It’s a rainy day here in Texas where I live. Have you ever been caught out in the rain? Caught out on one of those days where raindrops just keep falling on your head? Once, in downtown Reykjavik, I got stuck out in the rain. I set out on a sunny day only to find the skies unexpectedly opened up and I was trapped. I started ducking between doorways downtown and hunting out overhangs or anything I could use to keep dry as it was really coming down at one point. As I was stuck under an overhang somewhere in the center of town trying to keep dry, I noticed this lady running around with an umbrella trying to do the same. Instantly, I thought about doing a portrait like this. I say “thought” because I almost missed my opportunity. She was darting rather quickly and I was trying to keep up and keep dry. We played cat and mouse for a while, with me missing the shot I wanted several times before I landed what was to become this portrait of her. As luck would have it, I snagged the photo of her that I had in my head when I first caught a glimpse of her. Reykjavik downtown has some sections that are closed to drivers (open only to foot traffic) and so that’s where I was able to catch her walking down the middle of the road. That’s why I was able to grab this shot, as they had this block blocked off and reserved for pedestrian traffic only, so she was walking though. I could tell by her gait that she had been to downtown before this downpour. She seemed to walk very briskly and knew exactly where she was going, darting in and out on her way. Meanwhile, I was busy trying to just keep up.
Immediately afterward I grabbed this shot, I ducked into a bakery, had a cookie with my warm cup of tea, and waited for the rain to stop. Sometimes, we photographers have to be quick on the shutter. This is my lady in the rain from downtown Reyko. (I guess I should subtitle it, “they umbrella you when you want to get umbrelled,” but maybe not, eh?)
Until next time…
