Sometimes, a photographer loves the rain

Photographers don't like to work in the cold rain. It makes work a difficult, grumpy task. It can ruin a good attitude and delicate electrical circuits in expensive photo gear.

But the sheets of rain sweeping through Hoffman Estates on Sept. 27 made me happy.

I knew the elements were right to make a moody, even striking photograph that night.

The sky was creepy with churning, dark clouds and the wind added to the edgy excitement in the crowd. Cross-town rivals Conant and Hoffman Estates High School football teams were dueling in a well-lighted stadium for city bragging rights. The wind was growing colder, and it seemed everyone's eyes were darting back and forth from the colorful field to the darkening sky, waiting for a jolt of lightning.

I just had to ignore my instincts to get out of the weather. I had to keep moving, trying to line up the right elements.

The bright, white stadium lights provided great rim lighting on the shiny helmets and uniforms. I just needed the action to go to the south end of the field, where tall trees would provide a dark background that would highlight the pouring rain.

Then I saw referee John Skurka, in his black-and-white striped uniform mimicking the rain, and a ghostly hooded figure on the opposite side of the field. They were in the right position, with the dark trees creating a clean background, and the rain was right. I breathed out to relax my shivers and motored through a few frames.

I used a 200 mm lens to compress the elements, slowed down the shutter to 1/40th of a second to give the rain drops a streak of motion, and set the aperture to F18 to create a deep depth of focal field, making more of the rain streaks stand out.

The result was a striking image that got a lot of attention on social media.