Probably every night photography enthusiast has a moment of doubt when the weather forecast announces rain. If getting a camera out on a rainy day may seem like quite a challenge, rainy nights tend to scare some photographers even more... but only those who do not know what a wonderful photographic opportunity a rainy night can be! Properly equipped with waterproof clothes and camera protection, even a beginner photographer may get some absolutely stunning shots. Check out our 6 creative ideas for photography on rainy nights and find out what a rewarding experience this is!

Two years after his memorable exhibit "Cronicles of Parisian life" in Paris, the acclaimed Magnum photographer and British photojournalist Martin Parr turns his camera towards his fellow Londoners. In his new exhibit "Unseen City", presented in the Guildhall Art Gallery in the very heart of London, Parr explores both ancient and modern traditions kept by The City, a corporation with a thousand year history, as a part of his long-term project to study British establishment. Given an unprecedented access to some of the most intimate ceremonies held in The City, Parr unveils this unique world to the viewer with his usual mix of humour, irony, and of course humanism.

There are days in Paris, when everything happens at once: sun, rain, wind, and... a portrait session! Dawn and Milton, along with Elaine and Chris, took up the challenge and decided to give it a go. They met our photographer Nadia Gric for a few portraits around the Eiffel tower and soon decided to continue the session at the elegant Palais Royal with its arcades protecting from the stormy weather. What seemed to be a challenge in the beginning turned out into a wonderful portrait session, full of good mood and smiles, and of course the memories of Paris!

It's not a secret that the best time for outdoor photography is the "golden hour", or the time just after sunrise or before sunset, when the sun is low and the light is soft and shadows are long. At noon, on the contrary, the light is harsh and strong, the contrast between light and shadow is at its maximum and everything around looks flat. While middays are usually best for scouting the locations to photograph later, we don't always have this possibility when traveling. Here are 7 ideas on how to make the most out of photographing under the midday sun and get exciting travel photographs.

Mary and Steve came to Paris for their honeymoon... even before their wedding! But when a couple is so happily in love, does that really matter? Elegantly exuberant, Mary was laughing so easily in front of the camera that Steve could not take his eyes off his future wife. A romantic portrait session of this lovely couple around the Louvre and the Seine river in early March with our photographer Nadia Gric will surely bring memories of their wonderful time in Paris for the years to come!

When in London, besides exploring the city thought the viewfinder of my camera, I like to pop into one of the numerous photo galleries for some inspiration. This time I paid a visit to The Photographers' Gallery in Soho area in central London to see a retrospective of Saul Leiter, a prolific American photographer, best known for his colour photographs of the streets of New York and an easily recognisable fluid, impressionistic style.

In our previous post we discussed 6 principles of portrait photography, such as the choice of lens and the settings of the camera, portrait composition, various crop options, and the importance of lighting. This time we will share some other secrets of portrait photography and will add some tips and tricks on how to make the portraits look more interesting.

Have you noticed how fast children grow? Today they say their first word and tomorrow they already go to school... You see them laughing and jumping on their first trip to Paris and you think of how nice it would be to stop the time and live it again and again. The moments that our photographer Catherine O'Hara captured of Yi Jue and her family in Paris will definitely make it to the family photo album and will remind them of their wonderful journey to the City of Light.

The city of Paris is considered one of the most romantic cities in the world, so when it comes to a wedding proposal, Paris makes a fantastic background. Earlier in January, Cheng-Wei and Ming-Ying met our photographer Catherine O'Hara for a stroll in the iconic sites of the City of Light: the famous Place des Vosges in the Marais, around Notre Dame Cathedral, and of course by the Eiffel tower. The day would not have been complete without a beautiful bouquet and a lovely engagement ring - she said YES!

Another year has passed and the Fire Monkey has replaced the Wood Goat... Yes, that's right: the Chinese New Year has arrived and the carnival is back in the streets of Paris! It is always so much fun photographing street events and festivals, so I simply could not miss it. After capturing dragons and firecrackers against the traditional Parisian backgrounds of the Marais in 2015, this time I decided to head to the 13th district of Paris, the very heart of the Chinese community. The show promised to be truly flamboyant, if it wasn't for those rain clouds on the horizon... but first things first.

We continue the series of interviews with Better Travel Photos photographers who share their knowledge and passion for photography with our participants in both Paris and London. This time we are excited to introduce our photographer Catherine O'Hara!

Born and raised in Ireland with a predominantly equestrian background, Catherine came to the City of Light to pursue her studies in the prestigious Speos Photographic Institute and a subsequent career in wedding photography. Her photography style can be described as photojournalistic, subtle, tasteful, and extremely elegant. So who is this girl, often seen in the streets of Paris with her trusty camera, accompanied by her dog Percy? Let's ask Catherine a few questions...

Besides photographing sights and architecture, travel photography is also about capturing portraits, whether it's your travel companions or people you meet along the way. During photo tours, our participants often ask us for some tips on how to capture a good portrait against an iconic background. We have therefore put together some tips to start with, while our photographer Elena kindly volunteered to pose for photos to illustrate the main points. In part I of this article we will cover the basic principles of portrait photography, while part II will provide some tips and tricks on how to make the portraits more interesting.