Bad Weather Can Lead to Good Photography

An important lesson I was taught was that bad weather can lead to good photography.  There are many times when you might look at the weather and decide since the weather is poor, so will be the photography.  I have found that many times, bad weather can lead to wonderful photography.

Last weekend, I was on a photography trip with a group of photographers.  One of the days was going to be a rainy day.  Many in the group chose

to sleep in rather than setting out for a sunrise shoot when sunrise colors in the sky were not a sure thing.

My friend, Deede, and I decided to head out anyway before sunrise to see what we could see.  We headed to Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge.  I have always seen pictures posted on social media of trees at Mattamuskeet that are in the water.  I wanted a chance to take my own shots of these trees.  The sunrise itself turned out to be lacklustre, at best.  We took some shots of the trees and then drove through the refuge to see what we could see.  On the way out of the refuge, my eyes were drawn to the drama that was taking place in the sky as the weather changed.  I asked Deede to let me get out and take some more shots of those wonderful trees.  The cloud activity completely changed the scene and made it one I was eager to process once back home.

After leaving Matamuskeet, we decided to check out the town of Edenton, North Carolina.  One of my good friends and former co-workers was the first to tell me about Edenton.  She said it was such a charming town.  Since she knows I love to photograph, she thought it was a place I would love to see.  She was correct.  Edenton is a wonderful place to discover, even in the rain.

As we were driving through town, I thought I would try to shoot some scenes through the windows of the vehicle since the rain was coming down so strongly.  I shot the scene you see at the top of this post through the front windshield.  When processing it, I used Topaz Impression to lead me to the final image you see above.

When we were leaving the parking lot, my I caught an image through the sunroof of the vehicle that I just had to capture.  I asked Deede to back up the car to just the right spot in order to capture one of the lamps in the parking lot through the rain soaked glass of the sunroof.  This image turned out being one of my favorite images created on the trip.

The next time your original plans are rained on, don’t despair.  Get in your car or out on foot and see what you can discover under the present conditions.  Bad weather can often lead to the best photography!