Dark Photography School

Conventional wisdom says that when rain is here, you stay inside. There is good reason to avoid rain–any amount of water in the electronics of your camera can magically turn it in to a doorstop or paperweight.
With the proper preparation and care, however, you can get some great and not-so-usual photos that take advantage of the unique properties of light and water refraction.

EXIF: 1600 ISO, 0.7 sec., f/4.5, 40mm focal length, flash off

When it is raining, misty, drizzling, or otherwise precipitous outside, light refracts off of the water in the air, creating a soft glow on everything that is illuminated.

EXIF: 1600 ISO, 1/4 sec., f/4.0, 17mm focal length, flash off

In my opinion, the best part of photography in the rain is not the refractive effect, but the reflective effect. When pavement becomes soaked, it acts as a weak mirror to light sources around it. The photo above is an example of the reflective properties of water. The lights in the photo above are more noticable on the reflection source than they are at the light source itself.

EXIF: 400 ISO, 6 sec., f/5.6, 17mm focal length, flash off

An example of refraction and reflection acting together is from another source you may not think about–the sky. Clouds bringing the rain will reflect light back down towards earth (making the sky visible) in addition to projecting a soft, dark glow (from the moon, perhaps?). If you shoot in the city, stars in the sky are hard to come by. However, you can get an interesting looking sky when there are clouds overheard and a mist in the air.

EXIF: 1600 ISO, 1/20 sec., f/4.5, 22mm focal length, flash off

The last idea I’ll convey about rain is capturing people. Think about the last time you were at the grocery store during a downpour. How many people did you see slowly moseying about towards their car? Chances are you saw people running, hopping, or jumping quickly over water puddles. When it rains out, you get a chance to capture people unlike they are in most situations. When shooting at a wide angle, set your shutter to 1/4 second or faster. At this speed you will capture them in some form–probably blurred. The faster the shutter speed you use, the more clear the images will be of the person in motion.

How can you keep your gear safe while capturing life out in the rain? It isn’t easy, I’ll admit. I usually go out driving in the rain, and wait for a lull in the action to get out of my car and get a few shots. It may be possible to set up your tripod in the car, but it will be cumbersome and you will be severely limited in the shots you can get. Your best bet is to carry an umbrella, and look for overhangs and awnings. Getting a few drops of water on your lens or camera body won’t spell certain doom. I’ve been caught out in torrential downpours on many occasions with nothing to protect my camera with. The amount of leeway you have is determined by the environmental protections offered to you by the camera manufacturer. Lower end DSLRs will have less weather protection than the higher end ones. If most of your camera is wet from rainfall, you want to avoid further contact with water and either protect your gear or wait for a slowdown in the rain.
Like so many other things in life, the most rewarding actions carry a proportional amount of risk. Small amounts of water = okay. A drenched camera = damaged electronics beyond repair.