When I last talked about Breda, over 2 months ago, I showcased urban night photography. This time, a slight variation. Although its only been 4 months since my business trip to the Netherlands, I almost forgot how much it rained over there. In today’s post, see how a little water can add magic to night photography.

When I was in Breda, I didn’t particularly appreciate the rain but it did add an extra sparkle to these night-time photos. I ventured through the historic core, umbrella in hand, to capture some shimmer. It required more effort after a long day’s work but I think it was worth it. Look at these glorious reflections.

Right next to Breda Castle, I caught this nicely proportioned building between rain showers. It was blue hour too, which contrasts wonderfully against the orange lights.

I’ve featured this street before, during the day. I love the proportions here between the street, buildings and trees, plus the gentle curve at end. You don’t often see these details in the U.S., especially without the clutter of cars.

As you may know, they don’t sell coffee in Dutch Coffee Shops. If you don’t get my drift, look at the name of the establishment. I don’t drink coffee or smoke so I didn’t go. I’m much happier capturing the neon reflections instead.

As you imagine, the outdoor cafes were underutilized. But surprisingly, on drier nights, they are crowded late into the night, even on weekdays.

I end with one the main shopping streets with the Grote Church standing dimly at the end. The smooth cut stone and the store lights create such beautiful reflections.

I shot these photos with Fujifilm X100S which did an admirable job, I think. To prevent over exposure on the light and reflections, I dialed in -1/3 to -2/3 stop of exposure compensation on most of these photos. I also shot HDRs with my Olympus E-PM2 which will give a different look. I’ll post those in the future so you can compare.