How to take good pictures in bad weather, protecting your camera from rain

Foul Is Fair
How to get good photos in bad weather

n his 1973 tune "Kodachrome," Paul Simon sang about the color slide film that "makes you think all the world's a sunny day." Looking at our own photographs, we might be led to the same conclusion. How many pictures have you taken in bad weather? Not surprisingly, bad-weather shots are nearly absent from the repertoires of most amateur photographers. The condition is particularly acute, though understandable, among those of us who travel. No one likes to admit to a rained-out trip, let alone return with tangible evidence of it. No one likes to travel a great distance to go out in the rain, much less go out in the rain to take pictures.

For the dedicated photographer, however, there comes a time to go beyond sunny-day pictures and show that the world can be beautiful even when the weather is not. So first, an exploration of what foul-weather photography has to offer; then, advice on how to do it simply and without risking damage to your equipment.

What's Good About Bad Weather?
A cloudless sky might be ideal for working around the home or for traveling, but photographically such weather offers limited opportunities—blue skies and sunlit scenery in excess can make for postcard-pretty monotony. It is when the heavens go from being friendly to threatening to downright mean that the more intriguing outdoor effects occur: clouds become huge airborne filters of different colors and densities; direct sunlight is complete blocked, or falls in shafts through a floating patchwork, or seeps through a thick haze; fog acts as a soft-focus gauze suspended in midair; raindrops rush earthward and crash, leaving their shiny mark; wind brings the inanimate to life and fights the living.

"Beach Swings" by Robert Winkler

It all puts photographers into that special class of people who can find something to do in all but the worst conditions—no mean distinction in a world where even slightly unpleasant weather brings so many activities to a halt. Uninviting weather, furthermore, in certain respects actually facilitates photography: logistically (traffic may lessen, parking near attractions may be easier), artistically (normally crowded locations are newly worthy of photographic study) and psychologically (a photographer on an outing with family or friends often has trouble keeping up with the group, but when companions decide miserable weather is a good excuse to stay in, you'll be left to take proper, unhurried pictures).

There's no penalty for not getting wet; indeed, two of the best times to photograph are just before and just after a storm, and no special camera protection is needed. The unsettled sky that often precedes a storm can be a visual goldmine. The same can happen as a stormy day clears, with wet streets, the gradual resurgence of human activity and the possibility of a rainbow adding incentive for going out before all returns to normal.

Protecting Your Gear
When the rain comes down, keep dry by photographing through open building and car windows; from beneath bridges, overpasses and overhanging eaves; and from porches, archways and doorways. If the raindrops are few and far between, you can leave shelter and keep the camera shielded under a raincoat or poncho. Bring it out for the brief period required to get your shot, then return it to its hiding place. A broad-brimmed hat will help here, but make sure it doesn't intrude in the frame when you look through the viewfinder.

In a steadier rain, a deeply domed umbrella affords good defense; the clear-plastic type makes it easier to survey the surroundings. In the umbrella's side, you can cut a window with flaps—held open by clips or Velcro—through which you can point the camera for a safe but unobstructed view.

For more freedom of movement, you might choose to protect the camera itself. Although plastic hoods, pouches and other camera rain shields are available, you can make a simple one yourself using a clear plastic bag and waterproof tape. Make two holes in the bag, one for the lens, the other for the viewfinder. Covering the lens with a skylight filter will protect its front element and reduce the excess bluishness that sometimes occurs when there is an overcast sky. At the lens opening, carefully tape the plastic around the lens hood; tape the plastic at the viewfinder to the edge of the viewfinder eyepiece. Openings on either side of the camera can be made for the strap; these should also be secured with tape. The bag should be over the camera in an inverted position. Operate the camera through the bag's open mouth, which should extend well beyond the bottom of the camera. Carry an ample supply of photographic cloth for wiping the filter dry.

Protected in this way, your camera will be safe in a moderate rain, but it will not be waterproof. In a heavy downpour, remember that the camera is more vulnerable. In dusty environments, in salt spray and in blowing sand, shield the camera more carefully than you would in the rain, because these elements can quickly turn your gear to virtual scrap metal. Condensation is also a threat, and an insidious one. Avoid abrupt changes between warm and cold air, which will fog the lens and viewfinder and may allow moisture to creep into the camera. Once you take equipment outside, allow it to acclimate for a half-hour before bringing it out of your camera bag. A cool water droplet that accidentally falls on a lens that has just been in a warm place can be especially dangerous. If the lens is not dried immediately, condensation can form on its inside surface.

Film and Lenses
Use a fast film if it is very gloomy out, and since a meter reading will tend to indicate an exposure that would make the scene appear normally lighted, underexpose by a half or full f-stop if the scene is evenly lighted and you want to duplicate the gloom. Raindrops can be made more obvious with a slow shutter speed of 1/30 or 1/60 of a second. A telephoto lens will intensity fog and bring you right into a distant fog pocket. Windy conditions require fast shutter speeds if you want to stop the action, but remember that slower shutter speeds can produce desirable effects. A large plastic trash bag should be standard equipment in every camera outfit, to be used for transporting your equipment in the rain, on boat trips and wherever water is a hazard.

Because even the most intrepid photographers need occasional prodding to venture out in bad weather, and since it's unlikely to come from companions who think the only sensible place to be is indoors, invoke the witches' refrain from Macbeth as a motivator: fair is foul and foul is fair.

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A message from Robert Winkler

Jeff Brush/Connecticut Post (used with permission)

If you enjoyed this article, I know you'll enjoy my critically acclaimed book, Going Wild: Adventures with Birds in the Suburban Wilderness (National Geographic), which expands on many of the short pieces I've posted here. Why do I write about birds? Because they represent the wild in all its glory. They're numerous, diverse, intelligent, talkative, and beautiful; their power of flight never ceases to amaze; and they're the most conspicuous class of wild animal—even in the suburb, they're just about everywhere. Whether you're a beginning or advanced birder, a fan of nature writing, a curious suburbanite, or a reader in search of that rare bird known as a good book, Going Wild could very well change how you view your world. So get your copy now, or buy one for your favorite birder or nature lover. Best deal on the Web: brand new, perfect copies $5 each (69% off) at National Geographic Books.

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