A few months back I was contacted by Fly Fisherman Magazine about images for an upcoming article they were going to run from New Jersey Captain Jim Freda. It may sound great, and it is, but when a publication asks, "Do you have any pictures?", it is a very broad question to what may be a very targeted need the photo editors have. So I dug through Jersey Shore fall run late peanut bunker striped bass fly rod fishing. I asked Leif and Andrew is they had any pics that I could add to the mix.
After a week or so of digging I had a solid selection that I thought would complement Jim's article. After some back and forth, which included sending large image files to the editors, they narrowed it down to just one image, which wound up running with Tony Freiedrich's, from the American Saltwater Guides Association, sidebar on "The Future of Striped Bass". And that is how the "tank" got some play in the magazine.
While there is a great backstory behind the tank and a bunch of striped bass and other species pics of fish hanging in there the image went with a conservation typed sidebar about striped bass conservation. That's cool by me.
It's interesting these days about content and magazines and other media outlets. Years ago in the good old days stories were assignments. The last I did was in 2009 with Chris Roslan when we were sent up to Canada for Eastern Fly Fishing Magazine to Cooper's Minipi Lodge to shoot giant brook trout on the fly. The trip was covered, airfare, lodging, guides, tips, everything except I think alcohol. Those days are long gone. Below is one of my favorite fresh water fish pics of all time shot while on that assignment. In print it is much tighter and nicer and the colors are amazing.
These days the stories and the images are kind of separate. The author writes the story, and they may or may not have accompanying photos, or the art is submitted from others to compliment the story. Why it isn't fake news, it tells the story, but it doesn't tell the story. I like real time stories where the story is told and the images are captured while the story is being covered. I know it doesn't always work out that way and it does make for a nice complete picture, but, to me, it just misses the mark a bit. Maybe I'm a just a dinosaur that is stuck in my old ways.
My work paid off as I received a check this week for the rights to run that photo. And today, a really nice touch, was receiving a copy of the issue in print to my house. Print is, well let's say that game has changed, from newspapers to magazines and the like. It's nice to have something in hand besides an iPhone, tablet, laptop, or desktop.
Props to Jim Freda for continuing to write articles for various publications because several of my images have been chosen to compliment them. Jersey photographer Tom Lynch's work is also always in the magazines and his images are with Jim's story as well. I am also grateful to editors Ross Purnell and Dennis Pastuhca for thinking of me and giving the tank a little play in print. Maybe it could spark a thing for guys into conservation and are into catch, photo and release.
