Street photography on a rainy day at Liverpool One

I do love spending a bit of time wandering, documenting life around me. There are so many ways in which people and places can be interesting, and different ways in which I, as a photographer, can capture life.

I like going out in different weather conditions and times of year to see how places change. I also use different lenses, such as my wide-angle lens – where you have to get close to your subject – and my trusty 35 mm. This makes me think more carefully about how I go about using the camera, as well as making me use my legs, too.

One lens I hadn’t taken out around the street, however, is my 50 mm (75 mm equivalent) macro lens. I was interested to see how it fared being put to use out and about, rather than on a tripod, up close-and-personal with small things.

I chose to take her out to Liverpool One shopping centre one rainy lunchtime. Liverpool One has two floors of shops, while on the top floor are restaurants and Chavasse Park. The centre’s open-air, but with partial shelter. I took cover up on the top floor underneath one of the shelters at the edge of the park, and pointed my camera down into the Liverpool One.

People are interesting to photograph in the rain. You have umbrellas and hoods, hunched shoulders, scurrying legs and bags being held over heads. It’s an entirely different feel to dry weather because there’s more urgency in people’s movement.

You also get the added dimension of wet, reflective floors, which can be incredibly fun to work with.

While I was there, I also noticed an area of the shelter where the rain was running over the side. I photographed the water with a fast shutter to freeze the movement of the droplets falling and then splashing onto the ground below. I did get a bit wet getting the final photograph, but it was worth it and I had a lot of fun.