By : Nikon School Blog | 23 Oct, 2019 |
What do you do when the rain clouds appear all over India? If you’re a photographer, you simply head out with your camera to capture the myriad visuals that present themselves, as if, beckoning us photographers.
Yes, it’s monsoon time in our country and time to prepare for the wonderful opportunities it brings for photography enthusiasts. It’s also a time to discuss issues related to maintenance of your camera equipment.
While the following list is in no way exhaustive, it aims to provide useful guidance to enthusiastic photographers for making compelling images while capturing the visual elements that symbolize monsoon in India.
Clouds
Dark, ominous looking rain clouds may look threatening to the daily commuter, but for most photographers, these are one of the best visual elements you can frame to represent the great Indian monsoon. Monsoon clouds can be framed along with city skylines to make the frame more effective. Including water bodies that reflect dark rain clouds will surely make attractive frames.
People
The Indian monsoon brings out a wide variety of emotions among the people, and most often, it is joy. You can photograph the happiness of people before, during and after rains. Children playing in puddles of water, people running to avoid getting wet or struggling to control their umbrellas, can all make wonderful visual depictions of the Indian monsoon.
Vocations
Like every other season, the Indian monsoon is time for people to engage in certain vocations, and photographing these can be quite rewarding. Examples of these are – the obvious umbrella shops and street vendors, the tea stalls serving steaming cups to people waiting out a downpour, energetic boys helping a vehicle stuck in a pothole, for a small fee, maybe.
Landmarks
The Taj, the medieval monuments of Hampi, the Victoria memorial, the gateway of India; take your pick of the iconic landmarks of the country, and frame them against the grey monsoon sky to create a memorable images of monsoon. Many legendary images have been created against the backdrop of the Indian monsoon.
Colours
Everything gets a fresh breath of life with the touch of monsoon in India. Photography in monsoon cannot be complete without the inclusion of the vibrant, saturated colours that the rains produce. You’ll find them on leaves, vehicles, painted walls, freshly painted signboards, etc.
Camera Maintenance
While photographing the Indian monsoon can be highly rewarding, this is also a time to take good care of your equipment. Here are a few tips to keep your equipment safe during the rainy season.
- Do not store cameras, lenses and filters for long periods inside wooden almirahs, camera bags, or any place devoid of air and light. These conditions are favorable for growth of fungus on the glass elements as well as the image sensor.
- Use a dry cabinet or any place which is well aired and well lit. Frequently take your equipment out and use them.
- Do not attempt to use equipment during heavy rain. For use during light drizzles, use a protective rain cover.
- Keep tissues ready to soak up droplets of water left on the surface of the camera or lenses and use blower brushes to brush off any left-over particles.
- After the season is over, get a thorough inspection done at the authorized service centre, to make sure everything is alright with your camera equipment.
- In case your equipment is exposed to a lot of rainwater, rush to your nearest authorized Nikon service centre to get proper guidance and service.