Bad Weather, Better Photos? Street and Urban Photography in the Rain

1 week ago 13

Most photographers put the camera away when it rains, but I believe this is a huge mistake. I've found that some of my best photos are made when it's raining, and I make the effort to embrace it. Let's talk about why.

The images in this article were shot recently on a trip to Bilbao, Spain. Everything was photographed on a Nikon Z6 III, which is weather-sealed and offered plenty of confidence.

Mood

Rain changes the mood in a city. Often it actually creates mood when there wasn't any. A dull overcast day with flat light, for example, can produce lifeless results. But when the rain comes, everything springs to life.

Streets become reflective, umbrellas appear which add shape and color to a scene. And if you watch people, they behave differently. They rush around trying not to get wet and they fight with umbrellas if it's windy. Many opportunities are created in the rain.

A rainy street scene at night, with so much light being reflected, can often make an HDR-looking photo. Very little editing was required here.

Reflections

When everything is wet, the streets become huge reflective surfaces and throw light everywhere — particularly at night. All those colored neon store signs and street lights can transform a scene and create incredible abstract compositions.

On the streets, puddles form. Lights are reflected in those puddles, as are the people rushing around.

Reflections add depth and lots of visual interest and complexity to otherwise ordinary scenes.

Tips:

Get low to the ground
Shoot a subject in a reflection rather than directly

A scene from Blade Runner, or a Vincent van Gogh painting? A rainy street scene at night, with plenty of colored lights reflecting in the wet, creates a sea of color that can be painterly or cinematic.

Umbrellas

Umbrellas are everywhere and add an interesting layer of colorful graphic shapes to a street scene. They are also a key element in telling the story of bad weather.

You can shoot an individual with a colorful umbrella in dull surroundings, or a group of multi-colored umbrellas with a slow shutter, creating a blur of color in motion. The opportunities are endless.

Tips:

Shoot from a high elevation to capture umbrellas from above and take advantage of their shape and colors
Experiment with a long exposure to create movement and urgency as people rush around

People holding umbrellas make strong graphic silhouettes when you have a background full of color.

A single colorful umbrella in a sea of grey. Not the best example, but you get the idea!

Shoot the Outside From the Inside

Bars, cafés — and even taking shelter under an archway — can be great dry places from which to observe and photograph.

On my recent trip to Bilbao, Spain, it was raining so hard that I decided to sit inside a coffee shop by a window and photograph the street from there. Shooting through glass added another layer of reflection from the lights inside the building.

You can actually use a doorway or window frame to frame your composition, creating yet another layer to a composition. Layering can make an image feel very cinematic.

Sitting in a café allows plenty of time to observe, and gives you time to frame up the perfect composition and do a spot of "fishing" — waiting for the perfect person to walk into the frame.

Tips:

Use a window or door to frame a composition
Wait for someone to walk into frame

Influenced by the likes of Saul Leiter, I embraced abstraction, not clarity. Rainy conditions are ideal for experimenting with slow shutter speeds. Try shooting handheld around 1/4 to 1/50 of a second.

I sat in a coffee shop when it started to rain hard and waited for someone to walk into the frame. To emphasize people rushing by, I used a slow shutter speed — 1/15 of a second.

Study Saul Leiter

One photographer famous for his work in the rain was Saul Leiter. He was a master at finding abstract beauty in everyday life — especially in bad weather. Leiter was drawn to umbrellas, reflections, fogged windows, and partially obscured figures.

In some of his most famous work, he focuses on details like raindrops on a fogged window, letting the condensation and out-of-focus shapes in the background soften the photo. This created a painterly scene touched with mystery. He used color and layering while isolating small moments and details.

One big takeaway from his work is to embrace abstraction and ambiguity.

Tips:

Shoot through windows or reflections
Use negative space
Embrace obscurity, not clarity

Practical Considerations and Gear

When you're photographing on the street, you need to keep yourself and your camera dry, if possible. The most essential piece of gear for me is an umbrella. This means using the camera with one hand while holding the umbrella in the other. I like to use manual lenses, so with an umbrella, I can't focus. One solution is to zone focus.

The truth is, though, that an autofocus lens is going to make life much easier. I used a little Viltrox AF 40mm f/2.5 for most of the photos in this article, which is a perfect focal length for street and travel photography. It worked a treat.

Most modern cameras can handle light rain, but not necessarily heavy downpours. One mistake people make is to buy a good weather-sealed camera but not attach a weather-sealed lens. My Nikon Z6 II performs well in rain. In fact, I've shot in rain many times with it, and it's proven to be as good as its older brother, the insanely capable and tough flagship Nikon Z9. Both models have impressed me. My little Viltrox AF 40mm f/2.5, on the other hand, isn't so good. It's light and conveniently small and can handle light showers, but if you're looking for a solid weather-sealed option to pair with your Nikon, Sony, or Fujifilm camera, look at the Pro or Lab models from Viltrox.

For those looking at a small camera for street and travel that can take extreme conditions such as heavy rain, the best cameras I've come across are Leica's Q2 and Q3 models. They have sealed fixed lenses and carry an IP53 rating. I have as much confidence shooting in extreme conditions with my Leica Q2 Monochrom as I do with my Nikon Z9.

The bottom line, however, is to avoid exposing any camera to heavy rain for extended periods if you can. I often place a cleaning cloth or shower cap over my camera and lens when I shoot on a tripod without an umbrella for protection. It's best to err on the side of caution.

Tips: