How do I capture falling rain on a digital picture using a digital SLR camera?

Question

I have been trying to capture rain using my Nikon D80 camera with various differnet lenses but not too successful at it. ANy suggestions?

Answer 1

I doubt you can do it without a flash. Without decent light you need a slow shutter speed, and for that you need a tripod... If you want to experiment indoors, set ISO to 400, aperture to f2 or whatever you maximum is (where the bigger the number the *smaller* the aperture) and see what the slowest shutter speed is you can achieve without a blur. Probably around 1/20" or there abouts. The problem is, if anyone moves in that 1/20th of a second (including you) then the picture will be blurry. But if the shutter is too fast then it won't let enough light in to make a decent photo. Good luck with it! Additional to Dave (below): You really think that's what shutter speed is, do you? I think you need to do some reading.

Answer 2

To capture an image of falling rain, the size of your lense isnt the only thing you have to think about when shooting a subject like falling rain, its more about your shutter speed, have to freeze the movement of the rain to achieve a clear photograph of it, the shutter controls how much light is let in, usually you would use a shutter speed of 1/60 (this means the shutter is open for 1/60th of a second) but to capture falling rain you'll probably have to set it for AT LEAST 1/250, but you'll probably want the fastest one available to your camera like 1/500 or 1/1000... hope that helps

Answer 3

You need a fast shutter speed to freeze the drops, a medium f-stop to get a moderate sized depth of field, and a manually set focus point reasonably close to you. (Autofocus will never see the drops by itself.)

Then experiment with combinations and light angles to find the best result.

Good Luck

Answer 4

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Answer 5

The best way to capture rain is to shoot it when it is lit from the side. You may have to use a remote flash, or other lighting source.