Beautiful photos can be taken during wet weather too. With the rainy weather that’s going on now in Singapore, why not take the opportunity to snap some gorgeous photos?
I know a thousand questions must be flooding your head right now. How am I going to keep my camera dry? What about the mosquitoes? How am I going to make my pictures bright enough?
Well, that’s what this blogpost is for. Here are some tips and tricks for taking rainy day photos!
#Tip 1
- Wear a raincoat and bring an umbrella
Other than yourself, be sure to have a raincoat for your camera too! There are tons of rain cover gear you can find on the market or you can have a makeshift one by using plastic bags, punching a hole in one end to poke the lens through and sticking your hand in the other. It would be great if you have a companion to carry the umbrella for you, so you can focus on shooting your photos.
#Tip 2
- Include the umbrella in your picture
Your umbrella can be a very nice compositional framing device. When shooting wide angle, place your umbrella at the top of your picture. It will create a nice frame and visual for the entire photo. The umbrella also helps to balance out the lightness of the clouds and darkness of scene, creating a better exposed photo.
#Tip 3
- Look for a dry spot
Wait for the pictures to come to you and park yourself in a dry spot. Good things come to those who wait, be patient!
#Tip 4
- Where to shoot?
Through the windows: If you are driving or just sitting at some cafe chilling, whip your camera out and take a few window shots. Focus on the raindrops instead of the object you initially want to focus on. For example, if you intend to focus on a bookstore opposite the cafe you are sitting at, try focusing on the raindrops on the window and blur out the bookstore. This will create a dreamy effect.Puddles: Puddles! Calm puddles usually will reflect anything from cars to buildings, from people to nature.Water droplets: Look out for water droplets on plants or other surfaces. They look great on pictures too!
Clouds: Not forgetting the clouds, clouds give off a dramatic look, especially when its dark and about to rain. When there are gaps between rain clouds, you will see shafts of sunlight piercing the clouds and highlighting small areas of a landscape or infrastructures. Be sure to capture it fast as clouds move very quickly.
#Tip 5
- Who to shoot?
Be on a lookout for people around you. People react differently to the rain, from the sulky rain-drenched commuters to the joyful children playing in the rain. Your rainy day picture will look more natural.
#Tip 6
- Backlight
Backlight is a controlled technique of lighting, used in photography, in which a light is placed behind or at right angles to an object, person, or scene to produce such effects as depth or separation of subject and background.
To make the rain more visible in pictures, use backlight. Find light sources such as streetlight or sunlight and shoot towards it. The more directly you shoot into the light, the better you can see the raindrops. Always look for the magic angle as too much light can also overexpose your photo.
#Tip 7
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Camera settings
Use manual focus: Most camera that uses autofocus will try to focus on the bigger object rather than smaller ones like raindrops. Using manual focus will allow you to determine exactly where you want the focus to be.Aperture: A very large aperture (f/2.0 -f/5.6) will give you a shallow depth of field, where only small parts of the scene is in focus. While a small aperture (f/8 – f/13) will create a deeper depth and more of the scene will be in focus.
#Tip 8
- Caring for your camera
– While shooting in the rain, be sure to always keep your camera as dry as possible.
– Carry only what you need when you shoot to avoid juggling so many things at once.
– Try not to change your lens too frequently as rain water might seep through.
– When you move from a cold place to a warmer place, be wary of the condensation that might form due to the increase in humidity.
– Pack dry towels just in case water happens to touch your camera.
– If your camera happens to get wet, leave the lens open at full zoom until thoroughly dry and place it in silica gel to help avoid condensation forming.
I’m no photography expert but I hope you learned a thing or two through this blogpost. With advance preparation and some creativity, you can turn a gloomy day into an exciting challenge!
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