Got a call on Jan 22, 2021 about shooting a few Lacrosse games in AZ and thought it would be a lot of fun. Checked the weather forecast, knowing we would be filming outside and sure enough - RAIN forecasted. Not good. Not good at all.
Day 1 was fine and sunny and it didn't rain but day 2 is when it all came down.
As you can see from the photo below, had to get creative and somehow make sure that the gear would not get soaked and destroyed by the water and dust.
For shooting sports the setup is actually fairly simple.
Camera - #SONYA7SII decent camera and get the job done every time
Lens - #Canon70200mm since you need the ability to capture wide as well as tight shots.
Monitor - #Feelworld279S a 7" UltraBright 4k Monitor that I exclusively use for shooting outside and shooting sports
Tripod - #SachtlerACE a 3-stage carbon fiber tripod with fluid head [best bang for the buck]
So the problem was the rain was accompanied by gusty wind coming in sideways so even though I was able to place the camera under the canopy, my rig was still getting drenched.
The only feasible solution was to toss a trash bag over the lens and over the camera and the monitor and hope that I would still be able to operate it and that it would not get wet.
There is also a problem of exposure. You can see the lens has a variable ND filter on it and the only way to use that was to lose lens hood, otherwise you are not able to adjust for variable amounts of sun.
In moments like this you have to think on your feet, act fast and come up with a quick and more-less workable solution. Usually you have to make last second adjustments and those may mess up the whole setup but you just gotta stay calm and think fast and stay positive.
