Wanted: Advice on shooting outdoors/partly cloudy

Hello. I'm a newbie to the Canon EOS Digital Rebel and still working with the lens kit straight out of the box. I'm attending the Christo event this weekend. I expect that I'll shoot lots of sky. I'm looking for advice on shooting a partly cloudy day in New York's Central Park. But please give your advice on shooting in Sunny daylight in case sun decides to peek out. I don't think I'll wip out my camera if it rains unless under one of those huge umbrellas which I'll make my sister hold . Advice on filters? I only have a UV haze filter to protect the lens. I'd like to add "umph" to a cloudy sky while still enhancing the orange fabric on display. "Free hanging saffron colored fabric panels suspended from the horizontal top part of the gates will come down to approximately 7 feet ( 2,13 meters) above the ground."1. I'm willing to purchase a filter if needed. I can run down to B&H.

I'd love to hear ANY advice, opinions, experiences on filters, iso settings, wb... etc

I like working with the creative settings under natural outdoor lighting.

I plan to print out your suggestions and take with me to Central Park.

Thank you for your time!

1. http://www.christojean​neclaude.net/tg.html

Shooting under cloudy condition is the BEST! Clouds becomes your defuser of light. Everything will have nice soft shadow. It is very easy to meter as well. Plus it gives the boring blue sky "texture". Overcast is good too, but now your landscape is humdrum with gray.

However with no clouds, and just the sun...you get very contrasty and harsh shadows. Depending where you are shooting you might find yourself in a +2 stop difference. In the clear sun, find yourself some shade with your subjects.

mbze430: thank you!