Rainy days

I have had different feelings about rain. When I was younger, I hated the rain if it washed out my school sports day. But if it rained at night, I loved to hear the sound of it falling on our tin roof.

These days, water is precious, and lessening water supplies mean that we have to conserve water as much as possible. This means learning to do more with less water - such as selecting drought-proof plants, and possibly, showering with a friend. :-)

But for the avid photographer, rain is usually seen as a curse. Expensive cameras and lenses do not cope well with water, so shooting in the rain is perilous right from the start. Some photographers might feel that rain reduces your photographic opportunities, and in some instances this might well be the case. Group family photos outdoors, for example, are probably not a suitable photographic exercise when it is raining.

However, it would be a mistake to leave your camera in its case every time it rains. I have seen many good images, and some spectacular ones, that have been taken in the rain.

Raindrops add some interest to pictures of flowers; puddles show reflections of street and car lights; dark clouds make for moody landscapes. Colourful umbrellas are often photographic, and people huddled in overcoats or sheltering under newspapers are interesting candid subjects.

And if you are still not convinced, think about setting up a still life or a tabletop indoors.

TIP: Make sure that you keep some silica gel in your camera bag, and always wipe your camera and lenses when the shoot is finished. When the rain stops, it's a good idea to get your camera gear out into the dry conditions for a while to make sure that you don't get any mildew or fungus in your gear.

EXIF: Nikon D200; tripod; ISO 100; Micro Nikkor 105mm; 1/40 sec; f9.

TFF