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COVID-19

Sometimes Things Go to Hell

June 16, 2020 By Jess McGlothlin

Old ice house and railroad tracks in Celina, Texas.I’d never thought about having a “pivot” section of my business plan for a global pandemic. I never really considered what would happen if I couldn’t leave my home; if I couldn’t get on a plane and get places. Never planned for what would happen when the local market ran out of meat, or we couldn’t be around other human beings.

The business plan, the one I drew up eleven years ago with big aspirations, didn’t really account for what would happen when people became afraid of other people because of something we couldn’t see.

As I kid, I’d written a handful of fiction stories that touched on some of the same themes; words on paper for my reading only. About people adapting when the world changes rapidly and dramatically; surviving when the “ordinary” suddenly doesn’t exist. Can’t say I really expected to live something similar, and yet in a way so wholly unanticipated.

But here we are, in the something-month of a global pandemic, and the old paradigm—the one we’d all built our lives around—is gone. The world shifted dramatically within the space of weeks. New lines were drawn in the sand, new sides were taken. Fear became a fact of daily life for a while; mostly because true facts were scarce and, when they were available, they were buried. The world’s changed, and there’s no rule book.

Red, purple, blue, and pink sunset near Celina in north Texas.

My business, like so many others, is pivoting. Adapting. Changing. I’ll still be traveling as soon as it’s possible; camera in hand and notebook in my pocket. The why isn’t going to change. The how might shift for a while.

The 2020 work schedule was thrown out the window in March, when I got off the plane after a project in Chile, where I’d been wholly unconnected, camping in the Patagonian wilderness and far from the news cycle, and saw a year’s worth of trips, clients, and projects vanish in the space of a week.

It wasn’t a great week.

But we adapt. It’s what we do.

One of my favorite quotes, jotted into a notebook years ago (from a book long since forgotten), is this:

“Sometimes things go to hell – it’s a natural order of things, they simply can’t stay simple. The difference between a pirate and a sad slob of a man who thought he could be one is the nerve and ability to unfuck things when needed.

Or fucking them up, whatever the situation requires.”

And so, piece by piece, I’ve been working on unfucking my business world.

I’ve spent a lot more time writing, confined to my 550-square-foot apartment here in Missoula, working with a few clients I’m very grateful for. I’ve spent more time on video call these past three months than I’ve ever wanted to. My “desk” (in reality a Costco plastic folding table and a balance ball) offers those joining me on calls a scenic view of my camera gear shelving unit and, on occasion, a fly tying vise.

I’ve traveled within the United States to document current events, and caught weird little moment of history through the lens of a beaten camera. Empty airports and empty streets.

I was the only person waiting on the curb at a DFW Airport terminal in April, a camera in hand and a press pass in my pocket. It felt a bit like the apocalypse, but with a sunny wind in my hair and the smell of Texas instead of whatever I’d imagined as a child.

I spent long hours walking the streets of Missoula, seeing people cross the road to avoid waking next to me; worried to pass another human being on the sidewalk. I counted stuffed bears in windows, and soaked in children’s chalk scrawls on the sidewalk. I listened to countless hours of music while my brain worked.

We had an earthquake here in Missoula, on week six or eight or something (they run together now), and I remember watching a picture come off the wall, and watching with an odd sort of detachment. Thinking, “Okay, what next?”

I’m grateful to live near the tiny little airport here in Missoula. Early on I’d lay awake at night, listening for the planes that were due to land. I memorized the flight schedule—at one point less than four flights a day—listening for each incoming plane, and was grateful every time I heard the engines in the air. It meant something was still happening; someone was still flying somewhere. Now, the wildland firefighting planes have joined the other air traffic and I hear more planes overhead. Any time a firebomber with an orange tail crosses overhead I smile; remembering the old World War II firebombers than flew over northwestern Montana when I was a child. These newer planes carry a different sound, but they still bring back memories of a time that, these days, seems very long ago.

We adapt, don’t we? I’m exceedingly grateful to the clients who have shifted to writing work this spring instead of my normal writing / photography combination—you’ve kept me going. And I’ve never been more grateful for the blank page; one day last week I drank a French Press full of coffee and scrawled more than 14,000 words on the page before coming up for air. Nothing that will be published; nothing that will see the light of day. But words on paper, which means they’re out of my head. And that, these days, is a good thing.

One of these days we’ll be traveling again. It’s going to be each person’s decision what travel will look like for them. I’m ready.

I’m not sure what the future will look like, but I know I’ll still be here, camera in hand and notebook in my pocket, looking for stories.

Filed Under: Jess McGlothlin Media Tagged With: 2020, coronavirus, COVID, COVID-19, Jess McGlothlin, Jess McGlothlin Media, photographer, travel, traveling

New Series: Top 10 Photo Tips for Outdoor Adventurers (Who Find Themselves Currently Inside)

April 8, 2020 By Jess McGlothlin

Spring is here, and summer is on the horizon. Usually, this transition means it’s high time to get out and play. Hikers and backpackers would be logging their first hikes of the season, trail runners would be bemoaning muddy trails, and spring hunters would be preparing for turkey season. For anglers, waders would soon be stowed in favor of wet wading, iced rod guides would become a nightmare from seemingly ages past, and sunburns would be sated with bountiful beers with buddies after a long day on the water.
 
Current events and the disruption of COVID-19 have impacted everyone in different ways. One thing we can all unite around is that, at least for the moment and the months to come, it’s changed the way we recreate. For folks like myself, whose livelihood depends on time spent in airplanes and the ability to travel and work abroad, the past month has been a paradigm-changer.
 
We’ll see how it all shakes out.
For the interim, it’s time to turn our focus from grand international expeditions to the work we can accomplish at home. My 550-square foot Missoula, Montana, apartment has functioned as a makeshift photo studio for some time, but the past month it’s seen overuse (to put it lightly). For those of you with larger homes or even yards to play in (or if you live in spartan quarters like mine and want to get creative), I’ve decided to break down my top ten photography tips. These tips will be shared on my Instagram and Facebook pages, and I’ll likely compile them all here on the blog once the series is finished. 
 
Because really, there’s no time like the present to polish up some skills.
 
Thanks to modern technology, it’s possible to take high-quality images with the phone you carry in your pocket. It’s no longer necessary for casual adventurers to carry around the 20+ pounds of gear professionals often must. Regardless of whether you’re shooting an iPhone or DSLR camera, the key to strong images is how you shoot, not what you shoot.
Men in camo gathered around a computer looking at footage in a wall tent camp while turkey hunting in Montana.
Whether you are an aspiring professional photographer looking to boost your skills or a currently home-bound outdoor recreation enthusiast with a penchant for the artistic side of things, the basics are the basics.
 
Over the next ten days I’ll be sharing a tip each day that you can practice at home. Images from past travels will illustrate each point, but every tip will have something you can practice at home, regardless of whether home is a small urban apartment or a mansion in the woods.
 
Each day, leave a comment and let me know what you learned, what surprised you, or what tactics you’ll take into the field once we’re all roaming the globe once again.

Filed Under: Tips and Tricks Tagged With: 10, class, coronavirus, course, COVID-19, day photographer, education, inside, Jess McGlothlin Media, photography, teach, tips

A Quick Note to Those Postponing Trips

March 24, 2020 By Jess McGlothlin

Definitely ready to get back in the field again. Like many of you, my world has changed pretty drastically these past few weeks, and Q2 and even Q3 plans and photo shoots have been canceled or postponed. For small businesses, it’s crushing. But this will pass, like most things, and I’m hopeful we’ll all bounce back in time.

Quick note, folks: if you’ve had to change travel plans due to recent events, please consider deferring your lodge stay or guide trip instead of cancelling. We all know the travel industry is struggling right now, but this virus will pass and one day we’ll be traveling again. Support those people who help make travel moments great, and book for the future.

Okay, PSA done.Jess McGlothlin drone image of girl fishing open highland field in Tasmania.

Image: Tasmania, October 2019.

Filed Under: Jess McGlothlin Media Tagged With: coronavirus, COVID-19, fishing guides, guides, help, Jess McGlothlin, lodges, travel, travels

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It’s always worth waking up before dawn when I’m on a lodge shoot. (Coffee tastes better when it’s still dark out, too.)

Last week in Belize for @elpescadorbelize.
I’ve got just one spot left to join me from Febr I’ve got just one spot left to join me from February 2-7, 2025 in Argentina on the @goldendoradorivercruiser! This mothership-based golden dorado program is a great winter break and offers some of ridiculously fun fishing, excellent cuisine, and comfortable quarters with good company. DM me for more info to grab this last spot; it’s well worth the $4,200.

📷: me and @martinanderssen, last season.
Grateful for wide open waters and the people who c Grateful for wide open waters and the people who choose to make their living on them. 

Image: Belize last week for @elpescadorbelize.
Despite the pretty massive challenges 2024 has bro Despite the pretty massive challenges 2024 has brought, I’ve been so damn grateful to have gotten to meet and work with incredible folks all over the world, in some pretty stellar fisheries. January and February were Argentina, visiting lodges I can’t wait to get back to in a few months to see friends. March was Baja and Las Vegas. April and May were the Darien Gap in Colombia. June brought me back here to Montana to shoot a friends wedding and a couple fishing jobs, and then it all came to a screeching halt with an injury. I canceled eight international shoots in all, spending August and September in Texas having surgery instead of abroad. But November’s brought me back to the road with a return trip to Belize, and I’m keenly looking toward to what 2025 brings. It’s going to be a sprint… and a marathon. A sprinting marathon? We’ll see.

I just know I can’t wait to be back on the water with both new and old friends, capturing stories and chasing fish. 

Thanks for following along, all. Grateful for you.

(Photo credit on the final shot goes to the awesome @highpeaksrep, who caught me on the other side of the camera this past May in Colombia.)
Posted @withregram • @elpescadorbelize Well, tha Posted @withregram • @elpescadorbelize Well, that’s all from me, folks! About to board my flight back to the States. Thanks for following along this week as I’ve been shooting and fishing at @elpescadorbelize. If you’re looking for a fishing getaway this winter, put Belize on your list. This crew will take good care of you. 

If you’re seeking more on fishing, travel, and what happens when the two combine, follow along at @jess_mcglothlin_media. Thanks for joining me this week, and I hope to run into you all down in Belize one of these days!
Ten weeks ago I was learning how to walk normally Ten weeks ago I was learning how to walk normally again after endoscopic spine surgery at @texasback. Four weeks ago I started to slowly add weight workouts back into my PT and training routine. Today, I am on the tail end of my first trip back on the road, on a shoot down in Belize for @elpescadorbelize. Though I’m still a bit limited on my activity, I’ve grateful to have snuck in a few days fishing with friends. This tarpon, caught while fishing today with @jrflyhighbaby and @portillomariano7, isn’t my biggest by a long stretch, but it’s going to forever be a memorable fish as it marks a (still slow) return back to work. 

Some things are meant to be. We were about to reel up and check another spot, and I asked Junior to wait a moment; I wanted to throw one more cast… something just told me it might not hurt. And you know what? It didn’t. This tarpon came up out of nowhere and smashed my home-tied purple-and-white tarpon toad. 

Thanks @jrflyhighbaby for the picture and the day, to @peterdermanmd and his team for a surgery very well done, to @epicflyfish for making a very fun fiberglass rod for tarpon, and to the entire @elpescadorbelize team for welcoming me back… always feels a bit like coming home.
I’ve learned it’s best to embrace and work wit I’ve learned it’s best to embrace and work with the conditions on any given day—with the cameras, fishing, and just about everything else. So when the light is bright, hazy, and full of glare, we adjust and work with it. 

@elpescadorbelize manager @ebenschaefer hooked into a snook a few days ago here in Belize.
Awesome to be back to work, back on the water, and Awesome to be back to work, back on the water, and back in Belize. I’m down at @elpescadorlodge this week doing a bit of photo work and an Instagram takeover for the lodge. 

Yesterday was my first day fishing since injuring my spine in June, which led to surgery September 10. I’m incredibly grateful I’m able to be back on the water (saltwater flats, no less) at 10 weeks post-op—we had this snook (and a lot of his buddies) in the first hour on the water! I’m still on very modified duties (careful of fast boat runs on choppy water, twisting while casting, and bending awkwardly), but being back on the water is good for the soul. 

Y’all know me… I’m usually behind the lens, not in front of it—and I’m happiest there. But consider this post proof of life. 😆 I’m slowly getting back into the field once again. 

Big thanks to guide @mikey_so_fly and Shawn for a good first couple days back on the water. Working at the lodge tomorrow for an architectural shoot, and then have a few more days of fishing. All’s well here in Belize.
And off we go again. I’m finally (and very car And off we go again. 

I’m finally (and very carefully) back on the road, (slowly) resuming work after a summer / fall of injury-surgery-recovery. I’m still somewhat limited in my activities, but am thrilled to be heading to familiar waters at @elpescadorbelize for a week of photography and fishing. The fishing program won’t be quiet my usual—no targeting the big tarpon this trip—but I’ll be plenty happy to play around with other critters. Belize just had Tropical Storm Sara pass through last night, so we’ll see what the conditions hold. Stay tuned this week here on IG for daily IG trip report stories as I get back to work on the flats of Belize.

And if you’re in an airport and see a tall girl with a tan @pelican case covered in fishing stickers, say hello! I have a day of flying and five airports to hurdle through before I hit the dock at the lodge.
Getting close to final call on this trip! If you’re looking for a winter escape or feeling a bit celebratory, come fish Argentina in January. I’ll be at @estancialagunaverde on Lago Strobel January 25 - February 1, 2025, and have a few spots open for anglers. (I’ll also be offering basic photo instruction for those who are interested.) Join me as we fish for massive rainbow trout, enjoy the stunning scenery and epic fishing, and relax with excellent food and lodging. 

Pricing is $7,500 (7 nights / 6.5 days fishing); private room and shared guide. DM for more info.
Cheer on your people. And if the air temp’s belo Cheer on your people. And if the air temp’s below freezing, it just means your beer stays cold longer.

Image: @katmai_sky toasts to a fun, frigid girls’ day on the Missouri River. Montana, March 2023.
Happy 135th birthday, Montana. Image: Missouri Ri Happy 135th birthday, Montana.

Image: Missouri River, Montana. Summer 2013.
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