8 Make your own April showers

A fun, dry way to shoot a glum, wet day!

If you – or perhaps more importantly, your camera and lens – are not a big fan of wet days, then this project will allow you to capture the spectacle of an April shower in controlled and (relatively) dry conditions. You’ll need a hose (or a helping hand with a watering can), plus a flashgun that can be fired off camera by a cable or wireless trigger. You’ll also need a prop for your ‘rain’ to fall onto – all you have to do is backlight the water with the flash to get a convincing shot.

The subject you choose for the rain to fall on will anchor your shot, so pick a colourful item. Flowers are the most obvious choice, but a hunt around the back garden may uncover something equally appealing.

With a flashgun on a light stand and a flash trigger to make it fire at the right time, we had all the kit required to backlight a rain shower created by a garden hose.