How to Keep Your Camera Dry in Bad Weather

So as you all know, we are headed into the fall and winter months here in the U.S., which means nasty weather. With the arrival of Hurricane Joaquin, we got a ton of rain in the Southeast, with massive flooding in South Carolina.

When headed out to shoot this time of year, you have to be mindful of keeping your camera dry with all the rain and eventually snow. One of the best ways to not have to worry about moisture getting into your camera is to buy a Professional camera like the Nikon D4S or the Canon 1Dx. Both of these cameras are weather proofed, which means they are sealed tight against rain, dust and dirt.

Now I am sure you are saying, “Yeah as a new photographer, I cannot afford a professional camera body, those things runs thousands of dollars.” I totally understand that and hopefully someday you’ll be successful enough to afford a professional body but in the meantime, there are a couple tips I want to share for keeping your camera gear dry.

1.) Don’t waste your time and money buying fancy camera water covers, you can go to a local store and just buy a shower cap to cover the top of your camera. It may sound silly, but those cheap shower caps actually work great for covering your oddly shaped camera.


2.) Don’t use your good lens cloth to get the excess water off your lens’ front element. Use a shammy to blot, not rub the lens to get as much water off as possible and then finish drying with the good lens cloth so you don’t get streaks in your photos.

3.) When done shooting in wet weather, put your camera body in a large Ziplock bag and toss in a Desiccant to absorb any lingering moisture. Canon support recommends ALWAYS using this third method when done shooting in rain or during the winter when it’s easy for your camera to develop condensation internally. I personally went on Amazon and bought a 50 count bag of 5 gram desiccant packs for $19.

So these are 3 simple tips to help keep your gear dry in rainy and snowy weather, now get out there this fall and winter and make some great photos!

Comments/Questions

It’s raining and I have to shoot, now what?

It’s raining and I have to shoot, now what?

We have all been there, needing to get assignments done and the weather isn't it's best so what can we do? We still have a deadline that we have to make, but we don't want to get our cameras wet. For me I shoot OCR races professionally so sometimes I don't have a choice but to work in the rain. While my semi pro body is weather resistant and so is the glass that doesn't mean I should let it get wet. So what are the available options? Between myself and some of my peers we have tried several different options. I have used in the past a inexpensive bag that is made to protect your gear from the elements. The company is called Op Tech and the bags are available at most camera retailers. They cost about $8 for 2 bags. The bag is pretty simple to use and it very convenient because they fold up small and will fit in your bag.

             There are other options that are more expensive solution but It doesn't mean it's better.  One of my peers have purchased a few of the more expensive ones and they each had something about them he didn't like. The one system that he using covered the equipment very nicely but the area to look through to view the screen kept fogging up on him. That could make it difficult to get the shots if you can't seem what you are shooting. It always best to do you research before you purchase anything because you don't want to have to keep buying different ones before you find what fits your needs. 

             Weather really isn't the best reason to not meet your deadline. There are many available options for us to prepare for the nasty days as well as the nice once. It's always best to make sure you are prepared for whatever Mother Nature throws at you. Sometimes you will find that you have taken your best shot yet and the weather wasn't that favorable. One of the photographers that AI have gone out and shot with never cancels for Inclement weather. The one time I went to shoot in NYC on top of “The Rock” the weather wasn't that nice and they claimed the visibility was very low. I decided to go up anyway since I was there and the view was much better then I thought,  my shots turned out great anyway. You don't want to miss out on opportunities by not being prepared or thinking you just don't want to shoot in the rain.

For more information take a look at these options, each camera will have a different sized cover but the cheaper plastic bag ones are universal.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/469774-REG/OP_TECH_USA_9001132_18_Rainsleeve_Set_of.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/815182-REG/LensCoat_LCRCPM4_RainCoat_Pro_Realtree_Max4.html

 

TBT 

Thursday Ambassador

Inclement Weather...It is an Opportunity!

Hello every one and welcome back to another Terrific Tuesday!

Last week I was doing some on location photography for one of my classes, the day was sunny and hot and not a cloud in the sky.  About one hour into the shooting, some clouds appeared and lo and behold, it started to rain.  My first reaction was to close shop and tell my model to come back another day, to my surprise before I had the chance to say anything she said; “Lets’ take some pictures in the rain!”  I was like: “Ok, but your makeup and dress are going to be a mess”, to which she quickly replied with a “no problem”.  For the next 1 ½ hours I followed her through the park getting images of her with different backgrounds that included some great cumulus clouds, rain in front and behind her, rain splashing in the creek and pond, etc…

Don’t go wondering what is the point, it is simple; inclement weather is an opportunity, not a hindrance.

You might be thinking that you need to be prepared for it, well sometimes you need to be, but that is a quick fix.  Always have some type of protection for your camera, simple!  Some of you might also be thinking that photography is all about light, which is true, but that light don’t always have to be with a strobe, the sun, tungsten lights, continuous lights or hot shoe flash.  Sometimes the challenge might be using clouds as a filter, rain as part of the background, catch that lighting coming down, there are many different challenges to think about when dealing with inclement weather.  Let’s see some of the challenges that you might face.

1.    Your mind set might be that everything has to be sunny and bright for great images.  Your comfort zone is too comfortable to expand out of it?  Nothing wrong with that but consider that sometimes going outside of your comfort zone might improve you as a photographer.

2.    You like to plan ahead and never had a thought about planning for pictures when inclement weather is forecasted.  Well, not you can think about it and plan ahead some shooting, you don’t have to be out there, do it from your porch, window or patio.  Whatever you do, NEVER put yourself in danger around inclement weather!!!

3.    Planning a shooting that require some moody concept or theme?  Dark clouds and somber atmosphere is helpful, so besides some studio scenario, plan ahead and use the weather to set the mood.

4.    Be prepared for it.  Yes, you have a notion of what you want to shoot and how to shoot it and you have planned for your vision, however, sometimes a little change here and there can make your vision more like a revelation!

So, there you go, you see clouds coming your way why not think “I wonder what great opportunities that will bring my way!”  And above all have fun and be safe!  Want to read more about the topic, then follow this link for an article about inclement weather:

http://digital-photography-school.com/the-6-challenges-for-photographers-to-making-the-best-of-bad-weather

Take a look at the pictures in this blog, they were all taken either after a big storm or during the actual rain, let me know if you like them!

Have some comments or questions about what I have shared?  Drop me a line, we can all win by sharing our experiences and opinions.  Until then, see you around cyberspace!

Tuesday Ambassador