Hobbies Combined

When it comes to photography I am never trying to capture a scene exactly how it was. I like to create these images in a way that I want to remember them. I have a very colorful imagination and my memories are often vivid. I want to remember how I felt at these places. I process these to reflect my interpretation of the day, not so much as it was but how I want it to stay in my mind.

I think tenkara and photography pair together well. I’ve found since starting tenkara that the majority of the time I am much more unhurried and relaxed on the water. It’s a very mellow way to fish and as such I find that I spend more time just hiking around, taking the odd photo and mostly just enjoying the fact that I am outdoors. I’ll still have days that are all business and I fish hard but they are seeming to be the exception.

I spent around 8 years where I really didn’t fish much at all. Maybe a half dozen times a year max, much often less. That time was spent pursuing landscape photography when I had the chance to get outside for awhile. I had traded my fly rods for cameras but I still found myself in the same places. Creeks, rivers, streams. The ocean as often as possible. I just love being around water.

Eventually I just sort of fizzled out. I felt like I had pretty much accomplished all I wanted to do and no longer felt the creative drive I once did. I’ve amassed a pretty huge body of work and I am very proud of a lot of it. It’s not everybody’s cup of tea but it brought me significant joy as an artistic outlet for a long time.

So these days I still pursue it but only if I am out doing other things like fishing or hiking. I also don’t shlep around all the gear and equipment anymore. I am much more likely to just bring the iPhone instead of a dedicated camera body although I sometimes still do. I learned over time that the camera gear makes very little difference when images are displayed at web sizes. All the images in this post are a mix. From iPhone to point and shoots to high resolution full frame dslrs.

I am now lucky to have several hobbies that I am passionate about and can combine together. If the weather isn’t conducive to fishing or if it is slow I can always fall back on photography and still enjoy the quality time in the mountains. I can look forward to days where the fishing is good and I get a few keepers in the portfolio. Another plus side is tenkara gear is a hell of a lot cheaper than camera equipment!