Madison River – Page 2

Fishing in Ice Shelves

admin Blog, Fishing April 16, 2019June 14, 2020Madison River

Spring in Montana is never the same from one year to another and this spring is shaping up to be another one for the books. After the record cold temps in February and March, the ice packs and snowstorms haven’t melted away yet. As a result of this many rivers still, have shelf ice on them. Fishing them can be dangerous as a wrong step can lead to you plummeting down into the unknown but photographically they can be quite rewarding. It comes down to the contrast of having that cold element with a sport that is typically thought of as being warm. Not mention that having a three-foot-tall ice chunk by you is just impressive.

Image Captured with Nikon D5, 24-70 AF-S, on Lexar UDMA Digital Film

Spring Fishing is Almost Here!

admin Blog, Fishing March 14, 2019March 10, 2019Madison River

That’s right it is almost time for those great spring fishing days with the amazing colors and vibrant patterns of the various fish species that come from those days. The cold temps are finally starting to rescind which means the ice flows will begin to break up and the rivers will once again be more suitable for fishing. In the meantime it’s still prep time with studying the fisheries, looking at snow packs and getting those flies ready.

Sometimes an Anchor is a Good Thing

admin Blog, Landscape January 9, 2019June 14, 2020Madison River, winter landscape

I don’t often use anchors in my landscape photos but there are times when they are necessary. When photographing a lot of fast moving water and your intention is to blur all the water, having a single point that isn’t moving helps to relax the eye.

Images Captured with Nikon D5, 24-70 AF-S, on Lexar UDMA Digital Film

Angle Says a Lot

admin Blog, Fishing August 29, 2018June 14, 2020ennis dam, Madison River

There are many tricks in photography to force the viewers eyes to believe what we want them to believe. It takes time, experience and knowledge to know when and how to use these tricks. In this case, I was having a discussion about how to get a photograph right at water level without getting wet. It’s a popular image at the moment. In this instance getting super low by laying on a rock and then shooting downstream so the subject, Dan, was lower then I was, it became rather simple to create the look of being in the water. Now I was also using the D750 and 70-200 VRII, one for a longer focal range and then two because I was able to control more of my background and thus blur out more details.

Seeing Things in a New Light

admin Blog, Fishing August 27, 2018June 14, 2020ennis dam, Madison River

I love and hate how photography changes. It is constantly evolving and sometimes that can be super fun because you get to learn new things and try out new things which can lead to some really awesome images. On the flip side it can be really frustrating especially when you get behind the curve and then you feel this tremendous pressure to catch up. But that’s how the business goes and there’s no way around it.

Well one way in which photography is always changing is our own eyes. We grow as photographers by incorporating our life experiences into our photography and sometimes that means going back to somewhere you’ve been countless times and just seeing the world around you a little differently. I’ve gone to this place many times to fish, I’ve photographed it several times but I never saw this. I always thought this dam was ugly but not this time. The way the light moved through the canyon and lit up the water was something I had never paid attention to before and it just goes to show how little it takes to come up with something new.

Images Captured with Nikon D750, 24-70 AF-S, on Lexar UDMA Digital Film

It’s Friday, Time to Be Outside

admin Blog, Fishing July 20, 2018June 14, 2020Madison River, rainbow trout

Since it’s not always possible to have the camera in hand all the time, today’s the day to start planning this weekends shooting fun. Two days are never enough but at least it’s time behind the lens. Now whatever your field maybe, be sure to spend some time and do your homework today so that you’re prepared for the next day. Before I head out I always look into the area, the weather and what’s happening so that I stack the deck the best I can to get the best photos possible. Does this always pan out? No. But it doesn’t hurt either.

Images Captured with Nikon D750, 24-70 AF-S, on Lexar UDMA Digital Film

Summer Skies and Puffy Clouds

admin Blog, Landscape July 18, 2018June 14, 2020Madison River

Since the cool temps of this past spring have finally ended, the heat of summer has brought many great days of cloud filled skies. As I have talked many times before about and will continue to talk about, puffy clouds are always a great element in landscape photography. You really just can’t go wrong with them no matter which way you compose. Minimal landmass and lots of sky is one way I learned a long time ago that works great with landscapes and puffy clouds.

Image captured with Nikon D5, 24-70 AF-S, on Lexar UDMA Digital Film

Big Bugs, Big Fish

admin Blog, Fishing July 6, 2018June 14, 2020Brown Trout, Madison River

Once a year the Salmon Flies reproduce along the rivers in the west. Every year the avid fly fishermen goes out day after day to hit the hatch at just the right time to watch the feeding and participate in the fun. The fish go crazy and pig out. Even the little guys become little chubbies as the giant bugs hit the water. The Brown Trout especially enjoy this time of the year. For a photographer, it’s a lot of fun with a couple of buddies hitting the water and taking some snaps.

Images taken with Nikon D5, 70-200VRII, on Lexar UDMA Digital Film

Depth of Field and Scale

admin Blog, Landscape July 2, 2018June 14, 2020Madison River, montana landscape

Scale in a photograph can be measured in multiple forms. It can add drama and sense of placement for everything in the photograph. It can also make it confusing as to whats what. In a world where everything man makes becomes bigger and bigger, it’s easy to loose sight of the fact that the world is still bigger. Using the D5 and 70-200 VRII, the landscape and houses along the Madison River compress into one view but the scale is still there.

Photography Friends

admin Blog, Fishing April 16, 2018April 15, 2018Madison River

Photography has a lot of different meanings that come with the camera. It’s never just as simple as taking a pretty picture. There are times when that might be the result but that probably wasn’t where that photo started nor where you wanted it to end. For me it started with wanting to explore Montana and over the course of a decade it has expanded. The one thing I wasn’t expecting was the friends that I would make along the journey.

That’s the part of photography that most don’t tell you about. It’s not just about getting clients and getting the job done. Because of the advancements in technology today, it’s easy to keep all those photos that we take and we share with us at all times. So those clients that you work with can look at your photos as often as you do and that’s how they remember you. Then over time they become friends. Photography is like no other business in this regard. The ability to look at those photographs everyday and be reminded of all those good times.