Knew ya had it in you! ;o)

The start of a budding fishing photo journalism career or just becomming notorious? he he he!

I haven't seen it yet Andy sorry - I don't get mags these days. I just eventually "lost interest" in all the sectoral politics (and fiscal backroom deals) that accompanies the various cliques who run the various angling publications!

I found that the simple act of publishing a story, to try and help others catch a few more fish elevates one into the categoory of "fair game" for the wannabee's who feel the need to come out of the woodwork and shoot you down in order to make their own ego's look "bigger"! The simple act of publishing in ONE magazine (even tho others might have had first rights of refusal) then sometimes can see you "labelled for life" as a supporter of one or anther political fishing faction within angling community and many doors of opportunity slam closed as a result (albeit a few swing open also as a result of publication).

I always ran businesses where I needed to 'advertise' to gain clients or sell product, and publishing isn't a bad way to promote ones abilities and become known, so I would usually try and submit something for publishing first, with any magazine to see if they are indeed genuinely keen on my work (as opposed to keen on my advertising $ and prepared to publish me in order to ge it!) ;o)

Those who took my work and published / paid for it - would then subsequently get my advertising $ in subsequent issues!

You'd be surprised at the numbers of magazines advertising execs who contact you after placing an advert in a rival magazine - offering all sorts of 'advertising deals' in return for publishing your work etc etc, after having percieved no fiscal benefit to themselves initially in publising your work, and passing it over in favor of their existing advertisers who's articles always seem to grace their pages to the point the average reader gets cheesed off reading them all the time!

It all chnges Andy when you flash a few $ around - I proved it to myself time and again!

So - you did very well indeed to be published on your first attempt without an advetising $ incentive for the editor/owner of said magazine!!!!

There are a LOT of magazines I no longer read and who's websites I don't participate in, (and with whom I would never spend advertising $'s) because their business and publishing ethics are not anything I would wish to be associated with!

Anglers are a very savvy bunch, a year or two of reading a magazine and they soon sense publishing prejudices and patterns evolving, and learn to read between the lines!

They read the adds - they place 2 and 2 together and they keep a mental tally of which favoured advertisers always get the covershot photo bonus cheques and the lead stories etc etc and they equate the advertising $ to the magazine content they are buying!

Soon - some of them come to realise their genuine interest in the sport, thirst for knowlege and hard earned subscription $ is just being exploited by a minority to support the floating gin place fishing habits and tackle / charter etc businesses etc lifestyles - they have grown accustomed too!

Like I said Andy - enjoy your well earned success, bask in the sunlight, because we all deserve our 15 minutes of fame (public accliam) just be carefull, & don't let the success go to your head.
Just concentrate on being true to yourself and your own ideals - don't sell your soul to any one publisher or tackle manufacturer, always write about the fishing YOU do - the conclusions YOU reach and the Tackle YOU buy and use, with your hard earned $, and anglers will buy publications with your articles no matter where they are published!

There will be 101 Fishing related businesses who will want to own your soul Andy in order to exploit it for any commercial gain (to themselves largely)!

You will be offered more opportunities to publish I am very sure, because you practice a form of angling traditionally very dear to a great many metro fishers hearts!

The worlds your Oyster Andy - strap on the armor(coz you'll need it against all the tall poppy pruners out there in the internet world!) and keep your chin up and think about what else you'd like to share with our angling youth and what things you'd liek to see "recorded for posterity" about our angling resource at this point in history!

The longest of journeys begins with the first tentative step.
Remember the words of Winston Churchill who once famosuly said!!

It mightn't hurt however (for the sake of Mrs Andy) to forget the other words of wisdom Winston Churchill was famous for:-

Upon arriving home one night sozzled to the gills Mrs C exclaimed!
"My God - Winston, I do believe your drunk!"
To which he reputedly retorted!
"Ahh Yes, M'Dear, and YOU are ugly, but in the morning, I will be sober!" ;o)

Cheers!

so cynical flywest, so cynical.....

I don't know whether to laugh or cry after that post Flywest. Believe me there is no intention to make any type of career out of this, just a hoot actually seeing it materialize.

To Steve's credit there were no edits in my article even though I gave another (non-sponsoring) tackle shop a bit of a free advertisement in the text. The only thing that differed from my submission was that I gave them 11 photo's and they only had space for 4 of them plus they did a great little photoshop with the street sign I gave them. Three of the 4 photo's that made it into print were of me, so all my mates have been giving me a hard time that theirs didn't get up there. (They should have caught more fish on the day was my reply).

At least I was wearing my Crediflex hat so I got some free advertising in for my own business without resorting to any subterfuge or cash for comments. Thankfully my article was none specific and had enough "conservationist messages" within it to hopefully stop too many of the "tall poppy cutters" or "do-gooders" having a dig. Besides you can hardly call one little article a poppy of any size, more like a briefly flowering weed just before it gets sprayed with round-up.

Yes Bruiser indeed, Synicism but born of experience and the school of hard knocks!

Just my observations over time Andy of the 'industry' you are now becomming a member of by the act of publishing!!

My intention is to get you to set clear publishing goals at the ouset, in how you will conduct yourself once in the public eye as it were!

Along with the accolades comes the responsibility of being a role model! ;o)

I have every confidence you will succeed admirably for a host of reasons..or I would have encouraged you! ;o

Remember there is a book in every man!

Mine, should I live long enough to get around to publishing it will be entitled "Karri's, Jarrah's, Jilgies and Jumping Trout - an estoteric ramble throught the tangled shrubbery of one mans muddled mind!" ;o)

What will yours say to the world after your gone Andy?

Save those pics they didn't use - you will need them for your book! ;o)

Books (successful ones at least) are often "reprinted" after sometimes lengthy periods, the royalties from which, might help keep you in 'fishing tackle' thru retirement!

My comments are but a heads up about the industry and the best way to navigate its sometimes tretcherous waters based on my own experience!
Take or leave them as you will!

Cheers!

Look foward to having a read Andy, sure one of the boys will have a copy to talk about tonight at the usual Thursday gathering. You may have noticed that Bakerzinc (Port Hedland) had last month's cover of fishing wa, maybe fishwrecked is the future breeding ground for budding authors and photographers alike. :)

Thought it was a great read Andy, sure I'll have to keep a copy close for when the fishwrecked invitational comes around.

Not sure about how snazzy you look in that last photo, glasses and tidy white shirt, thought you said you were a fisherman...... ;)

The skipper always stays clean while the deckie gets dirty. I think I was a bit of a mess at the end of the night though.

Shame they didn't print these ones in the pictorial as they were all submitted for inclusion in the story.

[img_assist|fid=16492|thumb=1|alt=Huge Harlequin|caption=The fisheries guys at the ramp said this was the biggest specimen they had seen. Caught last Saturday during our mini comp.]

[img_assist|fid=16495|thumb=1|alt=PB Red Snapper|caption=Double the usual size of these things.]

Plus another 4 pics that I will post later of Greg's winning Queen Snapper and Josh's Shark , as well as the winning skipper and angler for the day receiving their trophy and prizes. If it was me I would have put any of those other ones in there in place of the BBQ one.