Any tips for a family photo session in the rain??

[lori.currie]

Hello

I am shooting my first family session in the rain and was wondering if anyone has any pose ideas? I know they won't want to sit so I am struggling with coming up with enough ideas for a two hour shoot!

There are 10 people including one set of grandparents, 4 adults, and 4 kids.

Thanks

[kenwae]

hmmmmmm....

[kenwae]

.....covered pavillions, porches of a home, if everybody has the same color umbrella that might be used as a design element. Rain gear could make it into a fashion shoot....

Everybody could just get soaked and let that be the theme of the day....You could capture that....

Go to a mall, or rent a place and go inside.....

Cancel, reschedule...

Good luck....let us know how it turns out....

[swampler]

Wow! Two hours in the rain, uncomfortable...

In addition to Ken's suggestion, make sure you have some rain gear for your camera. Don't want it getting wet and shorting out the innards...would be an expensive shoot.

[lori.currie]

Thanks for the tips! I'll let you know how it turns out

[RocketRick]

Originally Posted by swampler

Wow! Two hours in the rain, uncomfortable...

In addition to Ken's suggestion, make sure you have some rain gear for your camera. Don't want it getting wet and shorting out the innards...would be an expensive shoot.

Or, rent an Olympus E-1 or E-3, and one of the High Grade or Super High Grade lenses. All are completely weatherproofed, and work just fine in pouring rain with no extra protection needed.

Looks like renting an E-3 and a 12-60mm (24-120mm equivalent 35mm focal length) together would be under $40 a day (and under $30 if you rented for a longer period): http://prophotorental.com/categories.asp?cid=3

- Rick

[cyclohexane]

Seriously, they want to be shot out in the rain?

[lori.currie]

Thanks for the info/links RocketRick

Ya, they are insisting that we do the shoot rain or shine.. Unfortunately it's going to be raining for sure.... YIKES

[swampler]

Originally Posted by RocketRick

Or, rent an Olympus E-1 or E-3, and one of the High Grade or Super High Grade lenses. All are completely weatherproofed, and work just fine in pouring rain with no extra protection needed.

Looks like renting an E-3 and a 12-60mm (24-120mm equivalent 35mm focal length) together would be under $40 a day (and under $30 if you rented for a longer period): http://prophotorental.com/categories.asp?cid=3

- Rick

Yea, then you have to get used to a new camera system too.

[RocketRick]

Originally Posted by swampler

Yea, then you have to get used to a new camera system too.

If it's a choice between getting the shots or not getting the shots, then spending a bit of prep time getting comfortable with a new set of controls seems like a minor price to pay....

- Rick

[swampler]

Originally Posted by RocketRick

If it's a choice between getting the shots or not getting the shots, then spending a bit of prep time getting comfortable with a new set of controls seems like a minor price to pay....

- Rick

Rain gear for your camera does the same thing, without having to figure out a new camera system. I use a cheap Rain Sleeve product ($5.99 for a 2 pack) and my camera generally stays drier than I do, or you can get expensive and fancy. I would do that before renting a camera I have no experience with, but the OP can certainly decide for themselves what is the most practical solution for them.

[Benji]

If it is raining all of your shots will be out of focus because the rain drops blur the "air" in between the camera and the subjects. Been there done that; couldn't reshoot; never got another job from them again.

Benji

[swampler]

Originally Posted by Benji

If it is raining all of your shots will be out of focus because the rain drops blur the "air" in between the camera and the subjects. Been there done that; couldn't reshoot; never got another job from them again.

Benji

Wow! Guess I shouldn't have shot this, then? I mean, it's so out of focus you can't read the name on the jersey (or the letters on the front of his helmet) or see his eyes. Or maybe that's because ISO 12800 is unusable?

Or, maybe it's because I didn't use an Olympus?

Now that I've got the sarcasm out...maybe you'd care to elaborate, Benji, if maybe you meant certain sizes, etc as it's obvious that this is a usable, reasonably sharp photo at this screen size.

[cyclohexane]

Steve, you're shooting at a fast enough shutter speed where the rain drops are frozen enough, and you're wide open so a lot of the rain is almost completely gone thanks to the thin DOF. At a slower shutter speed, if there's enough rain between you and the subject and you're stopped down enough, you'll get a nice blurry "film" over your image in the rain.

[swampler]

That does make sense, Michael, thanks.

[Benji]

Originally Posted by swampler

Wow! Guess I shouldn't have shot this, then? I mean, it's so out of focus you can't read the name on the jersey (or the letters on the front of his helmet) or see his eyes. Or maybe that's because ISO 12800 is unusable?

Or, maybe it's because I didn't use an Olympus?

Now that I've got the sarcasm out...maybe you'd care to elaborate, Benji, if maybe you meant certain sizes, etc as it's obvious that this is a usable, reasonably sharp photo at this screen size.

I had 18 police officers and three squad cars positioned in front of the county jail. I was about 25 feet away using a mid-telephoto lens and ISO 400. I'm guessing the shutter speed was 1/30 and the aperture was about f 5.6 or maybe f/8.0. After I got everyone posed it began raining lightly so I shot about 10 images. The camera was on a tripod, I use a cable release and the focus was correct. The 4 x 5 proofs looked OK, the 16 x 20 was disastrous. I didn't use a flash.

Benji

[swampler]

Thanks for the clarification, Benji. Some good info to keep in mind as obviously different settings yield different results.

[Benji]

Originally Posted by swampler

Thanks for the clarification, Benji. Some good info to keep in mind as obviously different settings yield different results.

My best guess is that the harder it is raining the more OOF the resulting image will be. By "hard rain" I mean not only large droplets but also a large amount of them.

I was in New Orleans LA in 1999 when tropical storm Allison arrived. We were at the mall that overlooks the Mississippi River. There is a bridge that crosses over the river and during the heaviest rain the furthest 2/3rds of the bridge simply vanished into a "gray foggy mist" for want of a better description. Really unusual.

Ben

[Migsheep]

Originally Posted by lori.currie

Hello

I am shooting my first family session in the rain and was wondering if anyone has any pose ideas? I know they won't want to sit so I am struggling with coming up with enough ideas for a two hour shoot!

There are 10 people including one set of grandparents, 4 adults, and 4 kids.

Thanks

These may seem obvious but the goal is to use the rain to your advantage!
1. Find 18 very colorful umbrellas with the 4 for the kids small ones. Pose in various amusing stances using the umbellas as props, do one with everyone holding the umbrella upside down in front of them and looking sad, except maybe the kids are smiling
2. Find a number of very large umbrellas and pose the men shielding the women and the women shielding the kids
3. Pose everyone under a canopy with one daring attendee standing in the rain next to them in a bathing suit
4. Pose everone under a canopy. Have grandpa holding a fishing pole with a fish or stuffed toy on the hook
5. If the sun ever breaks through take advantage of the sharp light and mist in a number of photos

Basically use your imagination and the visuals provided by the rain and the surroundings....

Mig

[Kinz]

You are one imaginative guy. Great ideas.