Tonight in the early evening as I was working on another blog post, it began thunder storming pretty hard. My two younger sisters has been waiting on this to happen, and decided to make the most out of the warm rain and go out in it. Seeing the opportunity, I decided to photograph the excursion into the stormy streets.

Now, most photography gear is not weather-proof, and my own camera is no exception. However, the method I have used in the past to protect my camera from rain, borrowed from a fellow photographer who used the same method for color run-type events, is fairly cheap and extremely effective. All you need is some duct tape and a trash bag.

I already had one fashioned that I used previously, but the gist of the contraption is to create a bag that will protect your camera body while allowing you access to the buttons and settings while allowing the lens to capture an image. I fashioned this by workshopping the trash bag around my camera, fit with a hole reinforced by duct tape that fits snugly around my lens. This allows me to still adjust the lens, as the bag isn’t actually connected to the camera in any way– more like a jacket. It’s actually held up surprisingly great over time, so I highly suggest trying it out for yourself.

I’ve long romanticized rain, in the freedom and playfulness it evokes. Photographing in the rain is something I’d like to do more of in the future, especially since testing the effectiveness of my camera “raincoat”. Summer is a great time for this, with all the warm, evening showers brought by the warmer months.

Since it was quite last minute, and I’m currently dealing with some technical difficulties with my camera, the pictures didn’t come out the best, but I enjoy them simply for capturing the few moments of carefree joy I spent with my sisters. Here are some of the images:

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I think my favorite thing about the images was the cool effect the raindrops on my lens created with the street lights. You can best see it in the last image: not really bokeh, but definitely refracting the light in a really interesting way.

I hope this glimpse of summertime fun inspires you to capture your own memorable moments this coming summer. Photography can be great for the editorial, stylized photos, but I believe everyone’s first love with photography came from the candid moments captured. Create more of those these coming months.