For those of you in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s a colder and colder time of year now. Autumn is wonderful in all its colors, but the death of winter can leave photographers feeling dull and depressed. Check out my four spots for inclement weather photography to help you photograph throughout the seasons.
Dome
Having a small child takes me to many bright and colorful areas, including video game zones and play centers. There are plenty of photo opportunities, even if it’s just a little fun. Neon lights are suitable for some tungsten-balanced films or even some long exposures if you have the time and ND . filter prepare for it. I love how much is going on in these places and the sense of nostalgia they give off.
You have to be careful that your photos don’t look cluttered, so make sure to crop a bit and really focus on an interesting part of the whole scene. This is a great opportunity to really play with the colors in your composition and adjust the blinking time just right to match the other colors in the image.
If you’re a street photographer, these locations are usually quite crowded and photographer-friendly as everyone has taken a snap, creating memories on their phones, so take advantage of those around you to create interesting works and tell a story. This is my number one choice if the weather is bad. I even shot a pack or two of Polaroid film inside a video game console and was very pleased with the results. It feels like the perfect combination of two nostalgic things coming together to create a picture.
Garage
This sounds a bit weird, I’ll admit. I will also admit that I was approached by a passer-by or two and even a security guard asking what I was doing. I am used to this by now and just took the opportunity to explain and hope to have a pleasant interaction with someone. You might ask: why would anyone want to take pictures of the garage? Allow me to build and convert you into a church of garages.
The underground garage is actually filled with just-in-time works, and a series of photos can also be made with this location. Things offered or to look for include:
- Lines, arrows and signs create patterns and repetition.
- Color columns create symmetry.
- Cool or classic cars are parked and ready to shoot.
- Electrical boxes, open wires, pipes, anything that creates patterns and paths in your layout.
- Trash cans or storage areas may have interesting scenes or machinery lying around.
It may sound like an odd thing to get behind, but I often find myself wandering into another multi-storey car park hoping to finish a roll of film or snap some photos on my little Fujifilm X20 with Built-in flash to make everything stand out. Try it for yourself. There’s more to it than you think to work with.
Supermarket
Sometimes, we pass up many photo opportunities while doing our daily tasks. Photography legends like William Eggleston have truly paved the way for the rest of us to capture the everyday mundane qualities of life and the supermarket is a great example of this.
Just think of all the brightly colored fruits and vegetables lying pretty under that fluorescent light or the repetition of the fridge section with rows and rows of milk bottles with different labels. Strollers either lined up perfectly or sit alone outside in a precarious position perfect for your next frame. The places we visit every day are often a drag. Buy groceries or park a car, go to IKEA: these are all the things we don’t like. Maybe they could be creative opportunities instead.
Speaking of IKEA, after a bout of bad weather and no chance to go out to take pictures, I challenged myself to shoot an entire reel at IKEA with my mother and one-year-old baby with me. I passed the challenge and took all 36 exposures! I was surprised at how easy it was. In fact, IKEA may be the best place to put all the recommendations. For color lovers, it’s heaven and there’s so much to play at each level of the giant homeware store.
My house
You don’t even have to leave the house to take pictures. Sometimes we forget this. Last year, my partner and I did the entire shoot in our living room, turning it into a studio with projector and gel. We had great success and the results were amazing. It’s amazing how you can turn a space into something like a cheap sunset lamp or an old projector. In a world where inflation is out of control and we’re all looking to save a little money, these inexpensive tools can be more than enough and spur you to think outside the box.
I’ve had an idea for a photography project for a while now, and some bad weather would really be a welcome incentive for me to start working on it. I love taking pictures of all my most precious possessions to preserve them in case something unfortunate happens, such as my little boy touching them. This works as a product category or style of still life photography, which will be very new to me and will be the way I can experiment and expand my portfolio.
If you’re lucky enough to have great lighting in your home, then take advantage of that. I see a lot of beautiful aesthetic photos on Instagram with dappled lights or rays of sunlight through the curtains. Rain is also a great thing to photograph, and rain falling on your window or in your garden can also make for beautiful photos.
honorable mention
I also love taking pictures inside the cinema when I visit, as the velvet texture of the seats looks rich and the red often looks great on film.
Another hobby for me and my partner is inside restaurants or cafes. Again, these are the places you were meant to go, so why not bring your camera and get creative. I love the design of the furniture in the restaurants or the interesting lanterns and signs in the dumpling houses in Chinatown.
Whichever option you choose, there’s plenty of room for creativity, not to mention the prospect of a possible series of photos or projects that could turn into something truly worthwhile for you. Let me know in the comments if you have another place you frequent in wet weather.
