I just got back from shooting my first color sheet film (Provia 100F). While I was out on a trail (about 3mi from the car), it started to rain. I luckily got my shot, and got the camera in the case before it got anything more than a sprinkle.
Myself however, drove home soaked.
Think this is bad luck ? The Halide Gods being jealous perhaps ?
No, I think it's mother nature tossing you a few interesting situations to shoot in. It's up to you to use them. I've shot LF in the rain before, a bit tricky but doable. With a small camera adverse weather makes for some really great shots.
"Raindrops keep falling on my head..." B.J. Thomas
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Steve,
It's not that the Halide Gods are jealous... they just wanted to throw you a slight curve ball to make things more interesting!
Contact Rob Skeoch about a large Harrison dark cloth. It's silver on the one side to reflect the heat AND water-proof to keep you dry... just in case you get caught in the rain!
I've been caught in the rain with my Wista DX so many times it's not even funny! I cover the camera with the darkcloth and, if I'm still shooting, make sure I keep the cloth over the holders when I pull the slides. And, of course, I always use lens hoods. That's for light rain, of course. If it pours, well, that's another matter. Dean
I've been caught in the rain with my Wista DX so many times it's not even funny! I cover the camera with the darkcloth and, if I'm still shooting, make sure I keep the cloth over the holders when I pull the slides....
Hey Dean, me too...I was out one day where I actually had to wring out my darkcloth between photographs!
After that day I changed my ways; I attached a couple strings to the cameras carrying handle, then cut a series of holes in the darkcloth so the darkcloth stays put where I want it - slightly overhanging the lens. On really rainy days I now put a small rain poncho over the whole works, with the lens just inside the 'neck', and my pack gets tossed onto a small tarp to protect it from the muck that's big enough to get flipped over the pack to protect it from the rain from above. On windy days, after the darkslide is drawn, I wrap the whole works around the back and bottom of the camera and tuck it into the tripod legs to keep it from flapping around.
I live in a rainforest, and a rainforest needs to be photographed in the rain !
I found a small beach umberela I set up in the rain then I can work dry. I also made my darkcloth from heavy black cloth on the inside and the material used to cover ironing boards outside. It is silver and waterproof
Just as a side note: I used to do a lot of shooting in the rain when I was in college. I put my Nikon F in a large freezer bag to keep the rain off it. I'd tape the edge of the bag around the lens hood, then poke a small hole in the back of the bag and tape that around the viewfinder. Now, I've got a Contax G1, which I can shoot one-handed, while I hold an umbrella with the other.
In Tennessee, we've got a lot of areas that look good in the rain. I wouldn't say it's a rain forest around here, but everything just looks so different when it's raining.