How hard is it to photograph a wedding in the rain? Rain is really unpredictable on wedding days, but it’s not something you should dread. In fact, I shot my last two weddings of the season in the rain and they were absolutely beautiful. Night time portraits in the rain are pretty magical, don’t you think?!
With that in mind, I know that rain on a wedding day is not ideal and that it can make the plans shift quite a bit. However, all you can do on your end as a photographer is be prepared and have the right rain gear in your bag to protect your equipment. To help you with your next rainy wedding, here are some tips for shooting weddings in the rain.
1. Invest in Rain Gear to Protect Your Equipment
Camera Rain Cover
I’ve tried to use rain covers before and wasn’t a fan, honestly. I found them to be pretty bulky and hard to use. However, at my last wedding, it started raining during the ceremony (I’m talking more than just a few rain drops!!) and I had to use something to protect my camera. Luckily, my second shooter had a camera rain cover that I was pretty amazed by. It completely covered and protected my camera and lens, and did not make it hard at all for me to use the viewfinder, which is one of the main reasons why I didn’t like using rain covers before. The shoe mount is perfect for making sure you always have a clear view of your LCD and controls.
Lens Hoods
Don’t forget about your lens hoods! Rainy wedding days are the perfect time to dust off your trusty lens hoods. They come in handy when you use a camera rain cover to ensure that the rain drops don’t hit the glass.
Camera Bag
If you know me, you know that I like to have my equipment with me at all times. For that reason, I needed a bag big enough to fit all of my lenses, cameras, flashes, batteries… you name it! That’s the reason why I invested in a rolling camera bag. Like most camera bags, it is not waterproof, but what I love about it is that it came with a rain cover. I love that because I know that even if I have to be out in the rain, my bag and all the equipment inside is fully protected from the rain.
Clear Plastic Umbrellas
If you have to photograph a wedding in the rain, clear umbrellas are one of the best investments you can make. Not only are they great to use to protect you as the photographer, but you can also use them for bride and groom portraits or bridal party portraits. Because they allow for the light to come through, you won’t have dark shadows around your couple’s faces, or around your camera when you’re shooting. They are also pretty and not very distracting in pictures like other kinds of umbrellas.
Rain Boots and Jacket
I’m a firm believer that every photographer should own a pair of rain boots. I found these somewhat stylish rain boots at a store years ago and I’ve used them so many times. I use them in the rain, snow, and any other opportunity that I get. Even if it doesn’t rain on the day of the wedding, but it rained the day before, I still wear my rain boots. They are perfect for muddy situations! I also recommend wearing a rain jacket if you have one. That way, you’re all set for whatever gets thrown at you while shooting. :)
2. Find a Covered Space to Put Your Subjects Under
I know that not all venues have a covered area, but if you are able to find a covered porch, then you’ll still be able to create beautiful bright and clean images. Yes, you might have to shoot all of the portraits in the same location and won’t have a ton of variety location wise, but if you follow the ATP posing system, then you know how to add variety to your images through posing. Either way, make sure to always choose lighting over location. I would much rather have beautifully lit images in one location than poorly lit images in three locations.
3. Learn to Master Your Flash
Your flash can be really useful on wedding days, especially when shooting details. If you don’t master your flash quite yet, I have a blog post all about how to take light and airy images with flash. Make sure to read it and practice the steps I teach you to get amazing results even in the darkest rooms. For portraits, I like to use this mini soft box diffuser to soften the light when using flash. This allows my images to still look bright and airy even when they were shot with flash.
And that’s how I photograph a wedding in the rain! If you’ve found this blog post helpful, would you share it with a friend or on your social media?! I would really appreciate it!
