Capturing Riverfront Park, Spokane: What it means to us
I remember when I moved to Great Falls and first felt our company's passion for fly fishing. Not everyone was doing it, but you could definitely tell it was there and that it would grow into something important.
Though an old college roommate taught me the fundamentals of casting many years ago and I was comfortable with a rod, I really never had the time or had yet met a person with a passion to push me. I began to grow comfortable with the idea that it was a good fit for me.
I got over my previously formed opinion of fly fishing when I finally accepted my new opinion of fly fishing being equally important to my own beliefs of what makes Montana really cool. So I immersed myself into knowing all things fly fishing in normal fashion my wife refers to as "being bored."
But I wasn't bored...I was genuinely interested because it was my way to get back to the outdoors I had taken for granted while growing up in Montana. Fly fishing also offered me the opportunity to meet new people, and discover a whole new side of outdoor recreating Montana I wasn't familiar with in the past.
Fly fishing made me appreciate even more the jewel I am blessed to be not only living in, but to have had the unique opportunity of growing up in iconic Montana fashion; wild and free, far away from everything that is not Montana. Most importantly though, fly fishing made me realize how unique Montanans are.
Though I was not officially born here, I consider myself a born again Montanan and will be forever grateful for the opportunity to come back to my beloved homeland where at least one of my son's was born.
I hope he grows to appreciate Montana as much as I do, and follows in the footsteps of the most hardcore Montana fly fisherman I know by getting ink done in his rebellious teenage years with an official "Made in Montana" label.
That will be the same day I tattoo the most important words ever uttered in fly fishing, "Oh, I'll never leave Montana, brother."
BUT-. the more I learned fly fishing the more I realized that it was actually Montana that was driving me and I rekindled an old childhood interest with Montana history. Blame it on Mr. Cook, my seventh grade Montana history teacher.
He covered a lot of important topics in just one year. It has never made sense to me why that particular class was not offered further into our education. Surely new pieces of Montana history have been discovered. I honestly believe this one class alone early in our Montana public school education is what polls our state population.
Learning about the struggles of hard working settlers, vast, rugged spans of differentiating land, and a climate that constantly test your preparedness makes you either want to run as far away from Montana as possible or never want to leave it at all.
As young Montanan's, we learn from our own parents that sometimes we have to do what we have to do, and we must leave the familiarity of our nest. Leaving home makes you appreciate what we had with future hopes of returning and a growing sense of responsibility to become stewards of our heritage and lands so future generations may have the same opportunities to develop the core values that make us Montanans.
It wasn't until about two years that I also came to the same realization that others probably felt the same way that I do about their own home state. There is something about our home states that stirs deeply rooted emotions, and a sense of pride in our heritage.
I have always dabbled here and there with photography, but the last seven years I have had the opportunity to be around some truly creative and technically knowledgeable graphic designers who were a big influence. But it has been the last two years that I have developed a self-fueled obsession for photography.
Once again, I found myself diving deep into knowing everything pulling weeks upon weeks of crazy all-nighters, surrounding myself with streams of information and familiarizing myself with the works of others.
My early morning gym routine, which I was so faithful to, disappeared. I felt and probably looked like a junkie zombie on autopilot to some of my co-workers, I'm sure. Then one day I got that same feeling when I went out fly fishing by myself and finally made it happen. Not just because of dumb luck, but because the decisions were my own and they lead to results.
All that work, and knowledge FINALLY came together with the vision and developed an addictive euphoric high referred to in fly fishing as "the tug is the drug." Once you get the tug, and it becomes the substance that creates a physiological effect to make conscious changes in your life.
It became my life goal to tell about the various lifestyles, both work and play, I have been fortunate to be a part of, and the many different, beautiful landscapes that keep us grounded to our heritage.
Here's a great example of a year in the life of a cattle rancher.
That's a pretty healthy introduction to this blog, but it helps to understand how important it is to me that my images make that emotional connection with the people that live and work with these beautiful landscapes and historical monuments.
The only thing I can do is to follow in their footsteps by continuing to work hard, having patience and the fortitude to deliver a unique vision that creates "the tug" (maybe that's what I'll call my field assignment blogs).
Last week, I was fortunate to go on my first field assignment with CS and WW, our two company owners, as they delivered the second round of updates to our entire company about the now new North 40 Outfitters and gather local market photography. Our schedule included five full days of intense travel beginning at 5 am and ending around 8 pm.
Somewhere during that schedule I needed to create time to photograph for a project deadline looming over our heads. Ideally, morning and evenings are my choice of lighting so I decided to travel on my own to photograph in between presentations. It's a good thing I have lots of practice on running with little sleep as it came in handy.
The weeks leading up to our trip I had done a lot of research and choose to focus on Spokane's Riverfront Park the first night, but we arrived in Spokane just as the sun was setting. Spokane and I have a bit of history together as I spent a lot of time here in past roles setting stores and eventually came back with my family where we called Spokane home while I managed the Mead location.
Because we were a young family and work took up a lot of my time, Riverfront Park provided my family and I "a lot of bang for our buck" so-to-speak. We could experience the downtown vibe, and quickly step into Riverfront Park for something that felt more wholesome and familiar.
Like many others, I'm sure, we have lots of great memories here and at least to me, when I say the word "Spokane" I always visualize the attractions and beautiful scenery Riverfront Park has to offer.
Want to know why our logo looks like mountains?
I was a bit disappointed by my light situation and haphazardly wondered around for a bit with camera but no tripod in hand. Something clicked as I snapped what I knew would be a terrible, out of focus image of the Upper Falls and Post Street Bridge. I challenged myself to apply everything I have learned to this point and make it work.
Besides, I especially enjoy the technical challenge of night photography and it offered me an opportunity to showcase Riverfront Park at a time that is not often seen by many with park lights adding a dramatic affect. I ran back to the truck parked at Canada Island, strapped on my backpack, camera at hand and on a tripod.
I was forming my game plan when I noticed an incredible site to my left as I was half way across Blue Howard St. Bridge. I had completely forgotten the full moon and there it was in full glory rising right out of the Spokane River! I calmly (well not really) set up my camera, Mark, and let him do his thing.
The last of the bikers, joggers, and couples were finding their way home when one of them pulled up right next to me, took his iPhone out and said "Wow, what a beautiful night for photography!"
Yes it was and I hope you agree as we share our first of many unique local features to the places we call home.
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