Rain can create a wonderful opportunity for dramatic photographs. In Florence recently, it rained around the clock, creating an especially beautiful effect in the evening. I love the look of reflections cast on rain soaked streets. It creates a more expressive image than a photo taken during the day. Paired with a long exposure to record taillights from passing cars, a scene can become quite magical!
Here are couple of tips to help you with capturing a captivating night scene... You'll need a sturdy tripod, remote shutter release (or use the camera self timer feature). An inexpensive three axis bubble level helps guide you to keeping things straight, especially in the dark. If you are using a lens with vibration reduction or image stabilization, turn it off while on the tripod. If you wish to photograph streaks from the taillights of passing cars, you may need to stop down so that your exposure is several seconds or longer. Use a low ISO to prevent noisy images. Bring an umbrella, a hotel shower cap, it works great to protect the camera, and bring a flashlight too. Have fun shooting! ~ Deb
