Making the most of a rainy day

Rain can be dramatic, mellow, artful or melancholic. With the right tricks, you can capture its every mood.

Most of us would love to stay-in, make a cup of hot coffee or tea with slow music as it rains outside. But for shutterbugs who want to get out and capture the moment, rain is a godsend.

Rain lets you get creative and have fun while shooting. It has various intrinsic elements that can make a perfect picture; be it raindrops, colourful umbrellas, reflections or people running for cover. Explore your creative side with these tips:

Droplets. The very first thing most people notice when it rains are the water droplets on the windows. The tiny crystal-like droplet formation on glass, windows or surfaces can make for interesting pictures. Shoot in macro mode or get closer to the droplets and take a picture. Any interesting subject, like a person holding an umbrella or a city view with buildings and lighting like from a streetlight or a car tail lamp behind or around the droplets, creates a better scene.

Reflection. Rain often leaves puddles on the ground. If not a deep one, even a small thin patch of water will reflect the surroundings. Reflections like buildings, people walking, sky etc., can be seen from a puddle. Pro tip: shoot from a low angle adjusting yourself to the reflection. Take multiple shots from different angles of the reflection and your picture will stand out. So look for those puddles!

Lighting. Capturing rain can be challenging as your camera might not capture what your eyes can see. Especially if it's drizzling. Lighting plays an important role to capture rain for which you have to observe closely. When light hits the raindrops from behind, it makes for a brilliant backlit snap. So observe the rain with the light source like a streetlight, vehicle lights, signboards or at times the sunlight behind the rain. Remember, when it rains, the lighting will be often low. So shooting in high ISO and manual mode will often lead to better control and better pictures.

Mood makers. It is natural to see the scene drastically change when it starts raining. Snap pictures of people running for cover, holding umbrellas, animals taking shelter, and such. Place yourself where you can move around under a roof to get different angles, compositions and action shots. People walking/running holding umbrellas, people waiting under a shelter or vehicles splashing through rainwater are a few examples of action pictures.

Protect yourself and your camera first. Most important before stepping out to do rain photography is to protect yourself and your camera. Just an umbrella might not suffice, although it’s important. Use a poncho or a full raincoat to keep yourself dry. Wear rubber shoes or slippers with a good grip. There are camera rain covers in different sizes available in the market. Carry a dry cloth and wipe off water on the camera and your hands frequently. No matter how many precautions you take, water will certainly land on you or your camera. So be prepared!

Rain photography can be really fun and challenging. There are many elements and subjects you get to experience. You might not get what you want the first time, but with these tips in mind and a little practice, you ought to get a good experience. So get out there and take home some good stories!

P.S: Watch out for the rainbow.

Lenscraft is a monthly column on all things photography — tips, tricks and everything in between.

The writer is a photojournalist who tells stories with his pictures. Find his pictures on Twitter and Instagram @pushkarv