Rain, the perfect excuse not to go outside with your camera ... right? Well, my intention today is to convince you otherwise. Throughout the post I will show you that rain is not an impediment, laziness is. Rain is not an inconvenience for photography, it is an opportunity to learn and achieve beautiful, fresh, nostalgic or ingenious images. Let your creativity fly, practice, learn and »get wet»! What how? Keep reading and you will see.
Then I will give you a few reasons to leave the comfort of the sofa in search of raindrops and some ideas and tips to make the most of this meteorological phenomenon but without your camera dying in the attempt ...
Now, let me ask you two things:
WHY PHOTOGRAPH RAINY DAYS?
- It is an opportunity to learn: photographing the rain requires a little practice and experience, so it is an excellent opportunity for you to learn to operate your camera, control the shooting speed, the depth of field ... But do not despair before weather!
- The landscape changes: the light, the color of the earth, of the plants, the reflections of the wet pavement. Everything around you intensifies its color and acquires a brightness difficult to find in other days.
In the rain, change the landscape - You will have water drops on hand without having to set up a laboratory at home
Water drops .. free! - You find puddles that will give you the opportunity to achieve great photographs.
Rain puddles - You can photograph spectacular skies .
Spectacular skies - These are ideal days for portrait photography, since the softness of the light embellishes the features.
- After the storm there is always calm: what do I mean by this? that the sun will rise, or the rainbow, or both, or it will leave you on a cloudy day ... but whatever it is ... you will have the free field to continue photographing different and interesting situations!
The calm
12 TIPS TO PHOTOGRAPH THE RAIN
If it has been clear to you why you should run out to portray the rain as soon as you hear it sparkle, here I bring you 12 tips and tricks that you can apply to get stunning rain photographs:- Adjust the shutter speed: try different speeds, most likely you have to adjust above 1/250, although it will depend on the effect you want. Do different tests and practice with the result you like best.
- If the rain is very thin this speed will not allow you to capture it and you will have to lower the speed to 1/30. You will get the drops as if they were thin elongated threads. In this case you can help yourself with a tripod or other support to support your camera so that your image is not moved.
Adjust shutter speed - Capture all the light you can: use a large opening, ideally an f / 1.4, but you will have to adapt to what your equipment allows. Upload the ISO but with caution, remember the noise problem.
- Look at the surroundings: the silhouettes of the umbrellas, the color of the clothes, the reflections of the ground and the puddles ... Look at the windows of the buildings, maybe you will find a beautiful image of someone watching the rain. Stay tuned for these details and capture them with your camera.
See the surroundings - Put yourself behind a glass and catch the raindrops with a blurred background.
From behind the glass - If what you like is the photography of children or simply photographing your children, dress them with a raucous raincoat, a colorful umbrella and some funny boots and go to the park or look for the puddles, let them have fun, get wet and Enjoy jumping and splashing. You will have lots of beautiful and unforgettable snapshots.
- Look for the rays that escape from the sun or the golden reflections between the raindrops to achieve effects like this.
Those rays that escape from the sun ... - Tell stories: rainy days can be really melancholic and nostalgic. Use black and white to accentuate those emotions and become a visual poet for a day.
Tell stories - What is not a normal rain but a strong storm? Have you tried photographing the rays? Read this essential post of How to Photograph Storm Rays in 12 Steps .
Rays Photography - If you are near the sea on a stormy day, with rain and waves of ordago do not miss the opportunity. Just do not risk your equipment too much and even less your life, get a TV and get a good distance.
- Practice, practice and practice. This is the golden rule. And don't forget something fundamental in your team ... patience! If you leave it at home you will be lost ...
- Not being the last tip is the least important, quite the opposite! The first and most important thing is to protect your camera. Everyone knows that the camera and water are not good friends and as much as we like to photograph the rain ... we will not risk the life of our team! Here are some ideas on how to protect your computer:
- Use specific plastic covers, an umbrella or shelter under a roof, although the latter does not recommend it too much because so much movement limitation will drown your creativity.
- Use the lens hood.
- Have a clean cloth on hand to dry the splashes or water that may have fallen to your camera from time to time.
- Of course, if you want to change the objective, take care of yourself, do not settle for a roof, avoid moisture by taking refuge in a place or in the car if you are in the middle of the field.
- Store the camera in the bag before entering a warm place, changing the temperature can cause water to condense entering the chamber.
- When you store your equipment, put silica bags to absorb moisture (you can find them for example when you buy some shoes, these are small bags that come inside with some balls).
- The first, please recommend the article on Facebook, Twitter and Google+, so you help spread these ideas.
- The second, take pictures, hell. All the time you spend reading theories that you don't put into practice later, is wasted time. Take pictures, please.
