Zach Matthews
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You can query more than one but be prepared to face an awkward conversation if they all want the same photo.
Other than my show, which I’m sure you’re familiar with, I’d also recommend This American Life with Ira Glass, The Splendid Table with Lynn Rosetto-Casper, The Orvis Double Gun Podcast, Fitz Cahall’s Dirtbag Diaries, A Praire Home Companion (but it’s just the News from Lake Wobegon), and, if you like sports, re-broadcast podcasts of Colin Cowherd’s show on ESPN radio.
Good luck.
Zach
You mainly need to know your client. There are a very limited number of calls for exclusively photo materials left these days. There are three main fly fishing magazines: Fly Fisherman, American Angler, and Fly Rod & Reel. Add to that Grey’s Sporting Journal, which does one fly fishing issue a year, and the occasional (very, very occasional) two-page spread in Field & Stream.
The main three are always open to unsolicited cover submissions, but you need to submit some legitimate material or you’ll get blocked as a spammer pretty fast. Look up the Managing Editor’s email address in the front of each book for cold-calling; that’s the best way these days. (Send only proofs under 800 px on the long side, and don’t send more than a dozen to start with. It goes without saying you should send only your best work).
Inside, American Angler has a two-page Table of Contents slot that favors darker and more contrasty images, and also the rear cover currently (until they start being able to sell that as ad space again). Fly Fisherman has a set of proven photographers they go to on a frequent basis. They have a financial interest in keeping their consistent, professional photo suppliers in business and so they prefer to do business with them where possible, rather than solicit one-off freelance images.
Your best bet with FF and FR&R is to submit photos for cover consideration and included with pieces. Again, the market is so tight right now, they are trying to keep people they can count on in business so they aren’t thrown on the mercies of the random one-off supplier’s market. From the editors’ perspective it makes sense to have a one stop shop and people like the Becks, the Grossenbachers, Tosh and Denver have established those roles long ago. That is a hard nut to crack (and honestly, I’d feel kinda bad about trying to crack it).
The other options are the occasional magazines like the Drake and the Flyfish Journal, which publish less frequently but are going to be more open to unsolicited cold calls. Then of course there are the happy-to-take-your-free-offerings outlets like Catch Magazine and This is Fly, which mostly function on a pretty hypothetical “exposure” market. I like Catch’s ownership and think it’s a great publication; TIF has its place in the market too. But from a strictly financial perspective that is a non-starter. Being featured in Catch or TIF is very unlikely to lead to paying work any time soon unless you are really good and willing to put in a lot of work immediately as a full-time pro.
Most photographers now are either established old-guard pros who work full time and do business with accounts they’ve had for years, or guys like me, who submit photos with their articles and provide the occasional one-off. Before we all get worked up at the pros “hogging the market,” keep in mind that their biggest asset is consistency: they can provide a huge range of good, publishable photos on a wide range of subjects. Magazine editors need that, they need photos to be available quickly, and they are doing more business with these pros for both personal and financial reasons that make good sense.
There’s already been a lot of great info in this thread. I do a large amount of backpack fishing in winter, usually not huge distances but I’ll cover six to nine miles a day.
For me the absolute biggest factor is footwear. I like a softer boot that is well-fitted to my heel and will move with my foot. If you get the hard, firm hiking boots for ankle support, you really, really, really need to break them well in before setting off into the back country. I have a very nice pair of solid leather plus Gore Tex LL Bean boots that are only now being broken in, and I’ve had them for over five years with heavy use that whole time.
I hike a lot of the time in wading boots. Here the key is good socks (Smartwool or Woolpower, pretty heavy in cold weather). Again I like a soft wading boot like the Patagonia Riverwalker or the older Simms L2, well broken in. I am not a fan of the extra huge lug soles on several modern wading boots. Many of the manufacturers intentionally oversize the width of their wading boots to increase stream stability; great in the water, bad on the trail. Lightness in footwear will do more to minimize your fatigue than anything else.
Also, with respect to backpacks, too many packs are too short in the torso for an average sized male. Ideally your pack should be clamped just above your hip bones with a thick, breathable, well-padded waist strap which will bear most of the weight. The shoulder straps should really only be in place to prevent shifting and keep the pack tight to your back. If you transfer the weight to your hips, you can go all day. If you bear it mostly on your shoulders, especially in bouldery terrain with uncertain footing, you risk losing your balance and you will certainly have stiffness. This is especially important if you are camping because your body will not rest as well in any kind of tent as in a bed and you want to be energized the next day.
The other factor for me is preventative maintenance. If I know I am going to be hiking for three days, I will take an Ibuprofen every four hours while I’m out on the trail. For me this prevents headaches and also keeps my muscles loose for day three. I always carry my water in the Camelbak style bladders these days, because it doesn’t slosh (nice for balance again on boulders) and when it’s gone you don’t have to carry a bulky empty bottle. The worst mistake is to clip your bottle to the outside of your pack.