I love to photograph rain drops. These drops often take on unusual shapes and reflections. Also, you can photograph rain to create "streaks" of light as the water falls through sunlight. Let's get into this.
On the rose photo below, I knew rain was not forecast for several days and I was very impatient, so I created my own rain. Here is a technique you can use to do the same thing.
First, and this is important, always shoot "rain-streak" pictures on a tripod. For this technique to work well, your camera must be super stable.
Next, on your camera settings, choose "S" for shutter or "T" for time value on your camera (camera settings vary).
Select a slow shutter speed (I used 1/16th of a second) and let the camera automatically choose the f-stop (f-8 in my case).
Now, I chose a subject that will look good in a rainstorm (I chose roses because they are hard enough that the rain will bounce off the petals) and I love the bright red color splash in my photos.
Next, chose a location that positions your camera angle, shooting into the sunlight with sunbeams lighting from behind the flowers. If possible, position your camera in such a way that your background is dark so the water streaks will stand out. This important technique will also make the falling water "streak" past the camera lens (enhanced by the slow shutter speed). Now, turn on the water sprinkler and catch the action.
Below, I used the same technique with a Hydrangea and the results are equally interesting.
Sometimes, just photographing water droplets on a flower petal adds interest and dimension to a picture that would not normally be there. For these pictures, rain watered the flowers and I just happened to be outside after the rainstorm to capture the result.
For the best result, choose a morning or afternoon time of day for raindrop pictures (not mid-day). I call early and late hours the "sweet light." When the sun is straight overhead, the sun's light flattens the look and creates pictures with less dimension.
I hope you enjoyed this lesson on photographing flowers and raindrops.