Endless Possibilities

I posted back on May 28 about our new album company and how there is such a huge variety of options for the creation of the album covers. We recently got a few more in including some with the photographic canvas covers which look amazing.

Jennifer and Vinnie

You've all seen her face as the evening news anchor for Channel 10 along with Rich Funke. Yesterday, News 10 NBC's Jennifer Johnson traded the lights and glamour of TV for the elegance and romance of a wedding to Irondequoit politician Vincent Esposito. A Fairport wedding followed by a reception at the Inn on the Lake in Canandaigua set the stage for a holiday weekend party that won't soon be forgotten.

Clarity

"One moment you're holding a dripping, sparkling fish, the next you're looking at the water seeing an image of yourself and no one else. For a moment, you know precisely who you are." -Ken Marsh

Over the past few days I've spent a bit of time fly fishing on some beautiful rivers in the Southern Tier. There were moments of solitude where it was just myself and the weary trout rising a few yards in front of me. Whether or not I catch the fish seems to matter less than the time spent reflecting on how I want my life to be and what's important.

Spending time with my kids is a bigger trophy than any trout could offer. However to be able to share my passion of being on the river with my son, teaching him to fly fish is what life is all about.

Since I started fly fishing about six years ago I have always been the student with my friend Daryn as the teacher. The table has turned. I am now the teacher and my son, my cousin and my neighbor are my students. I see the frustrations they experience as they learn to develop their technique. I am reminded of my mistakes and what I learned from them. I don't make those same mistakes anymore, I make new and more interesting ones. It is so satisfying though to share in their successes, to see the excitement and disbelief in their eyes as they and the lone trout before them realize they are connected to the same line.

My neighbor Zach, who just last week caught the largest fish he ever caught on my boat, was with me on one of the rivers this weekend. On Friday, he caught his first ever trout and did it with a fly rod. I could almost see his heart beating out of his chest as he reeled in the small, colorful Rainbow from Cattaraugus Creek.
Here are some photos from our fishing adventures from the past few days.

Cade reeling in a small Rainbow Trout on Elton Creek. He had a little help catching the fish, but reeling it in was enough excitement for him.

Zach's first trout.

Dan casting on McKinstry Creek.

Yours truely with a small Brown trout on Cattaraugus Creek in Arcade, NY.

Trestle Treat

I spent a lot of time this week at our camp near Arcade, NY. I was fly fishing on Cattaraugus Creek near a train trestle when I heard an unusual whistle and saw puffs of smoke rising in the distance. I carry a small water resistant digital camera with me to take pictures of the fish we catch and was able to capture the photo below. It was a brief moment of stepping back in time.

The train was the newly restored #18 of the Arcade and Attica Rail Road. You can read about some of the history of this gem at http://www.arcadeandatticarr.com/our_history.

Next weekend I will be heading to the Geneseo Air Show to see planes from the World War II era in flight.

Wandtke Wedding

We did the wedding of Katie and Ben today in Canandaigua. The ceremony was held at St. Mary's with the reception at Steamboat Landing. I shot the wedding with Jess and my good friend Brody Wheeler, who is a photographer from Darien, NY. As with most of the weddings this season, we had a bit of rain to start the day, but by the time we got out of the ceremony, the skies were clear.

Johnson Wedding

Amanda and I photographed the wedding of Quinn and Natalie at the Inn on the Lake in Canandaigua. They're from Flagstaff, Arizona, so next January we are planning to do a Trash the Dress session with them in Sedona while I drive from Vegas to Phoenix in between two conferences. Their wedding was great in spite of the heat. The warm evening on the lake is what makes summers so spectacular in the Finger Lakes.

Fish Tales

Daryn and I went fishing on the north end of Canandaigua Lake today. We caught a bunch of rock bass and a few other assorted specimens. At around 3:00, I picked up my 12-year-old neighbor Zach at the pier. He wanted to go fishing on the boat so bad. I told him if he could get a ride to the pier, I would pick him up. He ended up convincing my other neighbor to take him down there after school. So I pick him up and what does the little stinker do? He catches the biggest one of the day! He caught a 17" 3 lb smallmouth bass. As long as we are telling fish stories, here is a photo from a few months ago when Daryn and I went up to Sandy Creek in Hamlin. Once again I was outfished and here is the photo to prove it with Daryn holding a beautiful brown trout.

Thanks Casey

Friday's shoot with Annelise and Dan was made much easier with the help of my little friend Casey. She was very helpful with her horse Cotton, who was a little free spirited at times. Casey is also the goalie on my daughter's hockey team. Thank you Casey, your help was very much appreciated.