Rain has many downsides during photography, but on the plus side, it can add a shine to streets, particularly cobblestone, with its uneven texture. The rain had eased up for a while, and the still-wet streets offered me an opportunity for a visual boost.

While architectural, the simple lines form a minimalist composition. I underexposed, creating ample shadows that added mystery and a level of abstraction. I also shot again at the maximum 120mm equivalent to compress the details and shorten the cobblestone street.

The rain-induced shine, the exaggerated shadows in monochrome, the minimalism, and the compression have created an image noticeably different and perhaps better than the actual location. Something that doesn’t happen too often — the image turned out better than I had hoped.

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