6 Professional Photography in Rainy Weather Tips to Take Great Photos

When it comes to photography, rainy weather brings a sense of panic to many photographers. But do you know that rainy weather also presents good chances for us to take unique pictures completely different from the ones taken in good weather? Check out this article for some photography in rainy weather tips to discover things to do to make rainy day photography much more awesome.  

Tips for photography in rainy weather

Things to Prepare

The first and foremost thing you need to do before going out and taking photos on a rainy day is to pack all necessary gear and carefully prepare for the shots. 

Even if it isn’t raining, you must prepare for unexpected showers, especially if it's forecasted to rain. Here are the basic things that you need to pack:

Umbrellas

Bring an umbrella with you

Not only do umbrellas keep you, your camera, and other things dry, but they might also inspire your shots. If you plan to do rainy-day photography, it is worth preparing a few decent and attractive umbrellas.

Brightly colored umbrellas with vibrant and fun patterns can give a touch of lovely color to a dreary day. 

Importantly, it will probably be better to stick with neutral umbrellas for weddings so it won’t be out of the main theme. 

Tripod

When photographing in rainy or stormy weather, you will likely encounter low-light conditions, which require slower shutter speeds. 

To prepare for this, use image stabilization or a tripod. If a tripod is not available, you will need a flat, stable surface instead.

Camera tripod

Rain covers for cameras

Keeping your camera dry is necessary, no matter where and what you shoot. It’s one of the best tips for photography in the rain.

There are many camera rain covers or “camera raincoats” for sale. But if you don’t want to invest your money in these things or don’t need to worry about lugging another coat, consider having a plastic bag with a hole for your lens.

Also, using a camera hood is an excellent way to protect the front part of your lens from getting wet. This will also help prevent pesky raindrops from affecting the quality of your pictures.

Rain covers for cameras

Generally, it’s better to get a rain cover for your camera regularly, especially if the weather forecast says there’s a high chance of rain. 

Consider having the best weather app for predicting rain on your devices to update the weather forecast frequently. 

Bags

Even if it stops raining, the ground will still be wet. Therefore, you should carry bags, as they can keep your subjects totally dry if you photograph them sitting down.

These bags also keep you dry if you want to sit down or get down low for unique angles.  

Moisture absorbing packets

Moisture-absorbent silica gel packets

How to do photography in the rain properly? Before heading out to photograph in rainy and wet weather, you should also have moisture-absorbent silica gel packets in your camera bag. 

They will help prevent condensation on your gear, especially if you plan to be out in the damp for an extended period. 

More to explore: Wet weather camping tips Shoes in wet weather

Photography in Rainy Weather Tips

After having all the necessary things in your bag, it’s time for you to head out to get great pictures in rainy weather. Below are some basic techniques for shooting photos in the rain. 

Finding a location for the shoot

You need to find the location for the shoot before doing anything else. Depending on the type and concept of the photo shoot, you might have the option of changing locations. 

You might want to park under a dry spot like a Porsche or awning, move indoors, … or wait for beautiful pictures to come to you.

Choose a perfect location for taking photos

Make the most of the rain

Even if you take pictures in rainy weather, most of the rain is not likely to show up or clearly visible in your pictures. You’ll just see the effects of it that might be droopy flowers, wet hair, mud puddles, and more.

But do you know that your picture may look more special and unique if you incorporate the rain into your compositions? 

Raindrops on fruit, leaves and other surfaces add a pretty dimension to the photography. 

One of the best photography in the rain tips is that raindrops seem a lot more visible if they’re backlit, and falling raindrops are all amazingly photogenic. 

Make the most of the rain

Watch and make use of the light

Lighting is one of the most important factors in photography. 

While sunny days offer strong and bright lighting, cloudy or overcast days present an excellent opportunity to look for soft and natural lighting, which can create beautiful lighting effects for your compositions.

When you use umbrellas or overhangs, take time to watch out for shadows and adjust the lighting and your subjects to ensure the best effects for your compositions.

Use shutter speed

Choose the right shutter speed

The shutter speed of your camera dramatically determines the quality of your pictures.

If you want to capture images of raindrops as if they are frozen in space, you will need a quicker shutter speed. Photo editing tools cannot help with this.

A shutter speed of 1/250 seconds would be a good starting point for rain photography. Anything shutter speed at or less than 1/125 second is not recommended.

Adjust your aperture

Another tip for film photography in rain is to adjust and choose the right aperture.

If you take pictures in dark and overcast weather with a larger depth of field (a small aperture), your compositions might look dark and gloomy.

To let more light and a somewhat bright mood into your shots, you may want to open the aperture to f/8, f/4, or even higher for clearer light.

Shooting photos in dim natural settings

Flash

Many people want to use flash frequently when shooting photos in dim natural settings. But if all you want is a blurry effect, then you might not need the flash at all.

If you want to take a picture of yourself in the rain, check out our recommendations for the best rainy weather outfits to get beautiful photos.

Best Photography in the Rain Ideas

Shoot through drops of rainwater on windows

Raindrops on windows are among the best rainy weather photography ideas. 

It’s also great because you don’t need to go outside and stand out under the rain to take the shots. Just being on the inside of the window is enough to take this type of photo. 

That's quite handy photography in rainy weather tips.

You can also photograph these shots after it stops raining and the droplets of rainwater still remain on the glass. The windows in your office, your home, in a coffee shop, or the windows of a car or a bus, … are all ideal for us to take pictures of raindrops.

Raindrops on window

Shoot puddle reflections

After the rain, there will be a lot of puddles that you can use to capture amazingly beautiful puddle reflection shots. Look out for puddles on sidewalks, potholes, parking lots, or even on outdoor tables, or other surfaces.

There are many different ways to shoot reflections in puddles but the first thing you should do is to look for puddles reflecting interesting objects from the surroundings.

Experiment with various shooting angles until you find the best perspective to catch the reflection.

Shoot puddle reflections

Photograph splashing water

There are countless splashes to be found when it’s raining. Of course, they present good opportunities for us to capture beautiful pictures on rainy days.

You can capture the splash of raindrops when they hit a puddle or even photograph someone jumping into a rain puddle. That would be great.

When photographing splashing water in rainy weather, remember to use fast shutter speeds to freeze the action or slow shutter speeds to blur the movement. 

Try experimenting with different shutter speeds to get the best results.

Keep an eye out for the rainbows

If you see that the sun begins to come out and moisture is still in the air, there’s a chance that you will be able to spot a rainbow. 

So, remember to look for rainbows after or even during rain.

Rainbow after the rain

Conclusion

These are some photography in rainy weather tips that any photographer should keep in mind. If you want to do photography on rainy days, never forget to make the best preparation before heading out. In the end, hope that all the tips and suggestions mentioned above were interesting and useful for you.