Rain

[vandermolen]

Perfection.

I love rain. The sound of it, the smell of it, the mood it conjures. That said, there were certainly times when I hated it with every inch of my body – a certain midnight cloudburst while hiking in the Outer Hebrides comes to mind. Pardon my French, but that night's combo of rain & hail practically bitchslapped me all over the Butt of Lewis.

Same here, thankfully my hay fever almost went away as I got older. September or a warm October are still my preferred months. Indian summer all the way!

My hay fever is much better now that it was in my youth. I sat my university finals in 1976 which was an unbearably hot and extended summer. It was an appalling time as far as I was concerned.

[Sef]

Autumn is now my favourite season. As a child, when I had especially severe Hay Fever, it was Winter. September is my favourite month.

I don't envy anyone having to deal with hayfever, and I'm glad I don't have to bother with it any more. My hayfever was incredibly bad in the UK. Exam times were a nightmare, and I used to get asthma with it too, especially at night and had the doctor out more than once. When I moved to the US in my 30s it disappeared overnight, and after a couple of years when I had a choice to stay or return to the UK the threat of hayfever was a large part of the decision. After another 2 or 3 years I had to go to the UK on business in early July, and literally walking off the plane my eyes started to water and I started sneezing uncontrollably.

As for rain - I love it. Always been a winter person too. UK winter that is. Not sure about the Chicago kind - not after the second snowfall, and the sub-zero (F) temperatures.

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

I have the opposite of SAD. I hate the summer but cheer up in the Autumn and Winter.

Interesting comment! I've always wondered whether there is an opposite of SAD, because I have it too. I actually do enjoy sunny warm days at times: May - September, OK, but not for 11 months out of the year, which we usually have in SoCal! The endless sun and extreme heat are really tiresome, annoying, and dispiriting to me. I want to retire to Ireland or the Isle of Skye, maybe found a Celtic nation-state with NikF and Aligreto after Scotland (and Wales??) secedes and Ireland unifies!. 

Summer has its charms, like long nights spent in the backyard over a nice dinner with red wines and friends--of whom I have none, because they all got married, spawned, and drifted away (fook 'em, I'm making new ones!)

In addition to rain I also love winter--the long nights, overcast skies, cooler temps, and low angle of the sun make for far more beautiful colors and more interesting moods than the overhead summer sun. I would love to spend some time in the Arctic and enjoy the long polar night.

[Wendell_E]

I don't mind it much. But living in the rainiest city in the U.S. (Mobile, Alabama), I'm occasionally inclined to say "enough, already!".

[NikF4]

In addition to rain I also love winter--the long nights, overcast skies, cooler temps, and low angle of the sun make for far more beautiful colors and more interesting moods than the overhead summer sun. I would love to spend some time in the Arctic and enjoy the long polar night.

Yeah, that's it - seasons are the most natural lighting modifiers at your disposal. 

[NikF4]

I don't mind it much. But living in the rainiest city in the U.S. (Mobile, Alabama), I'm occasionally inclined to say "enough, already!".

I'm aware it's only down to my ignorance, but to hear that somewhere in Alabama is the rainiest city in the U.S. surprises me greatly.

[Florestan]

I'm aware it's only down to my ignorance, but to hear that somewhere in Alabama is the rainiest city in the U.S. surprises me greatly.

Me, too.

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

Yeah, that's it - seasons are the most natural lighting modifiers at your disposal. 

Indeed, I shoot almost exclusively in available darkness. I do like the quote from Jay Maisel about using the light you have and, something to the effect of--God said 'let there be light', and ever since, photographers have been complaining about the light!

Still, if you can come back later or wait, may as well get the best light you can for your expressive purposes!

[vandermolen]

I don't envy anyone having to deal with hayfever, and I'm glad I don't have to bother with it any more. My hayfever was incredibly bad in the UK. Exam times were a nightmare, and I used to get asthma with it too, especially at night and had the doctor out more than once. When I moved to the US in my 30s it disappeared overnight, and after a couple of years when I had a choice to stay or return to the UK the threat of hayfever was a large part of the decision. After another 2 or 3 years I had to go to the UK on business in early July, and literally walking off the plane my eyes started to water and I started sneezing uncontrollably.

As for rain - I love it. Always been a winter person too. UK winter that is. Not sure about the Chicago kind - not after the second snowfall, and the sub-zero (F) temperatures.

Yes, I've never had hay fever when abroad in the summer - only in England.

[vandermolen]

Interesting comment! I've always wondered whether there is an opposite of SAD, because I have it too. I actually do enjoy sunny warm days at times: May - September, OK, but not for 11 months out of the year, which we usually have in SoCal! The endless sun and extreme heat are really tiresome, annoying, and dispiriting to me. I want to retire to Ireland or the Isle of Skye, maybe found a Celtic nation-state with NikF and Aligreto after Scotland (and Wales??) secedes and Ireland unifies!. 

Summer has its charms, like long nights spent in the backyard over a nice dinner with red wines and friends--of whom I have none, because they all got married, spawned, and drifted away (fook 'em, I'm making new ones!)

In addition to rain I also love winter--the long nights, overcast skies, cooler temps, and low angle of the sun make for far more beautiful colors and more interesting moods than the overhead summer sun. I would love to spend some time in the Arctic and enjoy the long polar night.

I was going to say that your old friends sound like 'fair weather friends' but that is probably an inappropriate term in view of this thread! Although I've been married for 30+ years I'm still in touch with my unmarried friends whom it's often easier to meet up with that the married ones. Going back on topic, don't get me wrong I like warm (but not hot) sunny days and am not a complete vampire when it comes to the sunshine. Maybe I'm more like Miss Havisham from Great Expectations, who shut herself away in a room, with all the curtains closed, when it's hot and sunny outside. There is a nice lady in the village who hates hot weather as much as I do. When it's a hot day we complain to each other about the weather.

[Rinaldo]

Always been a winter person too. UK winter that is. Not sure about the Chicago kind - not after the second snowfall, and the sub-zero (F) temperatures.

It's not very rational, but I hate when winter temperature just fools around zero (°C) and keeps the outdoors cold for no reason at all. If it's winter, I want the endorphine kick of freezing air and heavy snowfall, thank you! When we finally woke up to some proper snow two weeks ago, my reaction was this (followed by blasting Winterreise at the breakfast).

[Jaakko Keskinen]

I love love love rain! It's so soothing, refreshing and the atmosphere is so magical!