Rain

Generally, there's a misconception about photographing in the rain. That being, why bother?

A few weekends ago, I was on the Upper West Side of Manhattan to see a play, Hindsight by Simon Van Booy, a friend of mine from graduate school. Although it was gray and gloomy outside and I knew we'd be indoors for most of the time, I carried my camera with me. 

After the performance, we headed south walking between the raindrops along Broadway and passing Fairway where I used to buy groceries years before when I lived in the neighborhood right after graduating from college.
For old-time sake, I raised my camera and captured this scene just as a taxi zoomed by. Besides its personal nostalgia, I love how the yellow and orange complements the blue awning---and how the cloudy sky works as a giant diffuser balancing the light and making the colors pop so naturally...

Model

There's nothing like spontaneity. At first glance, one might think that I toted this little boy to Central Park's Conservancy Garden, placed him beside these tulips and said, "sniff." But that's not the case.

I was visiting the gardens with a friend from Denver when I spotted this sight. Fortunately, my medium-format camera was hanging around my neck. And luckily, I had the presence of mind to ask his parents to sign a model release after I took this photograph. Six years later, I still marvel at the image and my good luck.
Visit my more personal blog, Recovery Thru My Lens, where you can see how this photograph has inspired me years later.