All Weather Photography

Are you an all weather photographer or a fair weather photographer? For many years I was a fair weather photographer. I would only go out when the skies were blue and the weather was warm. And that was fine for a long time. I was happy with the shots that I was getting.

However, one day I realized that other photographers were getting amazing shots in bad weather.  I still did not change my approach to photography. And continued to get the same type of shots that I had always gotten.

Three years ago that all changed.

Just as restrictions were loosening at the end of the Covid pandemic, I decided to get more serious about photography and specifically about street photography. One part of that was making a promise to myself that I would go for a photo walk three out of every four weeks.

I started looking forward to rainy weather so that I could get shots of umbrellas and reflections. This new attitude really paid off a few months later in the winter when I went out in a snowstorm one weekend and got my favourite shot of the year. A shot I would never have gotten prior to becoming an all weather photographer.

No one enjoys walking around in the rain. In the past if it was raining or even likely to rain I would stay home and read a book or watch a movie. I didn't want to spend an hour on transit to get downtown and then have to deal with carrying an umbrella or wearing rain gear.

However once you go out in the rain you will find many opportunities for great shots from people with umbrellas to reflections. The shots you get in poor weather stand out because a lot of photographers stay home and miss the shot.

As Wayne Gretzky said about hockey - You miss 100% of the shots you don't take - so does it apply to photography and especially street photography.

Rainy weather also works at night and after the rain has finished. At night all the lights are reflected and provide a lot of additional ambience to the scene. During the day after the rain has finished you can get great shots of reflections in puddles and other unexpected things such as this dog wearing a pink raincoat in a beam of sunlight.

Yesterday it was -10C I still went out for a photo walk. I put on layers and extra warm clothing including a touque, winter boots. It takes me about an hour to get to downtown Toronto by transit from where I live so I turned on some podcasts, had my camera at the ready for the bus and subway rides and went out. 

When I arrived downtown there wasn't alot of foot traffic due to the weather but I worked with what was available and managed to get a couple of shots I liked including this one. It may not be the best shot but I like it and I wouldn't have gotten that shot if I didn't go out in the extreme cold.

The next time the weather is not what you want, don't be a fair weather photographer and stay home. Get up, grab your camera and go get shots only an all weather photographer can get.