by Fire Girl Jess on April 17, 2018
When the Belgian website Fishtripr reached out for a quote about what fly fishing means to me, it was cause for thought. We sometimes get so caught up in this industry, it’s easy to forget the reasons we really do what we do. Here’s one of the quotes I shared with Fishtripr:
“Fly-fishing has provided opportunities I would never have had elsewhere. As a fishing photographer and writer, I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to incredible places and work with some of the best anglers and teams on the planet. Angling is a language that translates, no matter the fishery, the species or the people involved. It is a common passion and that is quite powerful.”
Fishtripr just published an article entitled “Meet Incredible Women Who are Passionate About Fishing.” It’s an interesting look at the European scene of female anglers!
by Fire Girl Jess on April 12, 2018
Another travel feature just went live on RootsRated; a companion photography essay will be published in the coming few days. This was an interesting trip —a hustle through Cuba while on a fly-fishing travel assignment — but I will forever be grateful for the quiet, non-angling moments in small towns along the way, and the heavy smell of molasses on humid Caribbean air.
Molasses Air: Stepping Off the Beaten Path in Cuba
The late afternoon sun dissolves into a steamy haze as the beat-up old car trundles down the pockmarked road into the little village of Brasil, roughly 280 miles southeast of Havana. I poke my head out the window, taking a deep breath of heavy, molasses-scented air and watch local school children head home, laughing as they make their way down the quiet streets of the town.
The ride from Cuba’s lively capital city has taken nearly all day; my driver and I started in the early morning hours, and now it’s nearly dinnertime…
by Fire Girl Jess on April 10, 2018
Happy to see these two images appear in the Spring issue of the Backcountry Journal, the official magazine of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. The first, an underwater shot of a king salmon in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska, was shot while on assignment with Bristol Bay Lodge several summers ago. The second, high up in the backcountry of Montana’s Crazy Mountains, was one of the most quiet, peaceful mornings I’ve ever experienced — the chilly calm after a night of epic rain, hail and sleet-filled thunderstorms.
Always happy to see images pop up in magazines!
Couple of interesting shoots in the works for this spring and summer… stay tuned.
by Fire Girl Jess on April 4, 2018
I’m clearing the warehouse before a new project, and selling a selection of canvases at clearance prices — explore them all in this special gallery!
Sizes and prices are listed in the description of each image. As an added bonus, shipping is free within the continental U.S.!
See one you like? Shoot me an email and I’ll put your name on it. (Need to outfit a house, office or lodge? Bulk pricing available.)
by Fire Girl Jess on March 30, 2018
One of the first rules any aspiring photographer learns is the rule of thirds: break your frame into rough thirds, adding visual interest. Never, they say, divide your frame right down the middle.
Well rules are made to broken. While shooting on assignment for Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures and Avalon Cuban Fishing Centers several years ago in rural Cuba, I wanted to create a mini-essay of images divided almost directly in “half.” It was a challenge for myself — could I tell stories while blatantly breaking the rules I’d worked so hard to learn? These photos wouldn’t be for clients — this was work for my eye alone.
And guess what? It worked (at least, for my eye it did. Fully expecting a few ranting emails to come from this post). The shots are unorthodox, but some of my favorites to date. They are stark. There’s glare. And shadows. Maybe the colors are washed-out. But there are stories.
Already this morning on social media, the images of the people on the jetty against the dark clouds has generated discussion on the how and the when of breaking the rules. It’s personal. You know what you want your image to look like. Challenges like this one — splitting the frame — make for great personal projects and can help change the way you make your images. As with most photography, play with it. Experiment. See what you like.
What are your thoughts on breaking “creative rules?”
by Fire Girl Jess on March 28, 2018
Always happy to support the good crew over at the Outdoor Writers Association of America, and pleased to see this image of a healthy Missouri River brown trout make the cover of the April / May issue of Outdoors Unlimited. The ‘Mo grows healthy, happy and sizable trout!
It’s always good practice to keep fish in — or as close as possible — to the water. Keep them wet, dripping and shiny! This makes for better images and (most importantly) keeps the fish healthy and minimizes stress during release. I’m a huge fan of shooting fish in the water, and if I need an angler to pick the fish out of the water for a moment, we line the shot up beforehand so the fish is only out of the water for seconds at a time. That way, the fish is more likely to make a full recovery and be around for future anglers to catch!
by Fire Girl Jess on March 16, 2018
Really excited to see last week’s piece from SUP The Mag get picked up and headline on The Adventure Sports Network!
Here’s an excerpt from Inside the Jungle: Paddling Into the Peruvian Amazon:
“People are changed by the jungle.”
The words came from the darkness next to me, tinted with the lyrical tones of a Peruvian accent.
We were all exhausted; soaking from a late-afternoon deluge as we’d stopped to unload the boats for the night and worn from a week of travel. But it was a satisfied exhaustion, one where life is just as it should be.
View the full photo essay here!
