If your old enough to remember what a ‘Kodak Moment’ is, then you know that they are moments when you wish you had your camera with you…but don’t!
So where is it, huh? What!? You left it…home? Because of a little rain?
Never let the rain stop you from taking your camera with you. Many camera manufactures make rain gear specifically for your camera and can provide a great deal of protection from the elements, some even let you go swimming and even diving with your camera!
On the other hand, even if you own these cool accessories, you may not always have them when the rain starts. Plus…they can be a little pricey, sometimes exceeding the price you paid for your camera in the first place! So what’s a soggy photographer to do? Improvise of course!
The last thing you want is to get your camera wet –digital or otherwise. One trick I’ve come up with is to take a large freezer bag, gently create a small slit in the plastic just big enough for your lens to fit thru. Before trying it on your camera, reinforce that slit with some duck tape to prevent it from getting any bigger!
Next, place your camera in the bag with the lens poking out through the slit. Now, gently cover over any exposed areas with copious amounts of either more duck tape or perhaps electrical tape (because of it’s stretchy qualities). The idea here is that if any water or spray gets anywhere…it gets on the very very front of the lens only. I keep a chamois in my back pocket and gently wipe my lens clean when this happens. Cool…your lens is cleaner now then when you started!!!
Depending on your camera type, you may have to fiddle with your camera settings since some camera lenses might move in and out during focus and/or when the camera is powered on and off. Check your settings to see if you can disable or otherwise manage these settings.
Finally your ready to take some pictures. With the back of the freezer bag open, it’s easy to slide your hands inside and make adjustments to settings, viewer screen, etc. and best of all…you can still take perfect pictures without the fear of the elements. In fact, you can even darken the bag with additional tape as this makes it easier to see your pictures on your cameras screen!
Of course, commonsense prevails. This little trick is not for heavy downpours or for standing out in the pounding waves trying to get a shot of the surfers. But for those occasional drizzly days of summer where you want to photograph the beads of water on a blooming tulip, it’s perfect.
There you go…weather gear for you camera on a budget. The next time the weatherman is calling for rain, consider this little trick and see what kind of images you can create, and never kick yourself again for missing that perfect ‘Kodak Moment’.
Kevin Kratka
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