TL;DR

  • Photographed with Nikon splash-housing technique at Castle Rock Beach with model Taya Brooks.
  • When it rains // My chat with Nikon Australia.
  • Includes 5-image gallery.
  • Credits: Photography Dave Blake.

When it Rains; Nikon Australia

When it rains // My chat with Nikon Australia. Model TAYA BROOKS @tayabrooks; Photographs DAVE BLAKE | Location: Castle Rock Beach, Sydney, Australia.

“When I’m commissioned to take a portrait of someone that’s been photographed many times (like model/talent @tayabrooks, pictured), I like to do my research and try to create something different. I knew that Sydney had a ‘nothing but rain’ forecast for our upcoming shoot, so I suggested that we actually plan to shoot in the rain, with final pictures intended to be black and white. I have a @liquideyewaterhousings splash housing for my Nikon DSLR, which allows me to take my camera in (and under) the water. Shooting a portrait in the ocean with the look and feel of a full frame camera isn’t something that many people get to try, so it’s kind of special when you get it right.” - Dave Blake

Photo Tips: 1. A shutter speed of 1/200 is great for keeping gently moving things like faces sharp, while keeping water smooth and rain falling through the sky. 2. When your camera is in a water housing, it’s really difficult to constantly check and change exposure settings, so I lock down my look and feel (shutter speed and aperture) in manual mode (M) and simply use auto-ISO on matrix metering. Nikon’s auto-ISO with matrix metering is unbelievably good for shooting people in constantly changing lighting scenarios.

Camera: Nikon #D810. Lens: Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 16-35mm f/4G ED VR. Settings: ISO 72 | F4 | 1/200 sec | @ 35mm

When it Rains Nikon Australia image by Dave Blake (look 01)
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Camera: Nikon #D810. Lens: Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II. Settings: F4 | 1/400 sec | @ 85mm

When it Rains Nikon Australia image by Dave Blake (look 02)
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Camera: Nikon #D810. Lens: Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 16-35mm f/4G ED VR. Settings: F4 | 1/200 sec | @ 35mm

When it Rains Nikon Australia image by Dave Blake (look 03)
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Camera: Nikon #D810. Lens: Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 16-35mm f/4G ED VR. Settings: F4 | 1/200 sec | @ 16mm + large Dome Port for “over-under” photographs.

When it Rains Nikon Australia image by Dave Blake (look 04)
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Camera: Nikon #D810. Lens: Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II. Settings: F4 | 1/400 sec | @ 200mm

When it Rains Nikon Australia image by Dave Blake (look 05)
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