Making photographs while fishing is hard for me. I have always thought of fishing and photography in the same way. Both activities are ways to slow down and look at the world. Both also have search and capture elements. With fishing you’re looking to capture fish, and with photography you may have a moment or memory you want to capture. When I photograph and fish I actively search and look for the best possible angle to make the cast or press the shutter button, but for me, the amazing thing with fishing and photography are the discoveries that are not planned. Pat and I fished the Upper Illinois River the other day. We saw all kind of common birds and bugs, but we also saw three deer, three snakes and an osprey. Witnessing these animals makes me think about the wider world we live in and not just the world that is viewed through my car window.
One major difference between photography and fishing is the tug that the fish puts on the rod. When that fish pulls, you are directly connected to its world and there is no barrier between the worlds of air and water. With photography it’s amazing how you can loose yourself behind the lens. The camera’s viewfinder squeezes the world into bite size chunks and allows you to compose all the elements so you can tell your story. But for me, the lens acts like a barrier and I much prefer the pull on the rod. When Pat and I started fishing the other day I got so rapped up in fishing I didn’t even bother pulling out my camera except to have Pat snap a shot of me and my trophy carp.
(I realize that it was not a trophy carp. I was just tickled to catch it.)
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