Defrost

Winter really steams my olives. The seemingly interminable combination of short days and vast expanses of hard water get me feeling more bound up than a wheel-of-cheese diet. This morning dawned crisply enough to freeze my rod guides solid, but the sun was out and I was itching to flex the new Sage VT2 that I’ve had in hibernation the last 2 months.

Kind of a fun image - this was captured and post processed entirely on the iPhone. I will be posting some product photography and more thoughts on the VT2 down the road.

It was more of an exploratory venture today, checking out a piece of water that was entirely new to me. Fishing was slow but I enjoyed unfurling some casts with the new stick and putting fly to water for the first time this year.

Thanks to JayMorr for showing me some new stomping grounds. Check his blog over the next few days to see more imagery. This shot is courtesy of Jay, which I “cartoonified” in Photoshop.

Graham Owen

Chances are that you have seen Graham's work without knowing it. Some of his fly patterns, which are so realistic they carry the West Nile Virus, have likely been used in your favorite television shows passing themselves off as the genuine article.

Spend some time on his photography site - you won't be disappointed. Click on the image to view Graham's work. I've also added a link in my Photography Sites section.

National Tarpon-Graphic

I've again enjoyed the honor of having one of my images selected as a Daily Dozen winner by National Geographic. There is always tremendous variety of both subject matter and technique in these selections. If you don't have YOUR SHOT bookmarked, I recommend it for the mix of humanitarian, nature, and out-of-the-ordinary photography.

East Fork Fly Photography

If you've been missing out on Rich Schaaff's imagery, go ahead and end the drought by gawking at East Fork Fly Photography. Rich is a class act and has a knack for strong compositions and slick use of tonality in his work. Click on the image to view the site.

American Angler Magazine

The March/April 2010 issue of American Angler Magazine is now available. Philip Monahan's article about brook trout features a few of my images.

AA is among my favorite magazines for both content and photography, and it was an honor to be a part of this issue.

FlytoWater.NET

A new Flash-based photo site I've been working on is live today. If anyone has suggestions or comments I would love to hear from you!

The Improv

Things that fly often give you the bird. It's really that simple. Over the years I've come to the realization that photography is primarily about recognizing opportunities. Many times I leave the house with a certain vision or objective in mind, only to discover that the conditions or subject matter simply do not lend themselves to success.

It is during these times that it's critical to see what IS there, and take what the defense gives you.

This year it has been extremely difficult locating eagles. The birds have been unpredictable, moving significant distances from day to day. With the onset of some excellent evening light, we decided to chase northern harriers. Getting to within 25 yards of a wild harrier (about the maximum distance which will yield a detailed image) usually involves enough waiting to make Rip van Winkle appear slapdash by comparison.

JayMorr captured a spectacular image of an elusive male this week, well worth checking out on his blog. He also sniped a shot of me on the boomstick (Nikon 400mm f/2.8 VRII).

I got a few images of a female, who made a single 3-second flyby within range.