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Photographed by Natalia, our London photographer

Couple session · Westminster

A clear umbrella on Westminster Bridge

It rained the whole hour and it did not matter. Wet pavement doubles the lights, a clear umbrella frames two faces, and the bridge empties out. We shot the phone box, the river wall, a dance by the river and the walk back across Westminster Bridge with red buses behind. This is the route we describe in full on our Big Ben photoshoot page.

This is the session we send to couples who write “what if it rains?”. Light rain photographs beautifully. A real storm and we move the day, but a London drizzle is a gift.

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Couple about to kiss framed by the red frame of a telephone box
Couple kissing in the doorway of a red telephone box, Westminster
Black and white photo of a man kissing his partner's shoulder near Big Ben
Couple walking past a red phone box with Big Ben behind them on a wet pavement
Man kissing his partner's cheek beside a red telephone box in Westminster
Couple dancing on the Victoria Embankment in the rain, London Eye across the Thames
Couple under a clear umbrella on the Victoria Embankment, London Eye across the Thames
Woman in a long coat leaning on the river wall with the London Eye across the Thames
Woman in a long coat by the river wall with the London Eye across the Thames on a rainy day
Couple standing together on a wet Victoria Embankment with the London Eye across the Thames
Black and white photo of a couple under an umbrella on rainy Westminster Bridge, Big Ben behind
Couple kissing against the railings of Westminster Bridge on a rainy day, Big Ben behind
Couple walking hand in hand across wet Westminster Bridge with a red bus passing
Couple dancing on wet Westminster Bridge in the rain, Big Ben behind
Couple kissing on Westminster Bridge with Big Ben and Parliament behind
Couple hugging by the river wall under Westminster Bridge on a wet day
Black and white photo of a couple embracing by Westminster Bridge, Parliament behind

The rainy-day route

When it rains we shorten the walk and lean on the spots that give cover or reflections. The red phone box near Parliament Square comes first: its doorway is a small shelter, and the wet pavement in front of it doubles the red. Then Westminster Bridge, where the rain keeps the crowds away and the Houses of Parliament turn soft and grey behind you.

On the Victoria Embankment the river wall looks straight across at the London Eye. Rain flattens the light there, which is flattering on faces, and wet stone gives the photos texture. When a heavier shower comes through, we step into the arch under Westminster Bridge and keep shooting while we wait.

What makes rain photos work

Movement, mostly. Walking, turning, a kiss under an umbrella: a still pose in the rain looks cold, a moving one looks like a story. We also shoot the minute after a shower stops, when the ground is still shining and the sky starts to open.

Dark coats and one colour accent photograph well against wet stone. Leave the bright golf umbrella at the hotel; a plain black or clear one looks better in every frame.

Should you move your date?

For light rain, no. We move sessions for a real storm, free of charge, not for a shower. Our guide to a London photoshoot in the rain covers where we go, what to wear and what to bring. For how sessions work in general, see couple photoshoots in London.

Natalia, the London photographer behind A London Photographer

Photographed by

Natalia

Natalia shoots the London sessions for A London Photographer. She works the Westminster, South Bank and Embankment routes week after week, and sets the route and the start time on the day, around the light and the crowds.

More of her London sessions

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