Don't Wait for Perfect Weather for Photography in Walla Walla
“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night …” Most of us know these words, as well as the words that follow, as the unofficial motto of the U.S. Postal Service. Here in Walla Walla, we can add neverending fog and freezing fog to those the weather conditions one can expect to have to brave. I have learned that there are few times in life that we have the perfect weather, the perfect light or the perfect scene for photography, and if you wait for the photography stars to align, you may only have the opportunity to shoot but a few times a year.
With the arrival of 2019, I decided to embark on a 52-week photography challenge with a fellow photographer. We would alternate picking a weekly theme from a preselected list, with each one submitting an image that fit the theme at the end of the week. I quickly realized that with a full-time job, working four 10-hour days, as well as being the father to a 16-month-old and a husband, I could not be picky about my photography days. There is beauty in every weather and lighting condition when you are willing to look. In this post are some images I took in rainy, foggy, and snowy conditions, and when combined with night photography, they can yield some truly eye-catching images.
Fair weather photography may be comfortable, but it hardly yields the drama of a stormy sky, the solitude of a foggy scene, or the rain covered reflective streets that give night time city photography its vibrancy. So next time the weather is not what you would consider ideal, just pick up you camera and recite theses words: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night …”
Victor Attoh is a physical therapist and photographer who lives in the Walla Walla area. Follow him on Instagram at @visual_gemz