Look Who it Was Random video

Perfect Inspiration: Episode 31 - On Letting Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head

375 views · Published 22 November 2013 · 7:51 · Indexed 28 September 2026

Channel: ON1 · 2013 · Education

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People always give me a weird look when I extoll my love of rain and fog. And by people, I am mostly referring to non-photographers. Where as they likely seek out clear blue skies and hot, humid weather to lounge in, I sit in anticipation for my next shoot in the Columbia River Gorge during the autumn and winter months. All of that inclement weather just adds up to a fiesta of atmospheric and moody conditions. Sure, your camera will get wet (so will you!) and you'll constantly be clearing the front element of your lens from raindrops (invest in lots of good microfiber clothes). These are obstacles - like any other kind - that provide the fodder for most people to create excuses as to why they shouldn't go shooting in the rain. I say, RUBBISH!

As far as I'm concerned, some of the best ways to portray the beauty and grandeur of nature is when the weather sucks. A clear blue sky is nice and all but I'll take blankets of fog dancing through tree lines so only their tops are showing any day of the week. It's why I am so thankful to be living in Portland, OR. We're just starting our rainy season. The average temperature dropped about 20 degrees Fahrenheit over the course of a week and I couldn't be happier.

Ultimately, I consider myself fortunate mostly because I found the type of photography that I love and the conditions that I love shooting in. Portland meets those needs in every single way (it doesn't hurt that it's also the beer mecca of the planet). What you, as the individual photographer, need to do is figure out what it is that drives you. But here's the catch - if whatever that is proves to require working in less-than-ideal conditions, don't let it restrain or prevent you. Remember - more than anything else, photography is a labor of love. It's not easy and it's not cheap. You are here because you have an instinctive drive to become the best photographer that you can be. Step 1 is figuring out what your drive is. Step 2 is relentlessly working towards those 10,000 hours....
- Brian Matiash

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