Photographing reflections in the rain

Gear:

• Warm, waterproof clothing - if it’s cold and damp you need to stay warm
• Tripod – A tool which is especially useful in the evening. Take a look at Vanguard’s award-winning Alta Pro 263AT.
• Waterproof camera bag – A bag such as the Vanguard UP-Rise 48 will keep  your equipment dry and safe.

Technique:

Abstract
If you don’t mind getting a little bit wet head out while the rain’s still coming down as you’ll get great abstract/artistic shots as the raindrops disturb the surface of the water, sending ripples across it. Straight lines of buildings will be turned into zigzagging shapes while a colourful display of lights can be turned into interesting shapes of colour by simply waiting for a raindrop to break the surface of the puddle.

If you live by the sea or are near a river that’s flowing quite quickly find yourself a landscape or building you’d like to photograph and set your tripod up so your subject stays pin-sharp as this contrast of a still object against its blurry reflection always works well.

For those not so brave, head out when the rain’s cleared but the streets are still damp to give images of everyday objects such as buildings in towns or trees in a park a new twist. Just remember that a brightly lit subject will produce a better reflection as objects that are shaded can just end up looking dull and rather miserable.

Time of day
If it’s rained all day but it looks like you’re in for a dry evening head out in search of puddles and wet streets reflecting city lights. This works particularly well at this time of year with the colourful Christmas lights that are decorating towns and cities.

Step back
As well as focusing on the reflection try stepping back and including the object or person in the shot. Shots of people, particularly if it’s raining, will often have great facial expressions. Try shooting commuters huddled under brollies or people wrapping their coats around themselves to keep dry. Find a line of people waiting for a bus and shoot them from behind. If you can get them as a silhouette even better as the shapes created by coats bags and, of course, brollys will look great.

Don’t forget to photograph people jumping in the puddles too. Shots of kids in bright boots and coats always look great, particularly if you line your shot up so you can see their facial expression in the puddle.