Your photoshoot is scheduled. You are ready. You have everything you need. And then, you check the forecast, and it starts to show signs of rain on the way. You hope. You pray.
What should you do?
Ideally, when you schedule your photography session with us, we will also have a backup date and/or back up location, in case of inclement weather. If it is drizzling, we can still go ahead with the shoot, if you are comfortable with it (as we have some protective gear for our equipment). If it is downpouring, then, that is a different story. We can either reschedule if we have the time and available - or we can move our photoshoot to some awesome indoor locations. The following list of ideas comes found after doing some research and interviewing experienced photographers.
So, you might be asking yourself: What are the best rainy day photoshoot locations in Connecticut? Here are some of the best suggestions for locations for your photography session for an unexpected Rainy Day photoshoot- both indoor and covered outdoor locations in Connecticut:
Hotel lobby: Try finding one with a fireplace or some interesting artwork and décor. Just call ahead and tell them what you are looking for.
Favorite Restaurant, coffee shop or Bakery: Try finding one with a covered garden café area, like Victory Sweet Shop in Queens, New York, or elegant staircase like The Library Wine Bar and Bistro in Wallingford, CT (which, by the way, is where we hosted our first styled bridal photoshoot!). You may also want to consider your favorite restaurant, or where you had your first date!
Our personal favorite for an indoor photoshoot would be a coffee shop you love, with good lighting, some amazing coffee, tea, and pastry treats. Some we love are:
Ashlawn Farm Coffee, Old Saybrook, CT
Dom’s Coffee, Avon, CT
Qawa, Middletown, CT
Cafe Atlantique, Milford, CT
Cedarhurst Cafe, New Haven, CT
Book Trader Cafe, New Haven, CT
3. Libraries : There are few people who don’t enjoy the smell of a good book, both new and old. With that, a library is a cozy and meaningful place for a photoshoot, especially the Romance section, or for new parents, the parenting section!
4. Greenhouses: A perfect location to keep the moodiness of the rain and greenery. There is a small greenhouse in Elizabeth park, Hartford, CT near their outdoor rose garde. Also, both Logee’s Greenhouses in Danielson, CT, and Edgerton park’s Community greenhouse, in New Haven, CT, come highly recommended by our photography friends.
5. Covered bridges: This provides shelter from the rain and offers a wonderful location. Just be mindful of lighting, so either bring your own, or find a bridge that lets some light in. Check out this article for some images of possible places all over the state.
6. The church you will get married in: This would be our first go-to indoor location for rainy days. This is super meaningful to your love and would capture your holy union to come in a profoundly beautiful way. We photographed K+A in their church and the grounds of the church also offered many beautiful locations.
7. The Carousel, Light House point park, New Haven: This location might only be available during the Summer - but worth it if you want something more fun and colorful! Visit here for more information, including who you might need to contact, and be sure to visit ahead of time as you plan.
8. Art museum: If you and your loved one are fans of museums and art work, Lyman Allyn Art Museum, New London, CT also comes highly recommended from our photographer community. The architecture is beautiful and the art is worthy - be sure to call ahead of time!
9. Ender’s Island, Mystic, CT: This is our new favorite photography location in Connecticut - particularly because it is beautiful and holy. This is a retreat center, and open to the public. It was our first time visiting just recently for J+J’s engagement session. We called ahead of time to make sure we understood the expectations and that we followed the center’s protocols with flash photography. Also, to make sure there was no retreat going on and that we could travel the grounds for the engagement session. It was a beautiful rainy day and still beautiful experience for the couple we were honored to work with. (Stay tuned to our blog and Instagram for upcoming photographs from this session)
We hope you found this list very helpful. We made this list because of our latest session for J+J, where we had rescheduled due to inclement weather two times already, and could not reschedule again as their wedding is soon! We quickly got some great feedback and suggestions from our community of pro-photographers and wanted to have a place on the internet that we could easily reference in case we need a back up photoshoot location in case of rain or inclement weather, and all for locations in Connecticut. Please leave us some comments if you found this helpful, or have other places to add to this list!
#withscenescerity,
Tim+Steph