This spring has seemed unseasonably cool-of which I won’t complain. Along with the cool weather, we have received what seems to be an abundance of rainfall this year. Perhaps it is normal, but it seems atypical to me. I’m confident that in a few months we’ll be begging for just a drop of rain to fill the rivers, creeks, ponds and lakes.
The abundance of water during spring would typically be a good thing for my attempts to photograph herpetofauna (amphibians and reptiles), but they haven’t been calling too much just yet. So what’s a photographer to do? Shoot what you have, of course! The rain had forced the Ouachita River out of its banks, leading to road and boat ramp closures, and water in places it normally wouldn’t be found.
The river had risen more than I thought-and presented some interesting navigational challenges. I opted to head out with a friend in his boat instead of my trusty kayak, and immediately was glad I did. Places that one could walk through with ease a week prior were several feet under water, which led to some interesting compositions.
The message I took home from this trip was to get out and go-even when the conditions aren’t optimal! You may well witness something for the first and last time (likely), and in my case capture a unique image that might land you a spot in a publication or something even bigger!
When I was a young boy, my grandfather would carry me with him to the barber shop to get a haircut. His barber was a shaky-handed, well-aged gentleman who happened to be an excellent fisherman. I would listen to his fishing stories in awe, always walking away with another potential adventure in my mind. One day I decided to ask him a simple, but profound question-when was the best time to fish? I sat eagerly awaiting a detailed, scientific explanation that I never received. His response was simple. “Son, the best time to go fishing is any time you can.”
I believe I’ll take that and run with it.
Jason R. Kinsey 