My breakthrough: Simon Buckley
"I wanted to be Ultravox, but sometimes I worry about ending up like Joe Dolce." Simon Buckley's photo of Manchester in the rain went viral in 2019. He explains what happened next
Rainstorm, Deansgate, Manchester; © Simon Buckley
The day I took Rainstorm was August 1, 2019 – a Thursday. I was supposed to meet a work friend to make a film for an architect. We wanted to film towards evening. While there was no hope of doing it because it was covered with drizzle in the air, I went off with some sort of ridiculous British optimism.
As I stepped off the tram at Castlefield, the sky opened in a proper Biblical storm and rain pelted the sidewalk. I looked left and there was a feeling of sunshine just coming through. It backlit the rain in a very nice way.
As a photographer you are like a forest animal, always on your guard. It's not even about taking a picture, it's about interacting with the world because that will make your day better.
The end of Deansgate is a pretty worn route for photography – it looks like it does on Instagram. But the light coming in from the rain was pretty, so I stood on the bridge and took about six pictures on my iPhone. Within seconds, I was completely soaked, the screen stopped working and people were looking at me like I was crazy.