You can’t create light like this on a computer.
This image is untouched, save for a little vignetting, from last night.
Excuse me, I’m going to lie in the middle of the road and take pictures.
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I’m excited to announce that, teamed with Dry Fly Media, I am offering the grand prize at the upcoming “Tip the Big Hole” event held in Melrose, Montana. Put on by the good folks over at the Big Hole Watershed Committee (BHWC), Tip the Big Hole asks guides to donate all of their tips earned on Saturday, June 22nd to the BHWC.
The proceeds from the event will go toward annual fees associated with the USGS Big Hole River Real-Time stream gauges.
This is a great, fresh idea and I’m thrilled to be a part of it. Teamed with Dry Fly Media, we are giving away a video / photo promotional package to one lucky guide who participates in the event.
The Big Hole is a fantastic river, home to event more fantastic people, and I’m excited to be able to help in this little way.
So, fellow anglers, spread the word. Tell your friends. Tell your guides. Tell that guy in the coffee shop down the street with a Hatch sticker on his rig.
You can read more about Tip the Big Hole here.
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The incoming storm. The rain can be seen on the road, moving towards the camera.
We had a pretty decent spring storm roll through yesterday, bringing rain, hail and high winds.
While I enjoyed the first part of the storm as I was out in the Fire Girl Suby chasing bad weather and capturing photos, the rest of the event was not so enjoyable. Mopping up water pouring in through the (closed) windows and the roof of my apartment did, however, make for a memorable night.
The entire night.
I am, however, fortified by a Starbucks and the release of my latest article in American Angler, so there is nothing to do but keep on moving forward.
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The Think Tank Photo Retrospective series test drive program sign up closes on 15 June – only two more days to sign up and try a Retrospective series bag for free!
Camera bags are a personal decision, but I can’t rave enough about my Retrospective 40. Today it spent the morning in the fly shop with me, and the afternoon chasing after severe thunderstorms in the Montana brush. Any bag that can keep up with me and make my job easier makes me happy.
Read about the test drive program here:
With the Test Drive program you get to try out any of Think Tank’s very popular Retrospective® soft shoulder bags for 30 days for free! Should the shoulder bag meet your needs, then your credit card will be charged at the close of the trial period. Should it not meet your needs, return it within the Test Drive time period and your card won’t be charged. The Retrospective series was created as an homage to classic photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Frank. Designed for the photographer who wants to remain inconspicuous in any situation, its ”old-school” look mixes with “new-school” features giving tribute to the days when bags were visually simple but highly functional. It comes in nine models and three colors. This offer is good only on shipments to U.S. addresses.Use this link to sign up for the test drive!
Retrospective Test Drive
http://www.thinktankphoto.com/test-drive-program.aspx?code=AP-793
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Spring transitions into summer in Big Sky Country.
This update is a bit late due to issues on the home front, but give the latest “Dispatches From Craig” post on Chi Wulff a read!
Also, if you are in the mood for some fly fishing-gear-goodness, give yesterday’s The Headhunter post a quick read.
Commercial and editorial projects are booking up for summer and fall – it should be a good season.
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Sixty-nine years ago, nearly 160,000 Allied troops landed on hostile soil in Normandy.
They didn’t have the technology we have today. There were no digital maps detailing enemy positions, no NVGs, no satellite phones. No easy way to communicate back home to speak with friends and family, save for post service which could take months to arrive back home
These men and women undertook the one of largest military campaign in modern history, one which still draws awe today.
Before the D-Day invasion began, General Eisenhower summed up the mission of the Allies in these two sentences: “You are about to embark upon the great crusade toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you…I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle.”
And he was right.
From the perspective of a photographer, I look at photographs such as the morning of in simple awe. The story within the frame is captivating, and somehow I have absolutely no doubt the story outside the frame is even more so.
So, thanks to our men and women serving both in the past in present day, and to the photographers who make it their life mission to document that sacrifice.
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Okay, this is a bit off the wall. But it’s all well and due, thanks to several recent conversations. (And it’s just damn fun.)
And I need a mental break from fish and guides and the whole Montana lot.
So, thanks to the mighty Tom Chambers for the following:
5 things you should know before dating a journalist
So, you’ve been eyeing that smart, attractive journalist you’re lucky enough to know personally. You’re intrigued. Your journalist is smart, funny, confident. Visions of Clark Kent taking off the glasses and ripping off his clothes to reveal a perfectly toned body in blue spandex coming to save you run through your head.
Who can blame you? Journalism is a sexy occupation.
But journalists aren’t like the bimbos you usually pick up at the bar. Nor are they the assholes you ladies continually fall for. No, journalists are different beings (which is why you’re attracted to them in the first place), and you should realize — before jumping in — that this isn’t going to be a run-of-the-mill, boring, lame relationship you’re used to.
Here’s what you need to know:
1 We can figure things out. Understand, we’re paid to dig deep, find the secrets and wade through bullshit. We can pick up on subtleties, so what you think you are hiding from us won’t be hidden for long. Sure, we’ll act surprised when you eventually tell us you starred in German porn as a freshman in college — but we already knew.
We don’t take shit from anyone, so don’t lie to us or give a load of bullshit. We spend all day separating fact from fiction, listening to PR cronies and dealing with slimy politicians. If you make us do the same with you, you’re just gonna piss us off. And don’t think we’ll be quiet about it. We’ll respond with the vengeance of an Op-Ed page railing against society’s injustices — and we’ll enjoy doing it.
Just tell us the truth. We can handle it.
2 At some point, you will be a topic. Either through a feature story or an opinion column, something you do or say will be a subject. Get over it. Consider it a compliment, even if we’re arguing against you in print.
Think about it: we live our lives writing about life. If you’re a part of our life, we’re going to write about you, your thoughts or a subject springing from one of the two.
Don’t be upset when an argument against your adoration of Hillary Clinton turns up on page A4. We’re not directing the writing at you, personally — your ignorance was just our inspiration (there, doesn’t that make you feel better?).
3 Yes, we think we’re smarter than you. In fact, we know it. Does that smack of ego? Absolutely — but that confidence is what makes your heart go pitter-patter.
We have a strong, working knowledge of how the world works. That makes us great in conversation. We can delve into the intricacies of zoning laws, local and national politics, where to find the good restaurants, what’s happening with pop culture, where the good bands are playing and more.
But there are pitfalls.
Guaranteed, when you say “towards,” we will automatically say “toward” — “towards” is not a word. We’re not trying to call you dumb (even though you don’t understand the English language), it’s habit. The same will happen when you say “anxious” when you mean “eager” and when you answer “good” when someone asks how you are doing.
We carry ourselves with a certain arrogant air. Embrace it (that’s what attracted you to us in the first place, after all). Don’t be surprised if we’re not impressed when you say, “I’m a writer, too.” No, you are not. The fact that you sit in a coffee shop wearing black while scribbling in your journal does not make you a writer. Nor does the fact that you “wrote some poems in high school” or that one day you want to pen “the great American novel.”
Look, we’re paid to write. Every day. What’s more, our writing matters. It changes opinions, affects decisions and connects people with the world around them.
We’re not spewing our angst or trying to fabricate an aura of creativity. We write about the real world — with real consequences.
Our words go through three or four cranky editors who make us rewrite before it’s printed a few hundred thousand times and distributed all over town. You don’t do that unless you’re confident, even egotistical.
You may have some great journal entries, poems and rudimentary short stories — good for you. Just don’t assume we’ll accept that as on par with what we do (unless you’re really hot, then hell, you’re a better writer than I).
4 You’re not less important than the job — the job is just more important than anything else. One doesn’t become a journalist to sit in an office from 9 to 5 Monday through Friday.
We do take our work home. If news is happening, we’ll drop whatever we’re doing — even if it’s with you — to cover it. We’re always looking for stories, so yes, we’ll stop on the street to write something down, interview a passer-by or gather information for a lead.
On that same note, don’t get upset if you call us on deadline suggesting some afternoon nookie and we say, “I’ve got to put the paper to bed first.” That could mean hours from now, but we’ll have plenty of time to put you in bed later.
5 You won’t be disappointed. Journalists are intense, driven, passionate folk. We carry those same attributes into our relationships, making it an extremely fun ride well worth the price of admission. Our lives are never boring and each day is different.
If the pitfalls are scaring you away, consider this:
The fact that we’re inquisitive means we’ll listen to you. Even if it does seem like an interview, we’re paying attention to what you have to say (see rule No. 1).
We’ll write about you or your thoughts because you’re an important part of our life and we care about you (see rule No. 2).
Our brains are a great resource. Ever go on a date with an attractive person and wind up wishing you hadn’t because everything they say is just, well, stupid? That’s not going to happen here (see rule No. 3).
Yes, it may seem that we put the job ahead of you, but we’re driven. You’re not with that loser whose life is going nowhere and who’s completely content being mediocre (see rule No. 4).
There you go, five things you should know before dating a journalist. Feel free to add to the list, point out where I’ve missed something or leave a comment.
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