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Nighttime City Hall Photo in the Rain

Ah, the "Philadelphia City Hall shot." Is there anything more Philly than William Penn atop City Hall?

Rather than shooting this image during the day when the light washes out the tower, my preference for wedding photos with Philadelphia City Hall in the background is always at night.

This section of Broad Street in Philadelphia is also called The Avenue of the Arts, and all year long, the street lights up at dusk with gorgeous decorative lighting and casts a warmth and feel that is truly magical.

Whether the wedding is held at the Bellevue, the Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia, the Union League Philadelphia, the Arts Ballroom, or the Kimmel Center, wedding photos with City Hall is a common request that I’m always happy to take care of for my clients. No, it doesn’t get old, since each and every client is different. The interaction and chemistry are always unique, and even the seasons change the look of the photo.

In the winter, the decorations for Christmas always bring a refreshing look to the Avenue of the Arts, and even when it rains, as we see in this photograph, it’s a great place to shoot a newly married couple.

This photo of Stephanie and Darren was taken at the end of their Hyatt at the Bellevue wedding, on a rainy summer night. I used my Nikon D4S, my Nikkor 24-120mm F4.0 lens with a Rogue Flashbender grid spot on the flash to reduce the angle of the light. I think the rain really adds to the image and is accentuated by the flash backlighting the subject.

Location: 200 S Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19102.

1/80; f/4.5; ISO 1000; 52.0 mm.