How Do I Take Great Photos In The Rain?

As a wedding photographer, Glasgow can sometimes be a tough place to create beautiful photos. So many of the examples of wonderful wedding photography we see online and in magazines are of brides & grooms on a beach, under a large blue sky, not a drop of rain in sight. The Scottish weather can sometimes present problems. But I knew that I wanted to deliver the same high standard of images to all of my clients, regardless of what the weather happened to be doing on that particle day. I didn’t want to rely on the perfect conditions, and I wanted to be confident that I could create stunning photos no matter the weather. I found myself asking, “How do I take great photos in the rain?” – and I thought I’d share my answer with you, so that you can give it a go too!

I often use a flash to back-light my clients, and I noticed at a wedding last year that the light was picking up the rain drops, creating a lovely effect. There was only a faint drizzle in the air, but the flash illuminated the rain just enough to make it noticeable, and it just adds something extra to the photo.

Last month I was doing a shoot for Bec’s new business, Bespoke by Bec. We had our models, our dresses, and a great location. The only problem was it was pouring with rain. I remembered the effect I had created with the flash, and so decided to try and turn the rain into an asset – really make a feature of it. I put two flashes behind the model, pointing back in towards the camera, and this was the result:

The photo actually looks even better because of the rain. I now find myself hoping for a spot of drizzle on my shoots rather than a clear blue sky! I was photographing an Engagement Shoot earlier this week, and, once again, there was rain in the air. But rather than resign myself to shooting inside, I found a little bit of shelter, set up my flash behind the couple, and shot away. The flash picked up the droplets and helped create a beautiful bokeh:

I also love the intense flare effect you get when you change your position and allow the flash to fire straight through towards your lens:

So there you go – if you want to take great photos in the rain, simply put a flash behind the subject and turn the rain into an asset rather than something to be avoided!

What you will need:

Apart from the obvious (camera & lens) you will need at least one strobe (two if you also want to light the subject) and something to remotely trigger the flash. I use a combination of PocketWizards Flex TT5s and Plus IIIs. In the first photo I’m just using a Nikon SB900 to illuminate the rain. In the second photo I’m using two SB900s behind the subject (one with a half CTO gel) as well as my Elinchrom Quadra lighting the model. In the third and fourth photos I’m using a gelled SB900 behind the subject and another SB900 to light from the front.

Go and have some fun in the rain!