WET, WET, WET!
03rd September 2011
Anyone who saw the European Championships on TV, or has seen my images on this site, will know that we had a lot of rain in Monchengladbach. Indeed, at the end of the Women’s Final we had a downpour on a scale that I almost expected the four horseman of the apocalypse to ride onto the pitch.
Now, I’m fairly relaxed about getting wet, but my camera equipment is another matter. I lost a lot of good shots immediately after the final (and I was not alone in that respect) in having to get my camera bag off the pitch. It has a waterproof cover I can put over it, but it was not water coming downwards that was my problem. The pitch was flooding fast. But I was able to get out onto the pitch again and keep snapping.
I have a number of strategies for keeping my camera kit dry which it might be useful to share. The problem, as I see it, is dealing with the expected, the unexpected and the maybe.
Under the ‘expected’ heading I would include those days when you just know it is going to rain and you have room in your bag for some proper waterproof cover for your camera and lens. This gear is expensive it’s true, but a pro body and a decent long lens is going to set you back in the region of eight grand, so it’s a small price to pay. My main issue with them, however, is their sheer bulkiness and how difficult they are to put on in a hurry. The latter is not my experience by the way. It’s what I often witness pitch side. I have my own way of dealing with a sudden downpour.
In the ‘maybe’ category, it may be useful to have a pack of those cheap and cheerful plastic camera covers. Op Tech make them and you can get them as cheap as chips from Amazon. They are relatively compact and you can usually find room for them in even the most packed camera bag. I don’t know whether they are meant to be disposable, but I treat them as such. One plus point with them is that they can sit on the camera end of the lens, ready to be pulled over lens and camera when the rain starts. Do be careful in sunny weather though. I once went camping and borrowed a black jerry can with a clear plastic cover over it, and very good it was at heating water. Presumably you don’t want to cook your black camera by the same method!
I’ve left the best tip until last. I got this one from Peter Luck, who at one time was one of the most prolific photographers of hockey in the UK. You’ve gone out on the pitch in brilliant sunshine but the rain clouds have appeared from nowhere and it starts to pour. Getting your raincover out of your bag (if you’ve got it with you) and onto the camera could mean both your camera and the contents of your bag getting wet – so reach for your trusty.........trouser leg! This is not just any trouser leg. If you’ve got an old pair of waterproof trousers, cut one leg of them and tuck it into your camera bag. You will be surprised just how effective it will be at keeping the rain off your camera and lens.
Now, I’m fairly relaxed about getting wet, but my camera equipment is another matter. I lost a lot of good shots immediately after the final (and I was not alone in that respect) in having to get my camera bag off the pitch. It has a waterproof cover I can put over it, but it was not water coming downwards that was my problem. The pitch was flooding fast. But I was able to get out onto the pitch again and keep snapping.
I have a number of strategies for keeping my camera kit dry which it might be useful to share. The problem, as I see it, is dealing with the expected, the unexpected and the maybe.
Under the ‘expected’ heading I would include those days when you just know it is going to rain and you have room in your bag for some proper waterproof cover for your camera and lens. This gear is expensive it’s true, but a pro body and a decent long lens is going to set you back in the region of eight grand, so it’s a small price to pay. My main issue with them, however, is their sheer bulkiness and how difficult they are to put on in a hurry. The latter is not my experience by the way. It’s what I often witness pitch side. I have my own way of dealing with a sudden downpour.
In the ‘maybe’ category, it may be useful to have a pack of those cheap and cheerful plastic camera covers. Op Tech make them and you can get them as cheap as chips from Amazon. They are relatively compact and you can usually find room for them in even the most packed camera bag. I don’t know whether they are meant to be disposable, but I treat them as such. One plus point with them is that they can sit on the camera end of the lens, ready to be pulled over lens and camera when the rain starts. Do be careful in sunny weather though. I once went camping and borrowed a black jerry can with a clear plastic cover over it, and very good it was at heating water. Presumably you don’t want to cook your black camera by the same method!
I’ve left the best tip until last. I got this one from Peter Luck, who at one time was one of the most prolific photographers of hockey in the UK. You’ve gone out on the pitch in brilliant sunshine but the rain clouds have appeared from nowhere and it starts to pour. Getting your raincover out of your bag (if you’ve got it with you) and onto the camera could mean both your camera and the contents of your bag getting wet – so reach for your trusty.........trouser leg! This is not just any trouser leg. If you’ve got an old pair of waterproof trousers, cut one leg of them and tuck it into your camera bag. You will be surprised just how effective it will be at keeping the rain off your camera and lens.
