Rain Photography Ideas
The last thing you want to do on a rainy day is to go outside and start taking photos. However, you should reconsider because rain is a wonderful gift for photographers. The rain creates a plethora of creative opportunities (both indoors and outdoors). There is no such thing as bad weather in rain photography; only minor challenges.
Shooting in bad weather provides incredible opportunities to capture memorable and artistic images. Most photographers may become concerned about the rain, and some may prefer to wait for better weather before venturing outside. Rain, depending on where you live, can completely transform the appearance of your town or city. It has the ability to transform even the most mundane scenes into something dramatic, mysterious, and magical. A skilled photographer, on the other hand, can make photographs taken in the rain look unique and elegant.
Stay Dry and Protect Your Gear
One of the first things you should try to avoid is getting wet, or worse, getting your equipment wet. When you’re cold, wet, and miserable, it’s impossible to take good photos. So bring a raincoat, waterproof your boots, gloves if it’s cold, and anything else you’ll need to stay dry and comfortable.
It goes without saying that the first thing you should do before venturing outside is to ensure that you are prepared to work in wet weather. So bring your umbrella, as well as plenty of towels, lens cleaner, plastic bags, and anything else you might need to protect your equipment. If you’re going to be shooting outside while it’s raining, ask a friend to hold an umbrella for you.
Bring the Right Gear
Make sure you have all of the necessary equipment before venturing out into the great outdoors. You should bring a tripod and a few lenses (including wide-angle and zoom). Bring a lens hood as well to keep water off your lens.
If you intend to shoot in the rain frequently, invest in camera raincoats or plastic covers that are custom-made to fit your camera and lens. Moisture-absorbing silica gel packs are another option to consider. These packs can be placed in your camera bag or a plastic bag to prevent condensation on your equipment.
Check the Forecast
Rainy days can be unpredictably unpredictable. Check the weather forecast before venturing out in the rain. Working in a violent thunderstorm with rain and high winds is extremely difficult, so you may want to visit Starbucks, Peet’s Coffee, or your favorite cafe and wait for the storm to pass. Because violent storms rarely last long, you may want to position yourself in the right location while you wait for the weather to improve.
Photographing Raindrops
It’s difficult to get actual raindrops to appear in your photos. Raindrops can be seen if they are backlit. If you are fortunate enough to capture falling raindrops, they can be quite dramatic. You will almost certainly be able to photograph reflections, puddles, dramatic skies, vehicles, and people.
Light
On a rainy day, one of the most important things to look for is interesting light. If you’re shooting during the day and a storm breaks, you might get lucky and get both rain and sunshine at the same time. When shooting in the evening, the lights from passing cars and trucks, buildings, illuminated landmarks, street lights, and city lights can make for dramatic images.
Reflections
Reflections are one of the most valuable tools a photographer has when shooting on a rainy day. Photographs of reflections taken on a rainy day may appear grey and dull. The reflected colors of lights in store windows and street lights, on the other hand, can make your images stand out. If you’re in town or a city, look for restaurants and cafes with drenched outdoor seating.
Puddles and Street Flooding
You might want to film vehicles spraying water as they drive through flooded streets. Of course, keep a safe distance and use a longer lens to avoid getting wet. Look for puddles that have fallen leaves and debris in them. Bend down and get close if you don’t have a zoom lens. To get a unique perspective, try shooting from different angles.
Look to the Sky
Keep an eye on the sky if you’re out shooting in the rain. An intense photograph can be created by a sudden break in the clouds in the distance or a beam of light shining down behind the rain. The effect of sunlight shining through the back of falling rain can be surreal. Keep an eye out for unusual cloud formations. After a rainstorm, clouds can be bathed in warm colors.
People
A rainy day can be a fun day for children who enjoy splashing in puddles, sticking their tongues out to catch raindrops, or simply watching the storm from the safety of a colorful umbrella. Adults dressed in rain gear, colorful scarves, and umbrellas can make for interesting subjects. A dark silhouette of people walking through the rain at night can be breathtaking.
Seek out opportunities with people who are out in the rain. You might be able to photograph a colorful umbrella, people fleeing for cover, children wearing colorful raincoats, and people drenched without umbrellas or raincoats. You capture couples walking arm-in-arm while sharing an umbrella.
Night Photography
You’ll be surprised by the transformation that occurs in the evening when a rainstorm falls. The colors of store signs and bright LED lights are reflected in the wet pavement, flooded parking lots, and damp sidewalks. In the midst of a rainstorm, urban cities are congested during rush hour. Shooting through a rain-soaked window would look incredible.
High Contrast
The contrast between sunlight and darkness beneath the clouds can be breathtaking. One of the many gifts that photographers receive on a rainy day is the combination of elements such as darkness, rainfall, and color. A colorful umbrella, for example, on a dark and gloomy street can create a powerful image. During the day, clouds filter out blue and ultraviolet rays, making colours more vibrant. A dramatic climate with dark stormy skies adds contrast and depth that would be difficult to achieve on a clear and sunny day.
Shutter Speed
Because falling rain travels at about 20 miles per hour (9 meters per second), you’ll need to adjust your shutter speed accordingly. Unless you have a dark or colored background to highlight them, the detail of a falling raindrop is difficult to see with the naked eye. So, try shooting with a background that will highlight the drops.
Use a shutter speed of at least 1/1000 sec if you want to capture falling raindrops and freeze the droplets in your image. To capture the movement of falling rain, use a slower shutter speed of 1/60 sec. Slowing down the shutter speed will result in some nice long streaks.
Aperture
Use Aperture Priority to control the depth-of-field in your photographs. When shooting in the rain, a larger aperture (around f/2.8 – f/4) is recommended. Switch to Macro mode on your camera if it has one to get amazing close-up shots in the rain, such as raindrops on leaves.
Rain Photography Ideas
- Indoor Photos Against Rain Soaked Windows
- Overflowing water from the edge of a roof
- Children splashing in puddles
- Close-up of beaded raindrops on the hood of car
- A couple embracing under an umbrella
- Raindrops splashing in a pool of water
Note: If you want to make some adjustments to the photo just let me know. I can do it for you at a very low cost. You can hire me to edit your photo.
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