Home » Photography » 25 Mesmerizing Rainy Day Photo Examples

25 Mesmerizing Rainy Day Photo Examples

Posted by admin on Oct 7, 2011 in Photography | 1 comment

Most people believe that a clear day or a nice bright light is a requirement to capture beautiful photographs. In fact most photographers toss their cameras away when the weather starts to go crazy. However, unknown to many, stormy and rainy days present some unique opportunities to capture dramatic and moody scenes. On rainy days, light is soft and diffused which create great contrast to colorful leaves and flowers or the clothes and umbrellas. But low light means slow shutter speeds. Thus, you will probably need your tripod. But if this is not possible, then just follow the rule of thumb for shooting with your hands, that is, using a shutter speed equal to 1/focal length of your lens. So for example, a 70-200mm lens you need 1/200th shutter speed to handhold without camera shake. Try a shallow depth of field by opening up your lenses to the widest possible. Another interesting thing about rain photography are reflections. Rain water serves as light reflectors, depending on how you compose your shot. Reflections adds interest and dimensions to your photos.

Below are some quick tips to help you get ready for your next (or very first) rain photography adventure.

Not all cameras are waterproof so make sure they are protected.
If you are planning to use an umbrella, remember to bring something in dark colors. Stray light can sometimes spoil your shot.
Watch out and be creative with colors. Since stormy and rainy days are gloomy, colors such as in the form of clothing, umbrella, rain gears and nature can really stand out during rain.
Try shooting also in black and white. Or you can convert photos to black and white in post processing stage.
Another that you need to pay attention when shooting on a rainy day are surfaces like glass, plastic, etc. They have different reaction to rain, giving you an opportunity to shoot some abstract scenes.

There you go. I’m sure that once you get started taking photos on rainy days, you will be looking forward to rain in the weather forecast.

If you like this post, then please also checkout our related posts on Photography:

25 EXAMPLES OF RAINY DAY PHOTOS

01-Raining Again by By Yug_and_her

02-The Rainman by Vinoth Chandar
This was a shot taken in December 2010 at Chennai Marina Beach during the rains.

03-When it Rains by EJP Photo

04-When it rains on the mountains by freebird

05- Freesia in the Rain by John Morgan

06-Ray of Hope by h.koppdelaney

07-Message in the Rain by Shattered Infinity

08-Rain from below (Berne, Suisse) by Frederic Mancosu

09-Love comforts like sunshine after rain by Marty Desilets
But lust’s effect is tempest after sun.

10-The current state of things by Ashley Rose

11-Stormy Days by EJP Photo

12-Silhouette in the Rain by ~dannyst

13-September Rain by ~NikoWD

14-Rain Drops, Heavy Rainfall in Edinburgh by Photographer John Gilchrist

15-Rain by Aubrey Arenas
Waiting for the rain to settle down

16-Sad Rain by Scion_cho
Rain usually depicts sadness. I guess it’s because we can’t enjoy much of the weather unless our activity would involve rain-bathing.

17-Shining Rain by John&Fish
To capture an exceptional image of a bird in motion sometimes means the photographer needs to ignore unexpected weather condition. This shot was taken at a 1/4000 second speed in the pouring rain. The raindrops and the flying bird gave a perfect composition of Mother Nature in motion.