Tips For Taking Photos in Bad Weather
Have you made fabulous plans for a vacation, places to explore, things to see and even enjoy the night life? What happens if your plans take a turn for the worse? Maybe something came up and you have to cancel that dream vacation; or the weather is so bad that you have to cancel some of the places you were going to explore, except that night life could come in handy right now! It has happened to me, more than once. I am an outdoor girl and love to capture those important moments outside, like a bubbling creek that you can create awesome long exposure shots, emerald green trees reaching to the skies with colorful wildflowers scattered around, the smell of crisp, clean air with a hint of pine and dampness, and especially driving dirt roads to find those types of outdoorsy things.
If you are planning a vacation and you have a love to take photos, but the weather is predicting less than fair weather, I have some advice for you based on bad weather we went through:
Rule #1: Research, research and research: If you are going to an area you have not been to before, check out the weather forecast. Look at the region: what kind of landscape does it have? Is it prone to snow or rain, or extreme dry heat? Or if you have been to this place, still research the weather. Weather is a funny thing, it can change at a moments notice without confiding in you, does it not? How many times have you been caught in the rain, but all you saw was sunshine before? Plan your trip accordingly, and always have a plan b or c in mind. I planned a photo shoot at a hike one time and it nearly got ruined from the thunderstorm that occurred. The weather prediction called for partly cloudy skies!
Rule #2: Rain or shine? This is hard when you have all your plans laid out and ready to execute, plus how excited you could be to go somewhere new to take photos. But mother nature may sneak up on your plans and then you are left wondering what to do? Maybe a change of plans might be the key. Then when the weather is better, go back to that spot you wanted so desperately to go to and get those photos you were eager to take. I have made changes to our itineraries and it was better then what I originally planned, plus the photos were so sweet! No one can predict the weather, but we can make a healthy choice whether to go somewhere with bad weather or not, or go somewhere else and come back to the original spot another time with better weather.
Rule #3: Have raincoats, protection for camera gear like plastic. If you decide to move forward in inclement weather, and you feel that it is safe enough for you, listen to this. Even if it is sprinkling rain drops, your camera is precious and can be damaged easily. Trust me on this! When we took photos on our infamous hike, I not only got rain on my camera, but I dropped it as we were hurrying down the trail (horrors!). As soon as you get done with your camera(s), put it in the case, bag or whatever you have your camera gear in. You will be thankful later. Make use of an umbrella as you take photos!
Rule #4: Is it really worth it? Maybe you have a deadline to make, and going to the place for photos is a must. But is it worth it? Could you make arrangements for another time? Unfortunately for us (or fortunately, depending how you look at it), we had no choice as we were on vacation and only had a limited time in this area as we lived in a different state. I will confide I was chasing a waterfall, but the rain did chase me! For me, it was worth it, despite the dangers of taking photos outside on a bad weather day. This is only a choice you could make.
Life as an outdoor photographer can be thrilling and yet with a little danger thrown in the mix. It can be exhilarating and agitating as sometimes we do not know what to expect in the great outdoors. Please, take heed when it comes to photography and weather. You can always go back another time in better weather.
What is something you took photos of even in the face of danger?