Family photography in the rain

I always keep a close eye on the forecast and I’m always as flexible as possible about rescheduling, however. However. There is a lot to be said for doing it anyway - raincoats and gumboots and a sense of humour go a long way. Also, deep cloud cover gives bloody good light, colours and contrast. If it rains we can pause, move undercover, wait for it to stop, or embrace it completely. It rained on and off for this whole session (including a sizeable downpour!) and while I’d never choose that off the weather menu, on this day - it made for better photos. I was introduced in a drawing class to the idea that ‘you can’t hold the block of soap too tight’ - as in, if you try to control everything too much, it will just slip out of your grasp. It has been such a helpful framework in my photographic work too. The weather will do what it does, kids will be kids and my role is to know when to do a bit of gentle stage managing and when to just step back and capture the mayhem.

Having said all of that - if even the idea of rain sends your hair into a Monica Gellar hellscape or you had your heart set on a golden sunset - we’ll find another time with zero stress from me!