I love to shoot in the rain. This past weekend the weather was threatening, but I went to Huntley Meadows Park anyway and was happy to see both a Great Blue heron and a green heron. It was already sprinkling a little when I started to take some photos of this little green heron and I had my umbrella out. I like the effect of the raindrops on the surface of the water. The light was interesting too and the heron cast a reddish, blurry reflection in the water.
Green heron in the rain
The weather started to worsen as I headed toward the location where I previously had seen a Great Blue heron. That area has a two-tiered observation area and I knew the lower level is partially sheltered from the rain. I arrived just in time as the rain started to come down really hard. The first photo of the Great Blue heron shows him standing in the water as the rain pours down. It didn’t seem to bother him at all. The quality of the photo is not that great (the light was bad and I upped the ISO), but I like the effect. The second photo shows the same area as the downpour is ending and the water appears as a very vivid green and looks almost tropical.
Great Blue heron in the driving rain
Great Blue heron as the rain tapers off
The rain may not be the time to take perfect photos, but I personally like the look that it gives to some of the photos that I shoot.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Nice! We’re all so worried about our cameras getting wet that we hardly ever see photos taken in the rain.
Indeed. I won’t go out in a downpour, but I will definitely go out with an umbrella if it’s just sprinkling and then it’s fun to try to shoot with half a hand on the umbrella and the other hand and a half on the camera.
I love shooting in the rain, too–provided there’s not much wind. The colors are naturally more saturated and there’s a nice softbox effect–no harsh sunlight fighting with deep shadows. What’s not to like?