This is very unusual image for me simply because I almost never photograph people. I photograph mostly landscapes and nature scenes. If someone is in the viewfinder, I will wait, sometimes patiently, for them to leave. But, when I saw this gentleman fishing on the side of the lake, I just couldn’t let the opportunity pass me by.
My wife, dog, and I had taken an early morning trip to Petit Jean State Park. With all the rain we’d had recently, I knew the waterfall over the dam that creates Lake Bailey would be flowing heavily. So, that was our first stop.
Arriving at the parking area, I noticed someone fishing along the edge of the lake. He was a good distance away, so I didn’t think much more about it. I put the dog’s leash on him and handed the leash to my wife. They headed off to. . .well, I never really know where they go, actually. They just disappear and, sometime later, reappear.
Grabbing my gear, I headed to the waterfall just a short distance away. It was flowing pretty well, just as I had expected. Just downstream from the fall, the water was swirling and creating some very interesting abstract patterns I found interesting. I set up my camera and began to photograph these patterns.
After a few minutes, I turned my attention back to the waterfall. I went to a few different locations and got some shots, but they were similar to what I’ve done before. I was about to pack it in and move on when I happened to look behind me.
The fisherman, who had been a considerable distance from me, was now standing on the levee just above me. He was quite focused on his fishing. If he was aware of my presence, he certainly hid it well.
I quickly and quietly turned my camera and composed the image. I considered isolating on just the fisherman, but I really liked how the tree on the right provided balance to the overall scene.
My 100mm-400mm lens was still attached to my camera because I had been using to photograph the waterfall. I considered changing it a wider angle lens, but I was afraid that in the time it would take to make the switch, the man would move and ruin the composition. Fortunately, the shortest focal length, 100mm, perfectly framed the scene as I envisioned.
Other than basic processing of the file, I made two significant adjustments to the image. First, I cropped the image into a 16:9 aspect ratio to eliminate a couple of distracting elements: some out of focus ground at the bottom of the frame and a small tree on the left edge. Second, because of the position of my camera relative to the sun, there was a small area of lens flare across the fisherman’s right leg. Opening the image in Photoshop, I used the clone tool to eliminate this unsightly flare.
Did this gentleman actually catch any fish that morning? I don’t know. But, I know he seemed to be enjoying the relaxing and peaceful morning, and that’s what matters.