Gone Fishin' II

This is boat and guide with a 'steelhead fishing' couple hunting

steelhead trout (oceangoing trout that are almost identical in looks

and taste to salmon) near the mouth of the Kalama River. This is a

drift boat, but here, anchored over a 'pool' where fish might

congregate. Your good faith ratings and critiques are invited and

most welcome. If you rate harshly or very critically, please submit

a helpful and constructive comment; please share your superior

photographic knowledge to help improve my photography. Thanks!

Enjoy! John

Hello John,

I think the shot would be more interesting if the scene was not dead centered. The end of the pole extending out of photo attracts notice. It looks like the photo was taken at high noon - you lose the faces in the stark shadows. They look bored stiff. - So much for my superior comments :)

Guides such as this one charge $300 a day or so, for boat, trailering and putting into and out of the water as well as guiding a couple like this down the river, seeking 'elusive' steelhead (trout).

Note, the guide, ever the businessman, on his mobile phone, possibly booking new business. (what kind of a distraction that must be to the fishing couple who paid all that money).

In talking with a group of guides, I found that many trailer their boats among the many open seasons on various rivers, and are familiar not only with this one river, but also many others in Washington State. Not a bad living, if you like the out-of-doors.

John (Crosley)

They were not 'bored stiff' but in fact were having some brewskies, which seems to me a pretty good way to pass the day . . . sitting on a guided boat, drifting down a beautiful river, hoping for a strike from a fish weighing 8 to 12 pounds or so, and if nothing else, just having some idle time.

This was taken in pretty late afternoon a few weeks ago, although it may look like 'high noon'. The sun was bright, and that does show, and I didn't want to hit it too badly with 'shadow/highlight filter', though I might have 'selected' the people and used that filter just on them to even out their contrasts just a little, but I'm more for verisimilitude and this is how they looked.

By the way, to get this view, I had to drive off a main road just over a bridge, then along a long private driveway (very long and one way) where mis-steering would have put me sideways or upside down in trees alongside the Kalama, possibly not to be found for a day or two (or ever).

This was about the only peek through the trees. I have many other shots, most of them not dead center. In fact, as I took this scene with a 70~200 V.R.E.D. Nikkor at first, I placed the farther away boat, first in one quadrant, then another, but those photos are hard to display on a 'thumbnail first' site like Photo.net. Also the action in them was not any racier, but then this wasn't a race, except perhaps to see who could get that last cold one.

I do know how to avoid using 'dead center' but I wanted here to capture the reflection of the boat and the boating party in the water (and wish it weren't quite so riffled).

Thanks for the helpful comment; you have pretty good observation powers.

John (Crosley)

YEP, I turn my saturation down and it does. I think it is my feeling towards the green in the water.

Then I would focus on WHY in the world would that guy in the back be on the CELL PHONE. I mean we just spent two hours getting our TEENS new CELLS and I am now thinking that I don't know if it was a good idea.

While we were there two people came in because they dropped their cells in the water while fishing off a boat.

It is a great picture just the Green and the color just bug me. Have you considered doing that old "yucky" thing called PS on this one and move it to B&W? It would save a great story on this one because I really like it other than that as the reflection is wonderful and I personally LIKE the boat in the middle.

ALL smiles and going off to spend time with the hubby. ~ micki

I never expected that the green water color over this fishin' hole would bother anyone. It is unique; I never have seen water such color except on this river and it's partly reflection of green foliage around the water, partly from minerals in the water, maybe some small amount of algae in the water (not much, actually) and just the nature of this particular river. I think it's unique and beautiful.

I guess that's why they make chocolate and vanilla.

I think also that since I have a bunch of these things and this is only one of them, that when I tackle the bunch, I'll work on seeing if desaturating any of the rest of them 'helps'; at least it will 'change' them.

I know you are very fashion sensitive and perhaps it carries over into color sensitivity . . . as I don't feel the same revulsion you express. There was a poor snowmelt in the Cascades and Sierra this year, so runoff was less than normal, possibly allowing a quicker algae buildup -- often this area is shown as more blue than green, but minerals in the water swept off rocks and shore upriver often result in different color water than just algae will produce in this river, I think, as it's quite clear water -- not murky at all as the color would suggest.

Thanks for the suggestion; I'll be trying it out.

John (Crosley)

a bit Unfortuanant the pole is cut off nothing is ever perfect. Good either way but As said above I see this as just about tonaly a perfect for bw photo. A photo I wish I had taken

Or nearly so.

Rare praise from you Meir, thanks.

This is with a 200~400 mm f. 4 Nikkor super tele zoom, if I recall correctly, hand held, in full sunlight.

I was always enchanted by the geen water in this river, but it was quite clear -- not algae choked -- a mystery to me.

Yes, no photo is perfect.

Thanks for the critique. you have much to share, when you're in a sharing mood.

john

John (Crosley)

I'm sure if I browsed through your pages I'd find many to praise.

Alas, Meir, its tonality you're praising.

But any support is well received here.

john

John (Crosley)

If that were the case, why "Unfortunately"? -because I am incapable of appreciating other things? If I tell my cat; "kitty honey, you only like it because it is catnip", does that mean she cannot like hamburger too?

That such praise is limited to my tonality rendition; no lacuna on your part, only limited praise (always appreciated) from you, nothing more.

Don't be touchy, please.

john

John (Crosley)

missunderstand, yes. touchy, never.