Yes it was, overcast skies but not very dark. Makes for great soccer shots too. You can get high shutter speeds and yet the players are nicely illuminated versus being all contrasty and shadowy. After getting home and see this dog's snapshot I was wishing I had taken more time with it. I really did just grab the shot from about 15-20 yards off with the 400. I think my Contax Zeiss 100/2 on the 5D could have really pulled in even more detail while giving even nicer bokeh to the background. But now I'm getting picky, LOL!