A rainy night in Paris.
“Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail shall keep the photographers from their appointed shoots”.
You might have heard something similar before?? Maybe something like this, “Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail shall keep the postmen from their appointed rounds”.
No matter, I still like it the way I say it; it certainly has more meaning this way…why you ask?
I teach online classes with the BPSOP, and I also conduct my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops around the planet. If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a thousand times…”It was raining so I didn’t go out”…or “too cold and snowing so I figured there was nothing to shoot”. How about this one, “It was too hot and sunny to get anything good”…I won’t even spend time on that one!!!
I’ve had several photographers do as I have suggested, and as a result have dried out (hopefully in some bar) while looking back at all the great images they shot; and can pat themselves on the back for taking. The above photo for example that was taken in France by a friend, student, and very good photographer. She put on a rain coat for the camera and for herself then went out in the rain. As you can see from the photo above, it was well worth it. It shows desire…a desire to take great photos!!
Btw, sleet, hail, lightening, Hurricanes, and last but not least tornadoes just might be five good reasons to stay indoors…and shoot pictures!!!
I digress.
Rain (misting, drizzling to light) and snow (any type) are great reasons to go out because they can provide you with opportunities that you could never get otherwise. When I think of rain, I think of reflections.I think of going somewhere where there’s a multitude of colorful lights so I can get them reflecting in the wet streets; one of the ways to generate Visual Tension is to show a subject and it’s reflection.
I think of taking a big black umbrella and a volunteer to walk along, holding it while I shooting her or him. This usually will cost me a nice dinner in a warm, cozy restaurant. You can also save the money for dinner by shooting in a city that’s meant to be walked in, i.e. New York, San Francisco, Charlotte, New Orleans, Paris, London. I’ve shot in these cities when it was either cold and raining, day or night; people are still out and about…don’t forget about dense fog for a great way to come back with a wall-hanger.
If you want to create images that have lots of visual interest, these are certainly some of the times to go out. Put on a raincoat, put your camera in a rain pouch and go out. Or to save some money get a large zip lock storage bag, cut a hole to put your lens through and go out.
Some of the best images you’ll ever take will be under these conditions, so do yourself a huge favor and give it a shot!!!
Neither you or your camera will melt.
Btw, it’s really not the mailman’s creed, nor does it have any official status.
Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and check out my workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime. On July 30th I begin my 29th year at the Maine Media Workshops. I’ve had the same week since the beginning. It’s the week of the Lobster Festival down the road in Rockland. It offers a completely different set of photo ops than one would expect when coming to photograph the coastline, lighthouses, and fishing villages of Maine. Come join me and spend a week completely immersed in your love for photography.
Send me a photo and question to: AskJoeB@gmail.com, and I’ll create a video critique for you.
JoeB
