FLY FISHING PHOTOGRAPHY WITH BRIAN O’KEEFE
October, 2018

Fly fishing and photography make the perfect match. Scenic habitat and handsome subjects combine to create memories that can make us smile long after the trip is over and the bags are unpacked. Gone are the days of sending film out to be processed, duplicates made and mailed to fishing buddies. Now through Face book and Instagram we can document every second of the hook-up, the fight and the release of fish as we are wading the stream. Quality photography, once limited to the professional lugging around a huge SLR and a bagful of lenses, is now within the reach of anyone with an Iphone or point and shoot camera. Brian O’Keefe was the guy with the big camera bag and is now an advocate for lighter gear you can take anywhere. His program will show how you can get the most out of every opportunity by following a few basic rules. Learn to take photos that go beyond the grip and grin. Stop boring your friends with underexposed, badly composed photos that have them reaching for the “delete” button. Brian’s program is a collection of tips for improving the quality of your photographs no matter what kind of camera you have. Besides helpful information the example photographs are from Alaska, Montana, Chile, Cuba and Iceland. A fun fly fishing travelogue wrapped around a lesson in photography.

Let’s just take a closer look at our friend Brian. He has been a serious fly fisher all his life, developing a love for the sport while spending summers in Montana with his grandparents.  There he was taught the art of fly casting and fishing by a Montana dry fly purist, his grandfather, Fred Johnson.  Brian began fishing the world right out of high school. After his two-year solo trip through New Zealand, Australia and a trek into the Himalayan Mountains, he began guiding in the Northwest and Alaska for trout, salmon and steelhead.   At age 30, Brian began his career as a fly fishing tackle rep and angling/ outdoor photographer.  He is also an accomplished fly casting instructor, earning the title of Master Certified Fly Casting Instructor from the Fly Fishing Federation.  Brian has also placed in, and won many fly casting competitions. His photographs have appeared in: Field & Stream, Outdoor Life, Fly Fisherman, Fly Rod & Reel, Fly Fishing Salt Waters, NW Flyfishing, Fish Alaska, Fish & Fly Magazine, Outside Magazine, Men's Journal and many others.

Brian has traveled to some of the wildest and most remote angling destinations in the world, including: Bikini Atoll, the Seychelles, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Tonga and Kashmir.  He has also traveled to more accessible locations, such as:  the Bahamas, Belize, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Chile, England, New Zealand, Argentina, Christmas Island and more.  In many of these locations he again chose to venture off the beaten path, hiking, floating, sea-kayaking or taking a Zodiac into the backcountry. Inside our borders, Brian has specialized in fly fishing the Northern Rockies, the Northwest and Alaska. A camera goes on every trip to record the action.   Brian lives in Bend, Oregon and plans on continuing his adventures and photography, his work with Todd Moen and publishing his beloved Catch magazine. He has recently joined the team at Eleven Experience that represents seven premier lodge destinations worldwide. The accompanying photos are taken at one of Eleven’s properties using an Iphone.

Brian is one of our most popular presenters and, just as important, one of our most treasured friends. Don’t miss this show!