Don't be afraid of the weather

© 2009 Simon Hucko

My wife and I took her cousin to NYC on Sunday to see a show and do some shopping/walking around. I brought my camera, both to document the day and to try my hand at some street photography.

Unfortunately, we were greeted by rain, leading up to a pretty big storm around lunch time. I could have given up and put my camera away, but I kept it out and kept shooting. I had an umbrella with me (a must have accessory for every photographer), so I carried my camera close to my chest and did a lot of one handed shooting.

Shooting in the rain is a very easy way to up the interest factor for your images. For one thing, every picture automatically has a story to tell ("it was raining and..."). For another, people generally don't hang out in the rain and observe what's going on, so your photos will provide a unique look at the world. Rain also lends itself to reflections, which can turn an ordinary street scene into a whirl of color and light. The photo above was taken in Times Square during the height of the storm. The wet pavement reflected all of the lights, adding a lot of color and interest to the scene.


© 2009 Simon Hucko

An example in the "it was raining and..." category: it was raining and this woman was waiting for things to clear up and her customers to return.

Bad weather is a drag, especially if you're travelling and can't just come back when the weather is how you like it. However, if you make the most of it, bad weather can lead to some very interesting and unique photographs.

Photo set from the day here

~S

[title of blog] on flickr