How to Make a Cloudy Day Look Sunny for Senior Portraits in Colorado

If you’ve ever planned a senior portrait session in the Colorado mountains, you know one thing for sure—you can’t always predict the weather! Sunshine one minute, clouds the next. Recently, I had a senior session at Mount Falcon in Indian Hills, and instead of that dreamy golden-hour glow we all love, the sky was completely overcast.

But here’s the thing: cloudy days can still shine—with a little creativity (and some lighting magic)!

Creating Sunshine with Off-Camera Flash

For this session, I really wanted my senior’s photos to have that sun-kissed look—the kind where the light hits just right and her hair glows in the background. Since the sun wasn’t showing up for us, I decided to make my own!

I brought two off-camera lights to the shoot. On the first light, I added an orange gel to mimic warm, golden sunlight. For the gel, you can get sheets on Amazon or MagMod sells some you can place on your flash. I placed the light behind her, and to the side, and aimed toward her back. I had the flash about 10-12 feet away from her at 1/64th power. You can play around with the power level, depending on the distance or if I was shooting through something, I needed a stronger power such as 1/16! When the flash fired, it created this amazing illusion of sunshine glowing through her hair and around her shoulders.

I only used one light for the first half of the shoot because I had enough natural light to light her face. Make sure there is an open sky in front of the subject so there is nothing to take the light away from her face.

Adding the Second Light

Once the sun officially dipped behind the mountains, I set up a second light to illuminate her face. The backlight (with the orange gel) stayed in place to keep that faux “sunset” vibe going, while the front light brought her face to life with soft, flattering light.

Between the two, we ended up with the best of both worlds—a glowing sunset effect and beautifully lit portraits, even under a cloudy sky.

Why This Technique Works

The key to this setup is balance. The orange-gelled backlight creates warmth and dimension, while the front light keeps your subject bright and natural. When the sky exploded into fiery pinks and oranges (thank you, Colorado sunsets!), the lighting blended perfectly. The result was bold, fun, and full of energy—exactly what senior portraits should be!

Takeaway for Photographers

If you’re shooting senior portraits and the weather doesn’t cooperate, don’t stress. Bring your lights and create your own sunshine! Whether you’re shooting at Indian Hills, Mount Falcon Park, or anywhere else in the mountains, using gels and off-camera lighting can transform a flat, cloudy day into a vibrant, sunlit dream.

Clouds or not—your creativity is what really lights up the photo.