It was late February, 2011. It was dark. It was cold. And it was snowing.
I was warm in the PinPoint Weather Center  and you were probably warm and cozy at home watching KOIN Local 6 at 11, right? Right!
But news photographer Matt Rashleigh was spending hours in snow up above I-5 in Vancouver, giving us live pictures of every wet flake.
That’s the life of a television news photographer, constantly battling northwest weather. And to top it off, Matt was nice enough to bring back a ‘cup of snow’ from his live shots.
Here’s my interview with Matt about what it’s like to do his job.
How did you end up being a television news photographer?
I worked in TV as a break from film school and it turned into a career.
Like most TV people, you’ve probably moved around. Which cities?
Helena & Bozeman, Montana; Spokane, WA; and now Portland.
Give us a crazy TV story the audience never knew about.
I was doing a story and flying with the Golden Knight’s Parachute team at an airshow. We took a sudden dive in altitude and I felt a tickle in my throat. Next thing I know, I’m throwing up. But I finished just in time to get the money shot of the team jumping out of the plane!
What kind of pressure are you under?
Everyday you need the best pictures and the best interviews to tell the story. But you have to have it all ready by the time the news starts. So it’s really a daily time crunch.
Do people ask you about the camera you use?
Although they’ve gotten smaller and lighter, people are still surprised how big our cameras are. Mine weighs 22 pounds. It takes exceptional HD video and it works in snow, rain and heatwaves. It takes a licking and keeps on ticking!
Last question: do you have a favorite story?
Doing a road trip to the Duck’s BCS Championship game with Jeff Gianola and former NFL great Stan Brock. That was awesome.
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