Travel Tip: How to Take Great Photos on a Rainy Day

Written/Compiled and Reported by MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network, Chen Guanxin

 

The Mid-Autumn Festival holiday didn’t go as planned weather-wise, and going out with family and friends might not allow you to capture beautiful scenes of blue skies, white clouds, or sunlight flooding the horizon. But don’t let the rainy weather ruin your enthusiasm for taking photos on your trip. Today, quickly share with fellow netizens the photography experience of HowToTrip’s photo team leader, Zhou Zhiping, during his rainy day encounters in the UK, and see how to bring life back to photos taken under harsh conditions.

As the saying goes, “You can’t stop the rain from falling.” Our trips are planned in advance, but the weather isn’t. When faced with gloomy, rainy weather, we often feel torn between taking photos or not. If we do take them, the results are often disappointing—we don’t even want to look at them ourselves, let alone share them. But if we don’t take any, it feels like a waste after spending so much time and money traveling. So, what can we do to salvage our photos when shooting in bad weather? The simplest method is to block out or simply cut out the sky.

 

Normally, the sky captured on rainy days is a dull, pale white. Therefore, when photographing landscapes or using landscapes as a background, the composition and overall feel can be constrained by the monotonous sky, making the image appear unusually bland and loose. Unless you’re deliberately aiming for such an atmosphere, it’s better to eliminate the potentially problematic sky from the frame—or at least minimize its presence—to avoid too many detail-less elements in the photo. Often, a few tree branches and leaves can cover the sky above. If you can’t find any, the edges of buildings, streetlights, or traffic signs can also do the trick. In short, anything is better than a dead-white sky. If you really can’t find a foreground element to block the sky, just cut the sky out. It might result in a compositionally unusual photo, but it can escape the pitfall of looking empty and loose.

 

Additionally, adjusting the white balance appropriately can make the muted colors of a rainy day appear slightly more vibrant. But remember, don’t overdo it and make it too warm—too much of anything is as bad as too little. A rainy day should look like a rainy day, with a touch of desolation and a hint of melancholy, giving us a moment of quiet reflection during our journey.

 

The first challenge in shooting on cloudy days is the stark white sky. No matter what method you use, try to minimize its impact on the image.

 

↑ At Exeter University, the bleak winter rain carries a certain British poetic charm. Using two large trees as the main subject helps block most of the sky, solving this awkward issue. (Image provided by HowToTrip Editorial Department)

 

↑ When photographing Liverpool Central Library, use the withered branches in the foreground to obscure the stark white sky, minimizing the negative impact of the rainy weather. (Image provided by HowToTrip Editorial Department)

 

2. Reflections

 

3. Foreground

 

↑ When photographing London’s King's Cross St. Pancras Station, the decorative patterns and cut-out lettering on the iron gate were used to mask the messy street view and blank sky. In this case, the foreground becomes the main subject. (Image provided by HowToTrip Editorial Department)

 

↑ The beautiful scenery of England’s Lake District remains impressive even on rainy days. But due to lack of sunlight, the three-dimensionality and detail of the river surface can’t be shown, and slow shutter speeds turn the flowing water into a blur of white. Using a few trees as a foreground helps prevent those white areas from being too obvious. (Image provided by HowToTrip Editorial Department)

The plainer the weather and scenery, the more bright colors are needed to add highlights—achieving that “finishing touch” effect.

 

 

↑ Caernarfon Castle in Wales looks especially desolate in the rain, but a few brightly colored small boats help alleviate the awkwardness of an otherwise black-and-white, colorless scene. (Image provided by HowToTrip Editorial Department)