies are sometimes preferable over sunny skies when I have to photograph events when the sun is overhead.
A textbook example is when photographing anyone during those hours under a canopy.
If the sun is out, there is just too much contrast between the shade under the canopy and the bright outdoors.
![Alia's Hula School dancers perform at the community stage during ABP's 13th Annual Chili Cook off and Car/Cycle show.](https://new.peterphun.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/IMG_5328.jpg)
![Under the canopy, I had to compose tight to get rid clutter to feature Elvis impersonator John Reade Poole more prominently. Fortunately the sun was behind clouds the whole day so I didn't have to resort to using flash to control the contrast.](https://new.peterphun.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/IMG_5560-200x300.jpg)
Choosing to shoot raw files helps but I expect not to like what you see.
If it’s really important like a paying gig, I would still have to boost the exposure under the canopy.
Over the weekend I photographed musicians for the Arlington Business Partnership’s 13 Chilli Cook off and Car/Cycle show under those exact conditions.
Had the sun been out, I would have to boost the lighting under the canopy with flash.
The problem with flash?
![Festival attendee spotting Stars and Stripes flags documents what they see since the Chili Cookoff coincided with Memorial Day weekend.](https://new.peterphun.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/IMG_5474-300x200.jpg)
Whenever flash is used, spontaneity is often lost.
Your subject often stops whatever they’re doing and pauses unless they are so pre-occupied with their activity or are expecting tons of flashes like on a red carpet event.
![Elvis impersonator John Reade Pool dances with a member of the audience. I opted for a long lens but you can still see lots of clutter in the background. Shooting with a wide and getting close is ok but you could be an annoyance to the audience for obscuring their view.](https://new.peterphun.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/IMG_5522.jpg)
Lighting makes the most dramatic difference in your event pictures.
I lucked out that I got overcast conditions since I was hired to photograph just the musicians.
If I were told to also photograph the general event, I would want a variety of conditions so that my pictures wouldn’t all have the same feel and look.
Compare this with another Riverside festival “El Dia de los Muertos” from last year.
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