A Rainy-Day Photoshoot in London: Umbrellas, Colour and Coffee
You pull your partner a little closer beneath the umbrella, a shop window glows across the wet pavement, and London suddenly looks rather lovely in the rain. That could be part of your photo day. So could colourful market details, a warm room or a change of time that suits you better. You get to choose the version you’ll actually enjoy.
October 7, 2026
Updated
Table of Contents
A rainy-day photoshoot in London can still feel like a treat
Rain doesn’t take all the colour out of London. Burgundy market fronts, a bright coat and lights reflected on wet paving can give your photographs plenty to work with. You might love the thought of a few umbrella pictures together, followed by somewhere warm to sit. That’s a perfectly good starting point for the plan.
There’s something lovely about seeing London shine around you. Local photographer Will Fuller describes looking for puddles and city lights reflected on wet streets during his couple shoots. Emily Dias-Geoffroy describes a rainy city-break shoot around Regent’s Canal and suggests a simple umbrella for wet weather. Your day will have its own weather and possibilities, but these outings show why a little rain can still appeal.
This is for you if a little drizzle sounds like part of the adventure. You can enjoy the London you find that day, with your photographer choosing suitable places as the weather allows. Reflections depend on the conditions. If you’re hoping for a quieter background, tell your photographer, while keeping in mind that people may still be passing through.
And if you’d much rather stay dry, say so. You can be excited about your photographs without wanting wet hair, damp clothes or a long outdoor walk. An agreed covered setting or indoor session may be far closer to the day you imagined. Neither of you needs to pretend otherwise for the camera.
There’s something lovely about seeing London shine around you. Local photographer Will Fuller describes looking for puddles and city lights reflected on wet streets during his couple shoots. Emily Dias-Geoffroy describes a rainy city-break shoot around Regent’s Canal and suggests a simple umbrella for wet weather. Your day will have its own weather and possibilities, but these outings show why a little rain can still appeal.
This is for you if a little drizzle sounds like part of the adventure. You can enjoy the London you find that day, with your photographer choosing suitable places as the weather allows. Reflections depend on the conditions. If you’re hoping for a quieter background, tell your photographer, while keeping in mind that people may still be passing through.
And if you’d much rather stay dry, say so. You can be excited about your photographs without wanting wet hair, damp clothes or a long outdoor walk. An agreed covered setting or indoor session may be far closer to the day you imagined. Neither of you needs to pretend otherwise for the camera.
Read the forecast for the hours you’ll be out
That little rain symbol can make a whole holiday day look decided before you’ve even left your room. Look a little closer before changing everything. A forecast of passing showers calls for a different conversation from rain expected to last through most of your session.
If you fancy a little umbrella time, the kind of rain matters more than the symbol alone. The Met Office describes showers as local and changeable, with rain coming and going, though a shower can still be heavy. When rain looks more persistent, an arranged covered base or another time may sound much more inviting than waiting outside for a gap.
A 70% rain forecast doesn’t mean it’ll rain for 70% of your session. It means a seven-in-ten chance of precipitation at some point during the forecast period. Look at the forecast for your chosen area and hours, including the type of rain. You’ll have a clearer starting point for planning the part of London you’re looking forward to.
Wind and the “feels like” temperature matter to your comfort as well. Light rain on a mild, still day may feel quite different from the same rain blowing across an exposed riverside. Share what you’re happy with, then agree with your photographer when you’ll look at the forecast together and make the call.
If you fancy a little umbrella time, the kind of rain matters more than the symbol alone. The Met Office describes showers as local and changeable, with rain coming and going, though a shower can still be heavy. When rain looks more persistent, an arranged covered base or another time may sound much more inviting than waiting outside for a gap.
A 70% rain forecast doesn’t mean it’ll rain for 70% of your session. It means a seven-in-ten chance of precipitation at some point during the forecast period. Look at the forecast for your chosen area and hours, including the type of rain. You’ll have a clearer starting point for planning the part of London you’re looking forward to.
Wind and the “feels like” temperature matter to your comfort as well. Light rain on a mild, still day may feel quite different from the same rain blowing across an exposed riverside. Share what you’re happy with, then agree with your photographer when you’ll look at the forecast together and make the call.
Choose how much outdoors you fancy
Start by picturing yourselves in the photographs. Are you smiling beneath one umbrella, wandering through a colourful arcade or sitting close together in a warm room? Those are three different experiences, and each can be lovely when it’s the one you wanted.
An umbrella walk keeps London’s streets in the story. This suits you if you’re happy with a little weather and a flexible, compact outing. You might take a few pictures on wet paving, pause somewhere agreed when a shower passes through and carry on when it feels comfortable. Your photographer can keep the walk centred on a small area, so the day isn’t spent travelling between scattered landmarks.
A covered setting gives you colour and architecture to enjoy. Leadenhall and Old Spitalfields are worth discussing if their look appeals to you. A roof can help with rain, but a covered market is still a working place shared with shoppers, traders and people passing through. Choose it as somewhere you genuinely want to visit, with the photography arrangements made beforehand.
An indoor room makes a different kind of portrait possible. Think of a relaxed picture over a table or a closer photograph beside a window, in a space that’s agreed for the shoot. You may trade the big landmark background for a more personal moment together. This is for you if warmth and a slower pace sound much more inviting than being outside.
You could begin at an agreed covered meeting point, step out nearby for umbrella pictures if you both feel comfortable, then return to that base. Ask your photographer whether that little outing suits the setting, conditions and time you’ve booked. Choose the main setting first, so any outdoor part feels like a welcome addition to a day you already fancy.
An umbrella walk keeps London’s streets in the story. This suits you if you’re happy with a little weather and a flexible, compact outing. You might take a few pictures on wet paving, pause somewhere agreed when a shower passes through and carry on when it feels comfortable. Your photographer can keep the walk centred on a small area, so the day isn’t spent travelling between scattered landmarks.
A covered setting gives you colour and architecture to enjoy. Leadenhall and Old Spitalfields are worth discussing if their look appeals to you. A roof can help with rain, but a covered market is still a working place shared with shoppers, traders and people passing through. Choose it as somewhere you genuinely want to visit, with the photography arrangements made beforehand.
An indoor room makes a different kind of portrait possible. Think of a relaxed picture over a table or a closer photograph beside a window, in a space that’s agreed for the shoot. You may trade the big landmark background for a more personal moment together. This is for you if warmth and a slower pace sound much more inviting than being outside.
You could begin at an agreed covered meeting point, step out nearby for umbrella pictures if you both feel comfortable, then return to that base. Ask your photographer whether that little outing suits the setting, conditions and time you’ve booked. Choose the main setting first, so any outdoor part feels like a welcome addition to a day you already fancy.
Leadenhall Market for colour beneath the roof
Look up at Leadenhall and you’ll see rich red, cream and gold details beneath the Victorian roof. Outside the entrance, modern glass offices rise above the older buildings. That mix gives you a very different London background from an open stretch of river, with little details to notice as you walk.
The photographs here come from a dry September visit. They show the covered setting and its colours, not a rainy photoshoot. In the entrance picture, people are walking through and sitting at tables outside businesses. It’s a useful reminder that your photographs can belong to a real London day without needing the place to be empty.
Look closely at the second image and you’ll spot the miniature Wunderkammer frontage at No. 27¼. Its little windows and burgundy-and-cream details were part of a temporary installation advertised for September to December 2026, ending on 22 December. For a later visit, check what’s on at the market then. The detail you fall for may be something quite different.
For your own pictures, you might favour a wider view beneath the roof or a closer portrait with the warm shopfront colours behind you. Tell your photographer which appeals most. The market currently notes scaffolding for essential maintenance while remaining open, so ask about the particular background you have in mind rather than expecting every view to match an older photograph.
If you love the thought of Leadenhall, ask your photographer to settle the photography arrangements before you make it your rainy-day plan. The public areas are open 24 hours a day, while shops, bars and restaurants have their own hours. A hired photoshoot is a separate matter: the City of London includes Leadenhall among its properties where filming and photography should be discussed with its Film Team, regardless of crew size.
The photographs here come from a dry September visit. They show the covered setting and its colours, not a rainy photoshoot. In the entrance picture, people are walking through and sitting at tables outside businesses. It’s a useful reminder that your photographs can belong to a real London day without needing the place to be empty.
Look closely at the second image and you’ll spot the miniature Wunderkammer frontage at No. 27¼. Its little windows and burgundy-and-cream details were part of a temporary installation advertised for September to December 2026, ending on 22 December. For a later visit, check what’s on at the market then. The detail you fall for may be something quite different.
For your own pictures, you might favour a wider view beneath the roof or a closer portrait with the warm shopfront colours behind you. Tell your photographer which appeals most. The market currently notes scaffolding for essential maintenance while remaining open, so ask about the particular background you have in mind rather than expecting every view to match an older photograph.
If you love the thought of Leadenhall, ask your photographer to settle the photography arrangements before you make it your rainy-day plan. The public areas are open 24 hours a day, while shops, bars and restaurants have their own hours. A hired photoshoot is a separate matter: the City of London includes Leadenhall among its properties where filming and photography should be discussed with its Film Team, regardless of crew size.
Old Spitalfields for a market day together
Old Spitalfields offers another sort of covered London outing: market stalls, shops and places to eat beneath a Victorian roof. You can make the photographs part of spending time in East London, especially if browsing and stopping for something to eat sound more like you than a landmark tour.
In Paola De Paola’s account of Katie and Ross’s rainy engagement shoot, their day included Leadenhall before they continued to Old Spitalfields while the rain carried on. Earlier, they’d looked for orange around the South Bank because it was Katie’s favourite colour. The lovely idea to borrow is that personal thread, not the whole journey between locations. You might choose one place that has the colours and details you like.
Fancy pictures followed by a browse and something to eat? Plan your visit to Old Spitalfields Market, at 16 Horner Square, around the parts you’d like to enjoy. The daily market currently opens from 10am to 6pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; from 8am to 6pm on Thursday; and from 10am to 5pm on Sunday. The Kitchens start serving at 11am, closing at 6pm Monday to Saturday and 5pm on Sunday. Individual shops keep their own hours, so check any particular favourite before you set off.
If Old Spitalfields feels like your kind of London day, have your photographer ask the market’s own location team about your exact shoot before making it the fallback. The published film-location guidance mentions an agreement, insurance details and a possible location fee. It doesn’t spell out every arrangement for a small still-photo session, so the team needs to confirm what applies to yours.
Send your photographer the exact market or meeting point you have in mind, especially if you’ve saved a picture you love. Old Spitalfields Market and the neighbouring Spitalfields estate have separate contact teams, so the name alone won’t settle the arrangements. With the right place agreed, you can enjoy its colours and details together while leaving room for shoppers to browse around you.
In Paola De Paola’s account of Katie and Ross’s rainy engagement shoot, their day included Leadenhall before they continued to Old Spitalfields while the rain carried on. Earlier, they’d looked for orange around the South Bank because it was Katie’s favourite colour. The lovely idea to borrow is that personal thread, not the whole journey between locations. You might choose one place that has the colours and details you like.
Fancy pictures followed by a browse and something to eat? Plan your visit to Old Spitalfields Market, at 16 Horner Square, around the parts you’d like to enjoy. The daily market currently opens from 10am to 6pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; from 8am to 6pm on Thursday; and from 10am to 5pm on Sunday. The Kitchens start serving at 11am, closing at 6pm Monday to Saturday and 5pm on Sunday. Individual shops keep their own hours, so check any particular favourite before you set off.
If Old Spitalfields feels like your kind of London day, have your photographer ask the market’s own location team about your exact shoot before making it the fallback. The published film-location guidance mentions an agreement, insurance details and a possible location fee. It doesn’t spell out every arrangement for a small still-photo session, so the team needs to confirm what applies to yours.
Send your photographer the exact market or meeting point you have in mind, especially if you’ve saved a picture you love. Old Spitalfields Market and the neighbouring Spitalfields estate have separate contact teams, so the name alone won’t settle the arrangements. With the right place agreed, you can enjoy its colours and details together while leaving room for shoppers to browse around you.
A room agreed beforehand can change the whole plan
Sometimes the nicest rainy-day picture is the one where you’ve put your coat down and stopped thinking about the weather. You’re sitting together, your hands have warmed up and there’s time to talk. If that sounds appealing, make an indoor space part of the conversation before your session.
Photographer Lisa Devlin describes meeting an engagement couple in a London pub during heavy rain. When it continued, they asked to use an empty function room for photographs. That small detail matters: they asked. The room became part of their shoot through a conversation, not simply because they’d bought a drink.
Your hotel may also be worth discussing, especially if you’d prefer to stay close to where you’re based. Ask the hotel whether you can have professional photographs taken in the room you’d like to use. Another of Devlin’s rainy sessions began in a hotel room that was almost entirely taken up by the bed. It made for a very different set of possibilities from a spacious lounge.
Send your photographer a picture of the room and tell them what you’re imagining: a close portrait together, a full-length picture or a little more of the room around you. They can help you see what that particular space might offer. Check the hotel's agreement for each space you hope to use, too; staying there doesn’t automatically include professional photography in its lobby, corridors or other shared areas.
A market or café you’re excited to visit can still be part of your day, even when the photographs happen somewhere else. Borough Market, for example, welcomes personal visitor photographs but has separate rules for professional and commercial work, including at least 14 days’ notice for the written requests it requires. If you’d love a professional shoot there, arrange it ahead; it isn’t an instant indoor option when the rain starts.
Our London photographers can help you plan the umbrella portraits or warm-room pictures you’re imagining and check what’s needed for your chosen place.
Photographer Lisa Devlin describes meeting an engagement couple in a London pub during heavy rain. When it continued, they asked to use an empty function room for photographs. That small detail matters: they asked. The room became part of their shoot through a conversation, not simply because they’d bought a drink.
Your hotel may also be worth discussing, especially if you’d prefer to stay close to where you’re based. Ask the hotel whether you can have professional photographs taken in the room you’d like to use. Another of Devlin’s rainy sessions began in a hotel room that was almost entirely taken up by the bed. It made for a very different set of possibilities from a spacious lounge.
Send your photographer a picture of the room and tell them what you’re imagining: a close portrait together, a full-length picture or a little more of the room around you. They can help you see what that particular space might offer. Check the hotel's agreement for each space you hope to use, too; staying there doesn’t automatically include professional photography in its lobby, corridors or other shared areas.
A market or café you’re excited to visit can still be part of your day, even when the photographs happen somewhere else. Borough Market, for example, welcomes personal visitor photographs but has separate rules for professional and commercial work, including at least 14 days’ notice for the written requests it requires. If you’d love a professional shoot there, arrange it ahead; it isn’t an instant indoor option when the rain starts.
Our London photographers can help you plan the umbrella portraits or warm-room pictures you’re imagining and check what’s needed for your chosen place.
Wear something you’ll enjoy being out in
A favourite coat can do a lot for a rainy London picture. You’ll recognise yourself in it, you’ll feel more comfortable between photographs and you won’t spend the walk wishing you’d dressed for the day outside your window. Start with what you’d happily wear around the city, then add the details you love.
If you’re sharing an umbrella, try standing beneath it together before you leave. A clear one can leave more of your faces visible; a coloured one can become part of the picture. The best choice is one you can hold comfortably while staying close, rather than something selected only because it looks good online.
Wear shoes you’re happy walking in on wet paving and market cobbles, so you can enjoy wandering together. You can carry another pair if you’d love them in a few portraits. If your outfit trails along the ground, think about how it’ll feel once the fabric picks up water; you’ll want to like wearing it between the photographs as much as in them.
Leave yourself a hand to hold your partner’s by keeping your bag simple. A spare layer, a small towel and a dry bag for the things you want to protect may be handier than several outfit changes. Bringing children? Make space for their usual spare clothes and snacks, and tell your photographer what helps them enjoy a day out.
If you’re sharing an umbrella, try standing beneath it together before you leave. A clear one can leave more of your faces visible; a coloured one can become part of the picture. The best choice is one you can hold comfortably while staying close, rather than something selected only because it looks good online.
Wear shoes you’re happy walking in on wet paving and market cobbles, so you can enjoy wandering together. You can carry another pair if you’d love them in a few portraits. If your outfit trails along the ground, think about how it’ll feel once the fabric picks up water; you’ll want to like wearing it between the photographs as much as in them.
Leave yourself a hand to hold your partner’s by keeping your bag simple. A spare layer, a small towel and a dry bag for the things you want to protect may be handier than several outfit changes. Bringing children? Make space for their usual spare clothes and snacks, and tell your photographer what helps them enjoy a day out.
Give your warm-up a proper place in the day
There’s a difference between standing beneath a roof and sitting somewhere warm with your coat off. A covered arcade may keep some rain off, but you might still feel cold standing there. If you’d love a café pause, choose the actual place and check that it’ll be open at the time you expect to reach it.
Ask about booking if a particular indoor table matters. You can simply enjoy your meal there; if you’d like photographs as well, agree that with the venue beforehand.
A pause can simply be a pause. Let yourselves drink something warm, tidy your hair and talk about whether you fancy another short outdoor part. You don’t have to turn every cup of coffee into a photograph. Discuss breaks within your booked time so you know how they fit, particularly when you’d also like more than one setting.
In a rainy family session described by Helen Bartlett, the day moved between indoor play, a short garden visit, tea and food back inside, then a playground once the rain stopped. That family had their home as a base, which you may not have on a holiday. The useful idea is the rhythm: make room to stop and feel comfortable before carrying on.
For an outing with children, our London family photo tips help you plan that rhythm around food, rest and time to explore.
Ask about booking if a particular indoor table matters. You can simply enjoy your meal there; if you’d like photographs as well, agree that with the venue beforehand.
A pause can simply be a pause. Let yourselves drink something warm, tidy your hair and talk about whether you fancy another short outdoor part. You don’t have to turn every cup of coffee into a photograph. Discuss breaks within your booked time so you know how they fit, particularly when you’d also like more than one setting.
In a rainy family session described by Helen Bartlett, the day moved between indoor play, a short garden visit, tea and food back inside, then a playground once the rain stopped. That family had their home as a base, which you may not have on a holiday. The useful idea is the rhythm: make room to stop and feel comfortable before carrying on.
For an outing with children, our London family photo tips help you plan that rhythm around food, rest and time to explore.
Agree how your rainy-day photoshoot in London can change
Your last afternoon in London needs a different conversation from a week with several possible mornings free. Tell your photographer how much time you really have when you book. If you’re leaving the next day, a suggestion to “try tomorrow” won’t help you enjoy this one.
Before the day, talk through the version you’d each enjoy if the forecast changes. Could you keep a short outdoor outing, use a covered setting already arranged for your session or discuss another available slot? Set a time to speak, decide who’ll confirm the meeting time and place, and check which options your booking includes. You’ll know what you’re choosing between when it’s time to make the call.
You might love a photographer’s rainy pictures, or feel happier knowing you’ve discussed another possible time. Either way, ask about the terms for your own booking. Some photographers describe moving sessions when rain is expected for most of the day; others show plenty of work made in wet conditions. Ask your own photographer whether a date change, refund or indoor location is possible for your booking and what each would involve.
If either of you feels cold or uncomfortable once you’re out, say so. You can discuss a pause or an adjustment within the arrangements you’ve made. The aim is to spend time together and come away with photographs you love, not to prove that you can stand in the rain longer than everyone else.
Before the day, talk through the version you’d each enjoy if the forecast changes. Could you keep a short outdoor outing, use a covered setting already arranged for your session or discuss another available slot? Set a time to speak, decide who’ll confirm the meeting time and place, and check which options your booking includes. You’ll know what you’re choosing between when it’s time to make the call.
You might love a photographer’s rainy pictures, or feel happier knowing you’ve discussed another possible time. Either way, ask about the terms for your own booking. Some photographers describe moving sessions when rain is expected for most of the day; others show plenty of work made in wet conditions. Ask your own photographer whether a date change, refund or indoor location is possible for your booking and what each would involve.
If either of you feels cold or uncomfortable once you’re out, say so. You can discuss a pause or an adjustment within the arrangements you’ve made. The aim is to spend time together and come away with photographs you love, not to prove that you can stand in the rain longer than everyone else.
Keep a little of the day for yourselves
Imagine stepping out for a few pictures, sharing the umbrella while your photographer finds a suitable spot, then stopping at the café you’ve chosen for something warm to drink. You’ve still had a little London adventure, even if the afternoon looks different from the one you pictured at home.
You might remember your partner struggling to hold the umbrella straight, the tiny market window you both stopped to inspect or the colour of a coat against the street. A favourite detail can give the photographs a more personal thread than adding another landmark just because it’s nearby.
You might remember your partner struggling to hold the umbrella straight, the tiny market window you both stopped to inspect or the colour of a coat against the street. A favourite detail can give the photographs a more personal thread than adding another landmark just because it’s nearby.
Plan a London photo day you’ll enjoy
Send us your dates, where you’re staying and the pictures you’re hoping for. Tell us whether you’d enjoy a little umbrella time or would prefer to keep the session under cover. We’ll help you discuss the possibilities with a local photographer, so the plan fits your trip and the sort of day you want together.
Your rainy-day photo questions
Ask for the session price, the photographs included and any agreed location or room-hire charges. If a cosy indoor room is your favourite alternative, you’ll want to know its cost as well as imagine the pictures. Confirm what happens to those separate charges if the time or venue changes, so you can choose the plan that suits you before booking.
Yes, tell your photographer which London view you’re most excited to bring home in your pictures. They can talk through whether the weather would suit a few pictures there, where you could pause nearby and what permission you’d need for the shoot. Keep that landmark as the preference you plan around, while leaving room for the weather to shape what’s possible on the day.
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