Photography planning guide
Reflection Photography Weather
Use wind, precipitation, cloud, blue hour, and surface-condition fields to find still water, wet streets, and mirror-like scenes.
Planning goal
Combine calm air or wet surfaces with the right light window.
Signals worth waiting for
- Calm wind for lakes, ponds, and harbours
- Gusts low enough that reflections are not repeatedly broken
- Recent rain or wet surfaces for streets, plazas, and puddles
- Blue hour, soft light, or colourful sky to give the reflection something to carry
- Safe footing, legal access, and enough time to compose before surfaces dry or wind rises
Example alert rules
- Wind speed low + blue hour
- Rain ending + city lights
- Gusts low + cloud texture
Supporting weather fields
19 weather fieldsWind Speed
freeWind speed at 10 meters above ground
Wind Gusts
freeMaximum wind gust speed
Total Precipitation
freeCombined rain and snow precipitation
Precipitation Chance
freeProbability of any precipitation occurring
Blue Hour
Deep blue sky after sunset/before sunrise
Total Cloud Coverage
freeOverall cloud coverage across all altitudes
Astronomical Twilight
Sun 12-18° below horizon
Civil Twilight
Sun 0-6° below horizon
Cloud Base Height
freeEstimated height of cloud base above ground level
Day/Night Period
Daylight period conditions (day/night)
Golden Hour
Golden hour periods with warm, soft light
High Clouds
freeCloud coverage above 6km altitude (cirrus)
Low Clouds
freeCloud coverage below 2km altitude
Mid-Level Clouds
freeCloud coverage between 2-6km altitude
Nautical Twilight
Sun 6-12° below horizon
Rainfall
freeLiquid precipitation amount
Showers
proShower-type precipitation (brief, heavy bursts)
Snowfall
freeSnow precipitation amount per hour in centimeters
Wind Direction
freeWind direction in degrees (0° = North)
Useful combinations
These are starting points for photographer-first alerts. Adjust thresholds for your location, season, subject, and safety margin.
Low wind + water reflections
For mirror water, average wind and gusts both need to stay low at the exposed surface, not just nearby inland.
Rain ending + blue hour
Puddles and wet streets work best once rain eases and artificial lights balance with the sky.
Wet streets + cloud colour
A reflective foreground becomes stronger when clouds or city lights add colour and shape above it.
Related alert templates
Use templates when you want a ready-made rule, then tune it for how strict you want the alert to be.
Create alerts for this shooting goal
Open the individual field guides above to see practical values, mistakes, limitations, and PhotoWeather rule examples.
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