Rain began falling Wednesday as I left the studio and headed home. After our wetter-than-normal 2004 you would think we had enough of rain but after the weekly snow or ice storms recently, rain seemed an acceptable alternative.

As a homeowner with a driveway rutted by too many heavy trucks over the past two weeks, I hated the thought of more water softening the ground but as a photographer the slickness and reflections of nature’s bath allowed me to pull out a camera and fire away.

Some photographers pack their gear away when the weather turns nasty. Bad light and gray skies make for boring pictures, they claim. Not so. Rain provides many alternatives for looking at nature. The reflection of tres on standing water or fog in the woods. Rain changes the view while enhancing the beauty.

After more than 40 years of looking through a viewfinder, I still find each new picture an adventure, a chance to explore the world around us from a fresh perspective.

“The composition is already there,” photographer Jay Maisel says. “All you have to do is find it.”

Amen Jay. Amen.