Rainy days & Mondays...

 Back in May of 1971, Karen Carpenter sang,
"Rainy days and Mondays always get me down." 

​But, should they...really?

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I am honestly not so sure.   

You see, rainy days, even if they do fall on a Monday, present a gift of an opportunity to photographers.   The mist, the moodiness, the muted tones...it's a photographer's playground!  And, yes, it does present its problems--like keeping your subject(s) and your equipment dry.  But, oh, the scenes that we can capture!  Especially if the subjects happen to be a couple of soaked-to-the-skin kids who are frolicking in a downpour, or your faithful dog, enjoying a good romp in a mud puddle.  A street scene, a couple walking along sharing an umbrella, the effects of the wind in the trees. Portraiture, street photography, pet portraits, daily life...
​the possibilities are endless!

Rainy days are also a good time to capture abstract scenes, like the photo above.  Just a non-descript doorway in a back alley in town.  Any other day, with the sun shining, I would have passed it by, never giving it a second look.  But on that rainy afternoon, as I sat in my car, listening to the radio and waiting for someone, I noticed it, and it spoke to me.  The blues, the grays, the browns...they danced upon my windshield with abandon, changing shape and place with each raindrop, beckoning me to take the shot.  The rain, then, was my muse, making it possible to see something ordinary in a completely different light.  

I challenge you.  Next time you are find yourself faced with a rainy day, look around.   Look closely.  Take in the entire scene.  Be mindful; notice things.
What you see--and how you see it--may surprise you!