damned if you, damned if you don’t
- This topic has 23 replies, 19 voices, and was last updated May 1, 2010 at 12:29 am by
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For a variety of reasons this spring was hard on me in so much as I was not able to get images I felt were appropriate for my stock photography. I got some good ones on my outing to the “geen” during the pre season, but fish images had eluded me.
Typically, opening weekend marks my last kick at the can before moving on to other quary. So I had a serious case of wanting to spend the weekend on Lake O tribs in search of steel. Itching to catch and itching to photograph.
As openers approached tentative plans with friends started to fall through. That made it doubly tough as shooting solo is nigh on impossible. With midnight approaching my sense of foreboding only grew. I should have listened to my inner self and just admitted defeat, left the camera at home and fished a small creek for residents.
Damned if you do
dons combat gear
Plus the absence of friends who know what I like, aka…how to hold the fish, how to position it meant I had to ask strangers to fill in. Say cheese, no dammit I dont mind taking a pic of you with your fish but for the love of god, dont hold it up like some soggy, limp load of bread, smoke hanging out of your mouth, ready to punch me, so you can rush back, shoulder your way in wash/rinse/repeat. I like to think Im reasonably good, but theres only so much you can do.
So I gave up any hope of swinging a fly, gave up any hope of getting images of steel, put my rod away and instead did what I do best.
Take pictures for posterities sake. Kind of reminds me of the good ole days before…well before Henry and Italo glorified float fishing to the hordes. Of coarse a smart angler realises that on Opening Day, any water devoid of anglers doing bodily harm to each other is also devoid of fish.
Theres something peaceful about running water without the howls of “FISH ON!!!” like its a contest to not only catch the most, but yell the loudest
You dont have to try hard to imagine the fish making their way past this before the slaughter
Damned if you dont. If I dont fight my inner demons I dont get these
scroll down
further
a little more
makes it all worthwhile
link to larger file http://jben.zenfolio.com/p468487807/h22cb4f85#h22cb4f85Beautiful shot John! Walking up to the stream to see all of those guys in that first shot would have led me to the nearest brewery immediately.
Geeeze, that line-up in the first shot looks fun.. ::) ;D
Nice shots John – looks like trying conditions.. 😉
www.dsaphoto.com
A picture is thousand words that takes less than a second while a thousand words is a picture that takes a month.
Great last shot, John. I can never get the fish to stay up in the air long enough to get the settings right.
Seriously, cool stuff. The first shot reminds me of opening day where I live in PA. Shoulder-to-shoulder for the first 2 days and then no one fishing.
…I recall a friend of mine, who was for many years a photographer for the Dallas Morning News, relating some of his experiences, and how some of the days where he felt lowest about his craft resulted in some of his best work.
He said, “You know, what it really comes down to is you just have to be out there. You can’t get the shot unless you commit to being there.”
Good on ya for the commitment John.
I’m off to Florida next week – covering the big Jacksonville kayak fishing tournament for Kayak Angler mag – can’t wait to be “out there” and hopefully get a little of the magic myself.
Lol, Im off to gods country this Sat where theres no electricity, no power boats, fishing out of my yak with some other yakkers for ice out Speckled Trout in the great white north. This time around the only hordes will be the blackflies. Been getting the yak ready for a week, cant wait to try this, never trolled for Specks and Lakers on the fly or out of a yak before. Alough the risk of hypothermia isnt turning my crank. Some kids spilled their canoe last weekend doing the same and 1 didnt make it 🙁
Then next week down around Detroit on assignment. Always love May, with all the seasons opening. Too much to do, never enough time.
No worries…kayaks are much easier to get back into…and I am sure you will have all the neccessary stuff.
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