Thoughts on Photography | #6 – Opportunities (2)

I recently decided that I would like to start another very short column in addition to the book reviews – and I’m calling it ‘Thoughts on Photography’. Here, I will share a few personal thoughts on photographic topics from time to time – with as little text as possible (max. 3 minutes reading time) and few example images – perhaps just one. There will be no logical or strictly sequential order to the topics. But perhaps some inspiring or even controversial thoughts over the time… we will see. Feel free to share your thoughts with me…

#6 – Opportunities (2)

Actually, it looks as if I could have called this part of the posts ‘Bad Weather’ instead of “Opportunities”. Because in the second part, I deal even more than in the first with photography in so-called bad weather. Here in particular – in the rain. But other aspects will follow – so I’ll leave it at ‘Opportunities’.

And I’m not talking about overcoming our weaker selves and going out to take photographs when it’s raining – i.e. when the weather is supposedly bad. I just wanted to briefly mention that there is also a lot of beauty to discover when it rains. Beauty that would not exist without rain and wet roads. Things change, things happen, life is reflected in puddles, you see something funny… even when it rains, photography is never boring.

Wait for rain, it makes shooting on the street easier and more interesting.

Martin PArr

And the light sometimes has a subtle magical effect in this weather.

OK, in winter and when it’s really cold, it can be annoying. But in the milder or warmer seasons, I often find it fun to be outside in the rain. It can even turn into a little adventure when it’s pouring so hard that even paths and roads turn into streams.

At the end of the day, however, it’s always about the light – and that’s also there even when it rains. And when almost nothing else works, you can still use it to ‘paint’…

A window covered with raindrops interests me more than a photograph of a famous person.

Saul Leiter

P.S. By the way, I have never ruined a camera because of rain – not even one that was not nominally waterproof. The only ‘water damage’ I ever had to a camera was in the 90s – the motherboard of a Nikon F90X apparently had a corrosion problem due to condensation after weeks in the desert. 🙂

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There is always light somewhere – go out and shoot!