Finding Magic in the Rain - New Orleans
During a rainy October business trip to New Orleans, I excitedly headed out with my camera when most people would have stayed in their hotel room, pondering their bad luck. I’ve learned after years behind the lens: “bad weather” is often a photographer’s secret weapon.
The Gift of Empty Streets
The usual throngs of tourists, the bachelorette parties, the street performers, the shoulder-to-shoulder chaos that typically defines downtown New Orleans was “almost” gone.
Why I Chose the 14mm
The French Quarter's narrow streets present a unique challenge for photographers. Standing in front of architectural gems like Muriel's Restaurant, you're often trapped between buildings with nowhere to back up for a wider shot. Tour buses, pedestrians, and street vendors make it nearly impossible to get clean compositions during normal hours.
Street Car 2015 in New Orleans
This is why I packed my Sony A1 with a 14mm f/1.8 lens. The ultra-wide focal length allowed me to capture entire building facades from close range, showing the sweeping colonnade along Jackson Square or the dramatic corner architecture that makes these structures iconic—all without resorting to stitching multiple images together.
The f/1.8 aperture was equally crucial. In the low light of rainy evenings, that extra light-gathering capability meant I could keep my ISO reasonable while still capturing clean, detailed images.
The Tripod: My Rain-Soaked Companion
While most tourists huddled under awnings waiting for the rain to stop, I set up my tripod on the slick cobblestones and flagstones of the Quarter. Yes, I got soaked. Yes, I had to constantly wipe rain off my lens. But the results were worth every soggy moment.
Long exposures transformed the rain-slicked streets into perfect mirrors, reflecting the warm glow of gas lamps and storefront lights. The wet pavement added a layer of visual depth that simply doesn't exist when the streets are dry. Each puddle became a portal, doubling the architecture and creating compositions that felt almost dreamlike.
St. Louis Cathedral
Jackson Square
Embrace the "Bad" Weather
Looking back at these images, I realize that the rain didn't ruin my New Orleans photography trip—it made it. Without the storm, I would have come home with the same crowded shots that thousands of tourists capture every day. Pretty, perhaps, but not unique.
Instead, I captured something different: the French Quarter in a moment of quiet reflection, literally and figuratively. The rain gave me empty streets, dramatic skies, and those magical wet surfaces that transform ordinary pavement into mirrors of light and color.
The next time you're planning a photography trip and see rain in the forecast, don't despair. Pack your rain gear, bring a tripod, and head out when everyone else is staying dry. Some of your best work might be waiting in the storm.
Cafe du Monde
