My YouTube channel, "Setouchi Ambience," focuses on "environmental video productions" that capture the sounds of rain, fog, and the atmosphere of the seasons as they are.
Therefore,the most important factoris "weather accuracy.
Beautiful footage can be shot in both sunny and rainy weather, but accurate weather forecasts are essential to determine filming dates in accordance with the changing seasons.
Until 2024, I was a long-time user of the "Yahoo! Weather" app, which is the easiest to use in Japan. The accuracy of the weather forecast and rain radar is very high, and it is still useful for making decisions just before shooting. However, what troubled me when planning shooting schedules was the lack of accuracy in long-term forecasts of more than a week
When shooting in the rain, "where, when, and how much it rains" greatly influences the impression of the finished product. I often travel far for shoots, and in the past, I've experienced several times where it was supposed to rain but ended up being sunny. So, in 2025, I decided to fully implement Windy, which I had been interested in for some time
Windy is a tool that allows you to visually compare weather models from around the world, and I use the paid version (annual subscription).
What surprised me most when I started using itthe accuracy of its predictions regarding the timing and location of rainfall. It
was far more accurate than I expected, and there were many times when, by the time I arrived at the shooting location, the clouds that had been predicted were rolling in and it was raining.
that particularly stands out in my memorywhen I filmed snow footage at Mount Koya.
When we set off, the weather was perfectly clear, and the sun was dazzling.
Under normal circumstances, you would assume that it wouldn't snow today.
However, when I checked Windy, it predicted that the temperature would drop sharply from midday onwards, and snow clouds would form near the summit.
As I continued filming, still somewhat skeptical, the wind suddenly changed direction, the air turned cold all of a sudden—
and just as predicted, a heavy snowfall began.
From the moment it started falling, the world was quickly painted white, and the silently accumulating snow seemed to absorb all sound, creating a profound silence. I
was undoubtedly able to capture that moment of transformation thanks to Windy.
Nowadays, Windy has become an indispensable companion when I'm photographing natural phenomena like rain, fog, and snow.
By tracking weather models several days in advance and being able to read trends even when there are fluctuations, the accuracy of my photos has improved dramatically.
Photographing nature is fascinating precisely because you can't have complete control over it.
However, the quality of the footage you capture can vary greatly depending on whether or not you have tools to read the "presence of nature" beforehand.
That's exactly why I can't let go of Windy Pro.
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