Sunday, January 31, 2010

Sleeping in the Dirt Magazine

If you haven't already seen the premier issue of Aaron Otto's online magazine Sleeping in the Dirt, make sure to pay a visit. No advertisements, just eye candy. Pages 12-14 feature a few images of my tarpon trip to Mexico. Thanks for the spread AO!

Click on the image to view the magazine.

Sleeping in the Dirt Volume 1

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Talon Scout

Birds are a photographer's night sweat-inducing nemesis. All species delight in flitting about at extreme distances, later appearing in pictures as black specs nearly concealed by the curvature of the Earth. The mere mention of the word "birds" also tends to cause the onset of an inscrutable smile for those retailing or manufacturing camera lenses the size of the Giant Magellan Telescope.

Eagles are somewhat of a rarity in the Salt Lake area. Like most places out West the occasional sighting is not entirely uncommon. Ordinarily, however, the chances of actually photographing them are on par with locating a Blue Footed Booby.

All this changes for a short 2-3 week period in the dead of winter, when large numbers of migratory bald eagles use the wetlands of the Wasatch Front as a layover. Apparently there are much more raptor-friendly locations farther to the North, offering something called "heavy beer" as an attractant.

I haven't seen the heaviest buildup yet, but a few birds have started to arrive. Here are a couple images from this weekend's scouting trip:

Carp Grip

Banking Hard

Flyby

Gear Down

I also have a fondness for the kestrel, although their tiny size often makes them a photographer's bane. On Saturday this one was cooperative for a short period:

Kestrel Portrait

Keep your lap dogs inside the ride at all times folks, baldies love a nice Maltese chaser after a fish dinner.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Midcurrent Featured Photographer

Many thanks to Marshall Cutchin and Tim Romano for featuring my photography on MidCurrent, which is one of the world's largest providers of fishing news, media, and techniques. It's an honor considering the guys who have been featured previously are some of the best in the biz.

Click on the photo to view the page.

Midcurrent Featured Photographer

There are plenty of exceptional images in the photography section, drop in and check 'em out.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Cover Shots

The cover shot of a major publication has long been considered one of the crowning achievements in commercial photography. Recently a group of photographers that participate in the Itinerant Angler Online Forum had the chance to receive feedback from Phil Monahan (long-time editor of American Angler magazine and a past editor at Outdoor Life) about how these types of photographs are selected.

Phil shared a wealth of information about the characteristics of successful cover images, many of which are not readily apparent.

The session with Phil has been made available as a podcast/MP3. The audio portion is accompanied by an online slideshow demonstrating the various unique considerations of cover work. One of my images is contained in the presentation, and I learned a lot from Phil's insight.

Check out the ITINERANT ANGLER PODCAST for links to the audio/visual materials in the Cover Shot Extravaganza section.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Devil's Gold

If you're in the mood for a sick short on golden dorado (and honestly who isn't?) then check out Issue #9 of Catch Magazine.

When the thumbnails load, scroll forward a few pages to the table of contents, then click on the Devil's Gold entry.

DG