A rainy day is perfect for sitting on the couch with a blanket and a hot drink – and, if you’re a photographer, a camera! Even if you don’t go outside, you can get great moody shots of the rain through a window. Of course, not every rainy window picture is equally beautiful. To get a striking photo, you’ll have to think carefully about your subject, technique, and composition. In this article, we’ll show you 35+ examples of rainy day window photography, along with tips for exploring this creative niche!
7 Ways to Photograph Rain on Windows
In addition to good composition, here are some strategies to try out when you’re shooting a rainy day through a window. We’ve paired each strategy with images to inspire your own ideas and photography.
Many of these images were selected from our community, both on Flickr and through our newsletter. We had a photography challenge for the subject “Rain,” and this post includes some photos from that challenge. More photos from that challenge are in our post about outdoor rain photography. Check it out!
Create Your Own “Rain”
If you’re like me and you live in a region of the world with little to no rain, you might be thinking that this photography theme is not applicable to you. However, even if you don’t live in a rainy area, you can still experiment by creating your own! Below is an example of a rainy day window photo without any actual rain. Simply spray water on a piece of plexiglass and place it in between the subject and the camera. Experiment with moody, angled lighting for interesting results.
Experiment with bokeh.
Raindrops on a window can create a gorgeous bokeh glow with the right lighting. Generally, you’ll get the best bokeh through a rainy window if you’re shooting bright lights surrounded by dreariness or darkness. For example, car headlights in the evening can work great.
However, you can still get nice bokeh photos with sunshine and rain, too. It might be more challenging, since the sun will need to be at a certain angle to illuminate the raindrops, but it’s still possible!
Barb – Bokeh Rain
jordan parks – the 10 on 10
A♥ – مطــرت والجــو يامحلا براده♥]
Tiomax80 – Randomness.
Vadim Timoshkin – rainy evening
Compose your image with bright colors.
The grayness of a rainy day can lead to dull images, especially through a window. But this grayness can also be a benefit if you’re shooting something bright on the other side of the window. The dullness will bring out the colorfulness, making it look more striking because of the contrast. Even if the rainy window makes the subject unclear, the bright color can be enough to make your image look interesting.
Joseph Pellicone – Waiting for a Train in the Rain
Orbmiser – Neon Open Reflect & Drops
Haitham Hammad – Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
Phillylady2 – Rainy Day
Jeff Montgomery – Imagine Blue
Switch to black and white.
Shooting in black and white is another way to make a dull scene look striking, as it brings attention to the contrast in light. This emphasis on light can make subjects look clearer and bring out patterns that are less obvious in color. In addition, the moodiness of black and white can match the atmosphere of a rainy day, being colorless and bleak.
Jason Trbovich – that saturday afternoon drive in the rain
Art Vrecenak – The Hotel New York in Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Lorenzo Frullini – Drops
Mayastar Lavi – Although
Jeremy Segrott – Bank Holiday weather: Weymouth in the rain
Choose subjects that are recognizable.
Whether you shoot in color or black and white, you’ll have a higher chance of capturing a nice photo if your subject is recognizable. If it’s not, viewers might be confused about the photo and why you took it. This is especially true because the subject may be blurry or half-hidden by the rain. If you shoot something recognizable like trees or buildings, viewers will understand your photo better, even with this blur.
Ömer Diyelim – Rainy Windows 1
Victoria Pickering – Chesapeake Bay Bridge
VV Nincic – Toronto rain
VV Nincic – Toronto rain
Warren Krupsaw – Crazy Weather
Shoot portraits.
People are one of the easiest subjects to recognize, even when they’re obscured by rain. They tend to grab attention, too, especially if the portrait shows their eyes. A single facial expression can instantly communicate a story and add emotional weight to a photo, making it more compelling.
Otacílio Rodrigues – Pasajera en transito
Todd Baker – When do the rainbows get here?
FHG Photo – Window Of My Soul
V.L.GIL – Earth and Rain
Matt Wiebe – Rain Window
Focus on the raindrops.
When you can’t find a good subject or a good angle to capture a subject through a rainy window, try focusing on the raindrops instead. Look around the window for an interesting pattern, and get really close. With some luck, the raindrops will show the background subject upside down, but even if they don’t, their texture and color alone can be beautiful enough to photograph.
Fe Ilya – Raindrops On My Window
Felipe Gabaldón – Raindrops
Karen White – rainy day
Anthony – A thousand houses
Paul van de Velde – The other side is always the sunny side
Put a subject on or beside the window.
You don’t have to settle for whatever subject happens to be on the other side of a rainy window. You can choose an eye-catching subject to put on or by the window, so that it becomes an interesting shot. Colorful subjects like red leaves are typically a good choice, as are people. Even a handprint can make an unremarkable window look intriguing. Play with different ideas and compositions; it’s a great way to practice and improve your photography on a rainy day!
VV Nincic – rain
Olga Filonenko – My favorite weather
Dmitriy Fokeev
Ken Levy
tainara . – ♥♥
Conclusion
There’s something special about rainy day window photos. Maybe it’s the fact that they evoke a sense of nostalgia, or maybe it’s because they offer a glimpse into a world that’s usually hidden from view. Whatever the reason, there’s no denying that these photos have a certain appeal. Perhaps part of their appeal lies in the fact that they capture a moment of calm in an otherwise hectic world. In a world where we’re constantly bombarded with noise and distractions, a rainy day window photo can provide a moment of respite. It’s a chance to take a step back and appreciate the simple beauty of the world around us. Whether it’s the delicate shimmer of raindrops on a windowpane or the soft light of a rainy day, these photos remind us of the beauty that can be found in the simplest things.
