[turff]

I am a fanatic of shooting during storms. They offer dramatic scenes and lightning is a very exciting subject. Unfortunately with the storms comes a lot of rain. Rain covers protect the camera, but not the front element. Rain on the front element can be bad for the lens and ruin the shot. Here is my solution on my blog page: TaylorFrantaPhotography


I wanted to see if anyone else here does things differently or has any tips/tricks on shooting in the rain?

Here is an example of a composite shot I took with my makeshift "visor." It was raining fairly steadily during this shoot. I have tested this in much stronger rain/wind conditions and it has worked flawlessly and kept the camera and front element 100% dry.

Attached Images

 

[JimJohnson]

My solution was to purchase a K-30 and DA 18-135WR. If the rain is heavier or I am not using a WR lens, I have cheap (almost disposable) plastic camera rain coats. I always use a lens hood, which is great for cinching the rain coat around, plus this is one of the few instances where I might pop a UV filter in to place. Still worse yet and I'm crazy enough to be out in it? Time to pull out my scuba diving camera!

[civiletti]

Why not drop the fabric hood and use only the flat board? It can be large enough to cover your head as well as the camera and lens. A shoe-mounted ball head would raise it and allow adjustable angle.

[turff]

Why not drop the fabric hood and use only the flat board? It can be large enough to cover your head as well as the camera and lens. A shoe-mounted ball head would raise it and allow adjustable angle.

The fabric hood is really just for peace of mind. The DA 15 that I use is not weather sealed, so the added protection is nice.
I love the ball head idea! The flash adapter that I bought has a standard 5/8 screw so I could try mounting my ballhead on it for more clearance. This would be especially useful for UWA lenses! Thanks for the idea! I do think that to also help cover me that the plastic board would have to be much larger and I am afraid that making it any bigger will only lead to more instability and it may catch the wind more.

[stormtech]

What a great shot! And congratulations on your webpage - looks like you are off to a good start.

I'll look forward to more of your videos. Just one small bit of constructive criticism if you don't mind - slow down! - you were talking kind of fast.

I wish I had a better view of the sky where I live - would love to have a try at shots like that. And I like your idea of setting for burst mode at your selected shutter speed - much more chance of getting that great shot.

[Racer X 69]

I like the shoe mounted board idea, and the suggestion to add a ball head for even more flexibility.

By the way Taylor, very nice pictures. You have a great eye!

[JimJohnson]

It wouldn't take hardly any effort to epoxy or use a hose clamp to attach a 1/4-20 barrel nut to the handle of a purse-size umbrella. A barrel nut is just a longer version of a standard nut and typically used to join two bolts, one from each end. It would be easier and likely lighter to transport than the boards. Between the mini ball head idea and adjusting the umbrella's shaft length, you should be able to stay out of the lens' angle of view.

My chief concern with attaching either the board or an umbrella to a camera's shoe is shear force from wind. The shoe is designed to hold an electronic flash, not the equivalent of a small sail. And most storms come with wind gusts. Personally I would feel better using a plate either attached to the tripod mount, or in between the camera and a tripod that allowed me to mount either the board or umbrella above the camera.

[turff]

What a great shot! And congratulations on your webpage - looks like you are off to a good start.

I'll look forward to more of your videos. Just one small bit of constructive criticism if you don't mind - slow down! - you were talking kind of fast.

I wish I had a better view of the sky where I live - would love to have a try at shots like that. And I like your idea of setting for burst mode at your selected shutter speed - much more chance of getting that great shot.

Thank you for the advice! That is definitely something I will work on with my next video...and finding a better camera!

As far as the shutter speed on continuous shutter, it ensures that I don't miss a shot, but it also makes for a lot of pictures to sort through! I can easily hit up to 1000 after a few hours.

[turff]

It wouldn't take hardly any effort to epoxy or use a hose clamp to attach a 1/4-20 barrel nut to the handle of a purse-size umbrella. A barrel nut is just a longer version of a standard nut and typically used to join two bolts, one from each end. It would be easier and likely lighter to transport than the boards. Between the mini ball head idea and adjusting the umbrella's shaft length, you should be able to stay out of the lens' angle of view.

My chief concern with attaching either the board or an umbrella to a camera's shoe is shear force from wind. The shoe is designed to hold an electronic flash, not the equivalent of a small sail. And most storms come with wind gusts. Personally I would feel better using a plate either attached to the tripod mount, or in between the camera and a tripod that allowed me to mount either the board or umbrella above the camera.

Something like that would definitely improve stability and cut down on vibrations. I am glad I posted this because I now I have some new ideas to try out! I literally searched for hours for a method to keep the front element dry and came up with nothing so I just tried a simple solution, but you guys have some amazing ideas!

[ruggiex]

Nice shot! I often wish we have more raining weather here to do something like this.

So what about safety? Where do you shoot these photos to avoid being struck by the lightning or anything?

[civiletti]

Wind will be an issue whatever method is used. Boards, umbrellas, and shrouds all have significant surface area. Mounting the rain shield on a separate tripod that does not touch the camera or its tripod would protect from the wind, but be more cumbersome.

Nice image, turf.

[JimJohnson]

Wind will be an issue whatever method is used. Boards, umbrellas, and shrouds all have significant surface area. Mounting the rain shield on a separate tripod that does not touch the camera or its tripod would protect from the wind, but be more cumbersome.

Nice image, turf.

Yep but I'd rather put up with a bit more 'cumbersome' that pay for a repair to my camera's shoe.

BTW, absolutely great picture.

One of my goals in the next few months is to build a lightning trigger. It looks like a DIY using an arduino board is the most cost effective. I had high hopes for using a Triggertrap with my Android cell phone but the author says neither the iPhone nor Android can respond fast enough to the input.

[turff]

Nice shot! I often wish we have more raining weather here to do something like this.

So what about safety? Where do you shoot these photos to avoid being struck by the lightning or anything?

I usually try to minimize the time spent outside during these storms so I usually get all of my gear set up, run outside and frame the shot and set the exposure properly, then just keep it going with a remote and continuous shutter and get back to safety. For the shot included, I had my car close by and just sat in my car and studied for classes while my camera did all the work for me. Of course sorting through all of the images afterwards can be time consuming.