Alright, so the other day it finally stopped raining. You know how the streets look after a good downpour – shiny and full of potential. I saw all those puddles forming and thought, yeah, gotta get out there and shoot some reflections. It’s always a bit of fun, changes the perspective on things.
Didn’t need anything fancy. Just grabbed my usual camera, the one I’ve been using for ages, and stuck my go-to walkaround lens on it. Think it was the 35mm? Yeah, probably that one. Keeps things simple, and I wasn’t planning on getting super close or super wide anyway. Made sure the battery was charged, grabbed an extra just in case, and stuffed a lens cloth in my pocket. Always need one of those when you’re dealing with water and grime.
Hitting the Pavement
So I headed downtown. That’s usually where the best puddles hang out, especially on the older sidewalks and slightly uneven roads. First off, it’s just wandering around, really. Looking for puddles that aren’t too muddy, ones that have something interesting to reflect – maybe some old buildings, streetlights, or even just the sky if it’s doing something cool.
Found a few potentials early on. Some were too shallow, just wet patches. Others were massive but full of floating trash, which wasn’t really the vibe I was going for this time. You gotta be picky.
Getting Down and Dirty (Almost)
Then I spotted a good one near an old brick building. Nice size, pretty clean water. This is the part where you gotta get low. Like, really low. Crouching down, sometimes almost lying on the pavement to get the camera right near the water’s surface. That’s how you get those cool, almost symmetrical reflections.
- Experimenting: Tried different angles. Moved the camera slightly left, right, up, down. Even tiny changes make a huge difference in what the reflection shows.
- Capturing Life: Waited for people to walk by to catch their reflections. It adds a bit of life to the shot, you know? Sometimes you get just legs and shoes, which can look pretty neat.
- Playing with Light: As the afternoon went on, the light changed. Tried capturing reflections of neon signs starting to turn on, or the golden glow hitting the tops of buildings. Puddles pick up light in a really interesting way.
Yeah, you get some funny looks. People wondering what the heck you’re doing sprawled out next to a puddle. A couple of times, people walked right through the shot, splashing water. Annoying? A little. But hey, it’s street photography, that’s just part of the deal. You just wait, or find another puddle.
Keeping it Real
Honestly, it’s less about technical perfection and more about finding those weird little views of the world. Seeing a familiar street flipped upside down in a patch of water is just… cool. It makes you notice things you normally wouldn’t. The texture of the road around the puddle, the way colors blend in the reflection, all that stuff.
Spent maybe an hour or two doing this. Feet got a bit damp, knees definitely grubby from kneeling on the wet sidewalk. But it was worth it. Packed up my camera, feeling pretty good. Didn’t check the photos right away, usually like to wait till I get home. But I felt like I captured some interesting bits. Just a simple, satisfying way to spend an afternoon after the rain.
