10 steps for shooting in rain

1 Choose your location carefully

Urban areas make great subjects in the rain. Surfaces such as wet tarmac reflect beautifully, especially at night.

2 Judge the direction of the rain

If it’s blowing towards you, your lens’s front element will soon be covered in droplets.

3 Use a UV filter

It’s far better to get moisture on the filter, rather than on your expensive lens.

4 Clean your lens

Keep checking the front of your lens, and have a clean microfibre cloth available to clean off any droplets.

5 Try handheld

Don’t assume you should always use a tripod. Consider shooting handheld, too.

6 Increase the ISO if necessary

The sensors on modern DSLRs are quite capable of delivering excellent results, even with the ISO set to 4000.

7 Use a long lens

I am a fan of using long lenses when capturing weather – you can then shoot from a sheltered spot.

8 Always have a lens hood attached

Another advantage of using a long lens, as their hoods tend to be very deep.

9 Experiment with shutter speeds

A slow shutter speed is great, but try using a faster one, particularly when there are figures in frame.

10 Keep your camera dry

Personally, I find purpose-made camera rain sleeves too elaborate, and prefer using a simple plastic bag or even a cheap shower cap.