www.jessmcglothlinmedia.com
Jess is a photographer currently based out of Bozeman, Montana (one of my favorite cities in the US). She is a writer and photographer that shoots fly fishing, lifestyle and travel photography. She is one of the nicest photographers I've ever talked to and here is my email interview with her.
Me: How long have you been a photographer?
Jess: I dabbled with photography when I was working in Europe in my late teens, but really started approaching it as a professional when I was 21.
Me: Who got you interested in photography?
Jess: There’s no one person in particular. I guess I can look back to an editor who promised to publish my first big national investigative article in 2009, but would only run it if I had photo evidence. So I snuck onto a worksite with my camera and got the images. The story ran, and five years later a hydroelectric dam on Montana’s Madison River was stopped. It was encouraging to see writing and photography teamed together to make a difference.
Me: Did you go to school for photography?
Jess: I did not. I actually was offered full-ride academic scholarships to several universities, but got bored. So I left and started a business.
Me: What lead you to where you are today?
Jess: Good question. It’s a long, winding path, and looking back the connections I made three, five, or seven years ago sometimes bounce balance in the strangest places. The most straightforward answer isn’t very sexy: it’s a lot of long hours, a lot of rejection when pitching clients and editors, and a lot of hours on the road. It’s 98% slog work, 2% “fun” work.
Me: Do you have a favorite destination to photograph?
Jess: I was able to travel to a very remote atoll in French Polynesia for a shoot for Costa del Mar Sunglasses last year. It was near-perfect shoot — a great team, fantastically nice locals, good weather, good housing, unique fishing, and I picked up all kinds of new skills. Managing sharks, throwing spears, an eating all kinds of weird food. The client was thrilled with the images, and despite myself and one of the anglers ending up in the island clinic for medical issues (always travel with a good medical kit!) it was a fantastic shoot. Heading to Samoa at the end of March for a shoot, and I’m excited to get back to the South Pacific!
Me: Is there a place you dream of photographing one day?
Jess: I’d love to get back to Russia; I worked there for five months and that country sticks with you! Otherwise, the Middle East, South Africa, and Australia are high on the list.
Me: What is the best thing about your job? The worst?
Jess: The best part? Seeing incredible places and meeting fantastic people. The fishing is fun, but for me this is really about documenting people and places. The worst? The hours! 80-hour weeks are pretty standard, even when I’m home. The work doesn’t go away, and a lot of the day-to-day is running a business.
Me: Do you have any advice for getting into fly-fishing photography?
Jess: Shoot! Just get out and shoot. That’s the best way to figure out your own style. Fly-fishing photography is a niche within a niche; it’s a small family and only so many clients to get work from. Don’t be afraid to work with other photographers — I’m getting ready to teach a photography/fishing retreat in Central America this fall with two of the industry’s leading fishing photographers. It’s too small an industry to play territorial. Learn, always keep your eyes open, and don’t be afraid to put in the hours.
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