Worst case scenario: you have a photo shoot scheduled for a certain day and it’s raining. That is what happened to me and my sweet friend who needed her senior portraits done. Thankfully, it wasn’t pouring. But it was wet and misty. And sometimes a little pouring. Here are the results.

gazebo

Find outside shelter. Duh, right? But sometimes we can be quick to think if its raining, we’re forced to stay inside for photos.  I wanted the photos to be outside, but didn’t want to ruin the camera. Or have a drenched student. So we went to a park with a gazebo.

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Take advantage of the rainy background. Rain makes everything look more vibrant. Shoot with rain drenched nature behind your subject.

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Use the umbrella. If the rain lets up a bit, venture out. Let her play, laugh, dance, and be silly. And capture it all.

umbrella

And she could even use the umbrella to keep dry. I regret not taking a few with her holding the umbrella Mary Poppins style so her face would not be so lost in the dark background.

storefront

Go downtown and stick close to the store fronts. It began out of the need to stay dry, but I really liked the storefront background.green

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Look for color. Since the sky was gray and drab, it’s important to find other sources of color. These storefronts were perfect. Or you could always have her stand in the middle of the street.

street

Love those yellow lines and red brick. A lull in traffic became an obvious photographic moment. I saw the opportunity as we crossed the street. Quick! Pose!

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Finally, bring along a friend to hold the umbrella. And to make the senior laugh. That always helps.

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My camera (for those curious)

Nikon D80 with a Sigma 18-200 mm lens and Nikor 50 mm lens