Rainy-day reflections

The constraint is using the water, not fighting it. Rain lays a mirror over every street and puddle, doubling city lights and skies, so the picture is often found by getting low — near the surface of a puddle — where the reflection fills the frame. Shoot aperture priority at f/5.6, keep the Auto ISO floor at 1/125, and let the wet surfaces and coloured lights do the work. This is one time to leave the polarizer off, since its job is to kill reflections and here they are the subject.

Watch out for the camera in the wet and the meter in the dark. Keep a cloth over the body, wipe the front element between frames, and mind spots on the glass that a bright light will flare into a smear. The scene is darker than it looks, so check the histogram and expose for the brightest reflected lights — let the shadows sink, and protect the glow that makes the reflection sing.