ON A BRILLIANT WINTER DAY NOW THREE DECADES PAST, I found myself waist-deep in an intimate coastal stream in Northern California, attached by a thin line to a fierce, strong and determined force — a wild and impossibly beautiful steelhead, the sea-run expression of the rainbow trout. Some year's earlier, I came to California pursuing musical aspirations. Along that path, I found a new muse. The rivers sang a melody truer than any I had heard and the fish were more seductive than the most clever lyric. Some vital fire kindled in me and I was filled with awe for the power and fragility of these wonders so close at hand.
In time, I was an obsessed flyfisher and committed to the principals of conservation, my thoughts focused on the relationship between the human spirit and wilderness, my creative efforts devoted to capturing fleeting encounters with fish, water, and light on photographic film. Here was a world of magic, drama, and mystery — a complex, interdependent web that is, I believe, soul-sustaining for all who pause, look, and listen.
At face value, my photographic works document my experiences afield. However, I offer them not merely as pastoral depictions of the angler's world, but as the iconography of the wildness that defines and nourishes our greater regional culture. These are the shapes and forms, the colors and textures, the body and spirit that identify the Pacific Northwest and Cascading life.
In the rivers I have waded and fish I have encountered — in their insistent force — I have found a resonant connection and sense of place. To see it any other way would seem a critical error: They are part of us, and we are part of them. Consequently, by creating and presenting these works, I endeavor in some small way to give back to these rivers and remarkable creatures — to help ensure their health and survival for generations to come.
— Jeff Bright
Prints of Jeff's photography are available for purchase. Current inventory, ready to ship, includes images in four categories: Panoramic Format, Fish Portraits & Abstracts, River Views & Scenics, and Angling Vignettes. Click an image above to explore the available prints in its corresponding category, or visit the Shop page directly.