Shooting in the Rain: A Couple of Tips

The UK has had plenty of it this summer and it’s put everyone in a right bad mood, but rain can have a bright side too. If you’re a keen photographer, rain can be your friend.

Rain can help you add beautiful soft focus backgrounds to your studies of nature; try setting up your tripod and slowing your shutter speed down to 1/30. Focus on whatever you want as a subject for your photograph and snap away. Try focusing on glinting but static raindrops on the subject; the sharpness of these drops will contrast beautifully with the blurred rainfall behind.

If the rain has just stopped or has been falling for some time, look for the glistening of light on a surface and try to pick that out. Take some time setting up your shot – choosing the right angle, finding the right light source etc – before you press that shutter button. Remember that water reflects the light at the same angle as it hits, so bear this in mind when choosing a place to shoot from.

John Burns a photography enthusiast, all round geek and happy employee of Simplify digital, the UK broadband, digital TV and home phone experts. Simplify digital are accredited by Ofcom and provide independent consumer advice on digital services.