Shooting in the rain

Last winter I was asked to photograph a local parade. It was raining hard and I didn't have one of those rain hoods you could get at the camera store. It was a Veterans Day parade at Fort Vancouver in Vancouver, Washington. The person who asked me to do the shoot said if I got any good images they would "give me credit" for any images I let them have. That's another story so I won't spend a lot of time on it now. I didn't get credit and they didn't get any pictures. Anyway, I had to figure out a way to shoot the images I wanted and keep my camera and lens from being drenched. Click here if you would like to see my work from Fort Vancouver, Wa. http://DwainsPicks.imagekind.com/FortVancouver

One of the tips I picked up somewhere in the past covered this topic so I was prepared. The tip was to keep a few plastic bags in your camera bag. The ones from the rolls of bags in the vegetable department of your local grocery store are perfect. Next time you go shopping pick up a couple of them or clean and thoroughly dry the ones you use when you buy your veggies. The other thing you need is a good rubber band.

To use the bag, just put your camera inside so the lens with it's lens hood will be outside the bag opening. Use the rubber band to hold it in place by putting it around the lens and over the bag either on or just behind the lens hood. Use a large enough bag to allow you to extend your lens and make manual adjustments if necessary. You can then tear or cut another opening in the bottom of the bag to allow your hands access if you wish. This can be important if you are using a tripod. I also make one more hole for the viewfinder eyepiece. I make this as a tiny slit and then I stretch the plastic over the viewfinder flange. Then I put the rubber eyepiece cap on to hold the plastic in place. You need to be careful that you don't pull too hard on the plastic bag somehow causing the eyepiece cover to pop off and become lost.

I also keep a large clear garbage bag in my bag. I can use it to cover my camera and tripod in a hurry if a sudden wet spell pops up and I don't have time to put my smaller bags on. One other handy item is a small umbrella. I've seen these recently in camera catalogs and being advertised in magazines. and so on. I've been using one for a pile of years and didn't pay what they are asking. I use the ones from Wal-Mart that can be attached to a camp chair. I attach mine to my tripod in the same way. Mine is a tan color which is hard to find. Most of the ones they have now are blue or red. I use my umbrella more for shade than rain but it works in either case. Don't use it when it's windy though. It can cause camera shake and even act like a sail and tip your tripod over, camera and all.

You should also protect your cameras and lenses from dust and the plastic bag trick will work here too.

You should experiment with using the plastic bags in dry weather. Remember that the bag is going to be wet in wet weather and can transfer water to the camera on it's own of you're not careful. There are also other ways to put the bag on the camera that are effective. Shooting through the plastic can give you an artistic effect and you can also use the bag for an interesting framing effect. What ever you do with it, you should always keep one handy.