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April 24, 2006

Don't be a Fair Weather Photographer

Many photographers that I know are fair weather photographers, that is, they only shoot if the weather is nice. Unfortunately, they also miss a lot of great photographic opportunities.

Macro Photography in the Rain

This shot of Dutchman’s Breaches was taken this past weekend, in the rain. It was one of only six I was able to get that day because of the rain. I was unprepared. I did not have my umbrella with me, nor my rain suit, and I had no way to protect my equipment from the water, but the rain should not have stopped me. A good quality rain suit will keep you dry, but what about your camera. If you own a small camera, it might fit in an inside pocket of the rain suit, or simply on the lanyard in the rain suit. Many people use heavy freezer bags to protect their equipment, or you can purchase purpose built waterproof bags for your camera. A small case for your camera will help keep it dry as well. I also keep a large plastic garbage bag in the pocket of my equipment bag. This gives me something to lie on to keep me out of the dirt in nice weather, but it also lets me keep my equipment bag dry in the rain.

When you are shooting in the rain, protect your lens. Once you have the rest of the camera wrapped up, you will need the end of the lens exposed to the elements in order to get your shots. Using a 1A Skylight filter on your lens will help protect the expensive front element of your lens from water spots. The 1A requires no additional exposure compensation and absorbs some UV rays to help cut haze a little.

An outside store display on a rainy day

If you are shooting in cold weather, keep spare batteries in an inside pocket of your coat to keep them warm. Cold batteries do not work as well as warm ones. When you are done shooting, place your camera in a plastic bag, removing as much of the air as possible before going in to a warm location. This will keep the warm, moist air from forming condensation on your camera; it will form on the bag instead. Leave the camera in the bag until it has come back to room temperature.

Nature photography in the cold

When the weather turns foul, there are a lot of opportunities for great photos that can easily be missed. Just remember to protect yourself and your equipment from the elements.

Posted on April 24, 2006 03:20 PM | Permalink

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