Why you NEED to go out shooting in the rain (And the photos to prove it!)
Here Comes the RAIN
It rained all night and was going to rain all day too. A cool, miserable spring rain in late March. The demotivating kind that makes you want to do nothing, not even think about photography. Stay warm and dry and edit images on your computer? Nope. No motivation there either. These can be tough days. But I warn you, if you fall into this trap every time it rains, you're going to miss something.
It was a dreary rainy Thursday morning as I put the camera in my truck. I have done enough photography and seen enough YouTube videos to know that even in the rain, you never know what you might see. My expectations are always low, but I'll look around anyway. Maybe there will be fog. Maybe there will be some nice contrasts. Just like how B+W can save the day in the bright, harsh sun, it can also come to the rescue with the seemingly colorless rainy days as well. That's because B+W works with contrasts and the various tones in a scene rather than color. When it comes to rainy days, I tend to look for B+W compositions.
Add some FOG !
On my drive into work I saw that some fog had formed, I don't know what's it's called specifically, but it was mostly what I call 'far away' or high-level fog. Not great for creating ethereal scenes at ground level. But fog comes and goes, you never know. Just keep on driving and keep the eyes on the lookout. The fog got thicker as I headed towards the bay. Then I saw that the bridge on my route across the bay was shrouded in fog. Almost without thinking, I quickly took the first exit off the roundabout. It led to a park along the banks of the bay near the bridge. I thought if the bridge is in fog, this would be a good vantage point.
The rain was very light when I parked and I saw someone walking their dog. I got out of the car and headed over to look at the bridge and it was just about perfect. The form was there but it was cloaked in a soft foggy mist, giving it an element of mystery. When we as photographers say it's all about the light, the conditions, or the weather, this is what we mean. The right conditions can make something magical. Something that we might normally ignore in different conditions. I only had my 200-500mm with me, so I had to back up a lot but fortunately I had the ground to do so. I forgot that it was raining as I framed up my shots and mentally started post processing them in my head. The fog around the bridge should do the trick. This was a good start to a rainy day.
Never Give Up Hope
It rained all day and come around lunch time I was driving around all my favorite coastal spots looking for anything. As a photographer, I look for the magic in the drab bleakness. I kept searching, holding out hope that something would 'happen'. And it doesn't every time. Not at all. Many times I make the same circuit along the coast and see nothing. It's true what we say as photographers; just go out and look around. Enjoy being out and experiencing the elements. You just never know what might happen.
I was at one of the parks along the bay, literally circling the parking lot and gazing into the trees when out of nowhere this hawk comes swooping down and lands perfectly on a rock within feet of my car! THIS was going to be a moment!
What I Go Through When Shooting a Bird
Instantly I panicked and at the same time tried to remain calm.
I stop the car; I don't even put it in park.
I grab my camera and turn it on.
I check my settings; autofocus on continuous high, I change the shutter speed to 1/1000th of a second, aperture F6.3, keep ISO at auto.
I slowly zoom to 500mm.
I have to give it all I got.
I don't even roll down the window, I shoot right through the windshield.
It's a crap shot, but the settings are good.
The first ‘panic’ shot right through the car windshield.
Then I realize that in order to shoot across out of the passenger side window, I need to move the car up about ten feet.
The car is my bird blind.
I pray and slowly let my foot off the brake.
The car doesn't move.
It's a bumpy parking lot.
I pray again.
I give it a little gas and it moves forward ever so slowly.
I creep along.
Halfway there.
The hawk is still there taking no notice of me.
Please stay.
Please stay.
I creep along a little more.
Finally in position and the hawk is still there.
I lower the window.
He's still there.
Keeping my foot on the brake, I left my camera and compose the shot out the window.
First shot in the bag.
Double check focus.
The autofocus light is blinking, damn.
Ok, locked in now.
Another shot.
I go vertical because he is perched so perfectly.
He looks right at me.
I can see his yellow eyes.
I fire off more shots.
I can't believe he's still there.
I notice a piece of grass that is falling right across his lower body. Damn.
This is ruining what can and should be a much cleaner composition.
I notice the stalk of grass running right across the frame ruining the cleanliness of the composition.
I need to move.
The shot HAS to be cleaner.
The car is still running.
I finally put it in park.
I move so slow but my heart races.
I gently open the driver side door and creep out.
Thankfully he’s on the other side.
I crouch around towards the back.
I leave the door open.
My heart pounds and I pray he's still there.
I slowly position myself up against the side of the truck bed and put my elbows on the cover for support.
He's still there.
I compose again and now I have a much cleaner shot.
Finally achieved the clean shot!
I fire away some more shots.
I don't care that it's raining.
He keeps looking around and giving me the occasional glance.
It's as if he's posing for me.
If there was a GOD of nature photography, I'm praying to him, or her, this whole time.
We watch each other.
Both very cautious of the other.
After some time, and about a million shots later, he moved to a nearby sign.
Again, he didn't seem to be in any rush to be rid of me.
I just watched, absorbed in the moment wondering what he’d do next.
Nearing the end of our time together, wondering what he would do next.
And after a little while he flew over to a big oak tree far away.
Our time had come to an end.
I could breathe again.
I still couldn't believe what had happened, it was the best of times.
HAWK number two!
Now, slightly damp from the rain, I climbed back in my truck. My camera was coated with water droplets. I padded it dry. I thought that was it for the day. As I drove back along the service road, I saw a small tree right next to the road with several robins in it. I thought I could push my luck and see how close I could get to them and maybe stop on the opposite side of the road. In the process of getting into position for the robins, I saw hawk number two lurking perfectly on a branch in a nearby oak tree! This time the truck was actually in park. He was across the street and behind some twiggy branches, so I needed to get out and move my position for a better composition. I already had some awesome pics from the first hawk so now I felt like I was pressing my luck. I slowly crept across the street and moved at an angle to the tree. The clear shot was now within view. The hawk was still there. I double checked my settings. Same as before. ISO was a little higher because there was a little bit more of a shadow on this one. That should be fine. I didn't see any lost details in the shadows. After a few clear shots I decided to try to move in a little closer. He let me. He was crouched like a vulture on the branch, paying very little attention to me. I got my shots and then slowly backed away. He never flew away. It was a crazy second success! I forgot all about the robins. I got back in my truck and repeated the drying off process. Good camera equipment is made for conditions like this. I thanked that photography nature god again and headed back to work. Now that’s a good ‘lunch’ break!!
Thanks for checking in. Was there ever a time when you were not motivated to go out, but you did anyway? And were you surprised by anything? Did anything unexpected happen that made you glad you went after all? Let me know in the comments box below.
