Do you want to capture the beauty of rain? The motion of water pouring from the sky can often be difficult to capture with a camera.

The reason why photographers stay away from using their camera in the rain is that they feel that the weather is not suitable for taking photos. Yet, bad weather sometimes presents the perfect opportunity to get the most out of your photography skills. In particular, autumn rain can provide the perfect opportunity to produce amazing photos as there are so many various colors and textures present at autumn.

Shooting in the rain produces a backdrop of a dramatic atmosphere and softens romantic scenes. There are so many different objects and scenes that rain produces which often results in amazing photos. From capturing lightning strikes or water drops on leaves or even mesmerizing cloud formations before or during a storm, you are bound to end up with a collection of impressive photos.

The reflections produced by the water can also produce mirror or blurs of dancing colors, making the photos beautiful and unique.  There are a few photography tips that you should follow in order to obtain exceptional rain photographs.  First of all, you should avoid taking pictures from inside. Windows will destroy the photo quality, so you must be prepared to get a bit wet outside.

Second, have a Tripod handy, and place it on flat ground so that it is steady. A digital photo tip is to use slow shutter and low ISO. When taking the photo, try to focus on the foreground and let the background be blurry. This will create a nice effect as some of the rain will appear blurry.  You can try different angles and see which effect you like the best. You can try taking a photo by pointing the camera upwards or sideways. Take various shots to see what works best.  When taking photos in the rain, protect yourself with waterproof clothing and keep your camera dry by covering it with a microfiber towel. Water can give serious damage to your equipment and you must take these precautions.  You can take beautiful photos of cars in the rain at night. The reason these subjects photograph well is because there is backlight projected from the car lights. Also, it shows the rain on the road and within the path of the headlights. The dark road also makes the photo look quite dramatic.

Some other photo tips for taking photographs in the rain is to use a macro lens to take ladybeetles or other insects on wet flowers or leaves. The droplets of water that accumulate on the leaves or petals create a cool effect.  Wet roads set the scene for movie sets. The best time to take a city panoramic photo is after the rain. The roads will look shiny and street lights will create reflections on the glossy road.

Lightning strikes create a drama for any panoramic landscape photo. These photos are worthwhile, but you must ensure that you are not in an open field or large open space, otherwise you may at risk of being struck. You must time the shot and reduce your shutter speed in order to take a great shot.  Great photographs can be taken of rain hitting water, for example rivers, streams or the ocean. It makes a dramatic effect as raindrops reflect from the surface of water.  Rain drops falling down a window pane can also create interesting shots. With the background blurred out, you can focus on the foreground and capture the various formations made by the droplets.  Before a storm, the clouds can form dramatic shapes and the sky can turn into various amazing shades. Before a hail storm, the sky usually goes a green colour. Before a major storm, the sky will go a dark grey, burgundy color. You can also capture the drama as the dark storm clouds start sweeping across the sky. Or, you could capture the last ounce of sun poking out of a storm cloud, before it is about to rain.  Puddles also create interest as you can get reflections of various subjects from it.  Torrential rain can also be captured and the drama of people running for cover can be captured.

Why not capture the beauty of a rainbow as light rain falls? A rainbow can beautifully bring out a landscape photo
If you are at sea, you can capture clouds gathering in the far horizon and waves getting larger. The calm after a storm can also be captured beautifully with the correct timing.

Timing and patience is the key when attempting to photograph rain as there are so many moments which you may miss if you do not watch carefully.

You can also use the rain as an opportunity to take historic buildings and the streetscape. The buildings will become a different color in the rain and will give it a different dramatic backdrop. The sky will also have a grey or dark tone, giving it a rustic, aged feel to it.

You can also create beautiful photographs of children in the rain or after the rain has subsided. After the rain, there will be many puddles which children can jump in, causing am interesting effect. A digital photo tip is to use your camera’s Sports mode to capture kids jumping and playing in puddles after the rain.

People can also be captured to create interesting shots in the rain. A photography tip is to use a tripod and photograph office workers walking with their umbrellas through the rain. At the same time, you can capture office buildings and the city’s business district.

Rain creates an excellent backdrop to any photo and allows you to tell a story. It evokes emotion and sets the scene for night time shots. Anyone can achieve great photographs of the rain by a little patience and perseverance.