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As a host of outdoor photographic workshops, I frequently find myself shooting
in a variety of difficult weather conditions. While foul weather requires the
photographer to adopt creative techniques, it also provides unique possibilities
for striking images.
Tip 1: Wet City Scenes
Wet conditions offer many opportunities for compelling city scenes because the
weather often conveys a dark mood with interesting lighting that doesn’t
occur under dry conditions. Wet pavement can become a light source in your images,
reflecting diffused overhead light, car headlights, or building signs. The result
is often a very dramatic photograph.
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The wet pavement reflects multi-colored lights in this 30-second
exposure.
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Urban scenes also take on a different mood in foul weather. A yellow-orange
gel was placed over the lens and a long shutter speed (1/2 second) was
used to shoot this Ferris wheel in Paris. The gel gives the bland sky some interest.
Try using slow shutter speeds with your camera mounted on a tripod to spice-up
your rainy day scenics.
If conventional city scenes just aren't working for you, try shooting some interesting
close-up details that convey the history or culture of the city.
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A spinning Parisian Ferris wheel with the Eiffel Tower standing
in the background.
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Tip 2: Cold & Snowy Conditions
Cold, snowy conditions can result in some of the most uncomfortable and rewarding
photography you will ever experience.
Cold makes your fingers stiff and you lose dexterity quickly, which makes it
difficult to change shutter speed and aperture settings. Inexpensive chemical
hand-warmer packets are a great solution to this problem. I keep one in each
glove for extended shooting in cold conditions.
It’s important to be very conscious of your breath condensing on the back
of a cold camera when focusing or shooting; this moisture can freeze and damage
the equipment. It is extremely easy to fog the viewfinder or a digital LCD display
through normal exhalation. Try turning your head to the side a bit and exhale
away from the camera.
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Heavy ice cover the needles of this evergreen. A small aperture
setting (f/32) and fill flash were used to ensure enough depth-of-field
and illumination.
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Tip 3: Shooting Storms and Fog
Photographing storms and foggy weather can also result in some dramatic imagery.
The key to shooting storms is to keep your safety in mind, and concentrate on
finding the most dramatic light. Look for the sun breaking through clouds, rainbows,
or bolts of lightning. Make sure you are indoors shooting through a window when
photographing thunderstorms and lightning.
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A foggy, wet landscape in Grand Teton National Park conveys
a quiet mood.
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I bracket exposures heavily on the plus side when shooting foggy scenes to
avoid underexposing these shots. Underexposed fog scenes tend to result in muddy
shadows without much detail.
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Lightning strike during a New York thunderstorm. This was shot
by setting the camera on bulb with an aperture at f/8 with ISO
100 film. The shutter was held open until a lightning strike
hit.
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Tip 4: Rainy-Day Macro Shots
Wet conditions on calm windless days often make for terrific macro photography.
I generally use fill flash in this situation to allow me to stop down the camera
for maximum depth of field. It is important to remember that water droplets
create little specular highlights when illuminated with a flash, so the extra
strobe light needs to be in keeping with the mood of your shot. I often tape
a light yellow or orange gel over the flash to warm the light a bit.
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An off-camera fill-flash was used to illuminate this delicate
pink lady slipper.
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A nearly perfect maple leaf really contrasts well against wet
green background foliage shot in light rain.
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Tip 5: Seashore Images
Combine water, wind, salt, and sand and you have a recipe for disaster lurking
in every shot. Yet, I love the dramatic look of waves crashing against a Caribbean
coral head or surfers on the north shore of Oahu, but you need to carefully
plan these shots in advance.
Be extremely careful to avoid dropping your camera in the sand. Once it hits
the sand, it's toast. Sand will find its way into the lens and the body and
will trash moving parts. To avoid this, I shoot handheld seashore shots with
my camera strap securely around my neck. For tripod shots, I loop the camera
strap around the tripod head knobs to make sure it doesn't accidentally fall
off the tripod into the sand. I also keep the camera safely in the camera bag
until I'm ready to shoot; then I quickly put it back in the bag between shots.
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Giant bursts of spray erupt from the famous blow holes on the
shore of Grand Cayman, British West Indies coated my equipment
in salt spray.
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Salt spray can also be very damaging. It leaves a sticky film on the camera
and lens, resulting in blurry, soft images. I use a clean, damp cloth to wipe
down the camera, and a lens cleaning fluid with microfiber cloth to clean the
lens after shooting in salt spray conditions.
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