How To Master Rainy Day Photography

When it rains, it pours — and using cameras and electronics around water is risky, despite manufacturers' efforts to make gear more weather-resistant. The key is to keep your camera covered as much as possible. Here's the rainfall photography equipment we recommend:

• Weather-resistant camera bag: Keep your gear clean and dry as you make your rounds.
• Rain cover: For non-waterproof gear, use a rain cover or custom-made shell when shooting in heavy rain. Make sure no rain can get in!
• Umbrella and raincoat: A golf umbrella (which often comes with its own mounting) provides great overhead protection for you and your gear. Don't forget a trusty raincoat.
• Tripod: Rain means clouds, which means less natural light. Mounting your camera to a tripod eliminates camera shake and helps you better expose your shots.

To make the most of rainy day photography, embrace the rain as a critical component of your subject. Think about how falling rain adds to a scene, the emotions it evokes, and its impact on the viewer. Here are some ideas for what to photograph in wet weather:

• Photograph raindrops running down windows — you don't even need to go outside for this one!
• Capture falling rain bouncing off the surface of water
• Use a slow shutter speed to capture heavy rain in motion (waterfall photography style)
• Use a macro lens to capture raindrops gathered on leaves or other surfaces
• Capture the reflection of lights and signs in rain puddles

The best camera settings for rainy weather will differ from camera to camera and photographer to photographer — and that's without mentioning the impact of your subject matter and lighting conditions. By understanding the exposure triangle (ISO, Shutter Speed, and Aperture), you can more easily capture rainy day photos. Here are some starting points:

• ISO: If lighting conditions are low — as is often the case on rainy days — you'll need to bump up your ISO. Remember, raising ISO also increases image noise, so make adjustments gradually and only when necessary.
• Shutter speed: Your subject will typically determine your shutter speed. To capture sharp images of falling rain, start at around 1/500s and increase from there. A slower shutter speed is needed to intentionally blur rainfall, such as illustrating its movement down a window.
• Aperture: For macro-style shots of raindrops on leaves or close-ups on windows, use a wide-open aperture for more bokeh. If you're capturing the whole rainstorm, a smaller aperture will keep everything in focus.

Top tip: Adjusting one part of the exposure triangle will require further adjustment of the other elements to produce a well-exposed image. Learn all about it in our exposure triangle guide.