I watched a man fish . . .
{KKlassen texture that I forgot to write down}I spent a lot of time by the bay last week watching the sunrise,and,I watched a man fish.
One morning after the sunrise, I went to the boardwalk overlooking the bay to walkand watch the pelicans, and to just observe whatever the morning had to offer. It was a beautifulcrisp morning, sunny and with a slight breeze. Sailboats were coming and going through the harborand I even picked up a few bird friends who literally followed me on foot along the way.
And then up ahead as I turned around the corner I spotted an older man in a very small boat, and
he was fishing. I paused for a moment, and watched, and curious as I am I asked him if he was fishing for a specific kind of fish, and although he answered I didn't quite understand him. I'm not sure if it was because he didn't speak English or I just didn't hear him very well. I continued to watch him, in awe really, as he wascatching a fish about every minute or so, sometimes less. And, ever so often he would look up at me and I would give him two thumbs up and tell him he was doing a great job and we would exchange smiles.
(As if this man, who had a bucket full of fish needed me to tell him that. )
{KKlassen portrait}But the longer I watched I began to realize, that he wasn't using a pole, just a fishing line with a weight and
shrimp for bait. And it seemed that just as soon as he was dropping the line, he was pulling another fish from the water. He had this wonderful rthymn that just made it seem effortless. He would hold that tool in his right hand, slipping the line into the slot while pulling the fish up to the top of the tool until he could no longer pull. And then with a quick downward motion he released the fish into the bucket.
It was when he ran out of shrimp and needed to cut up some more, that I noticed his missing thumb.
{ My chosen photo for photo-heart connection - KKlassen texture warms sun}This months photo-heart connection is unique for me in that there were really two connections.My first connection is to the first photo and my realization that he was fishing in what many would consider a rather primitive way, without a fancy fishing pole but instead with just the line. He was simply catching fishbased on his technique and not based on equipment and he was getting great results.
I began to relate this in my mind to photography. Because even the best equipment won't help if we don't first understand technique. I also know that my lack of equipment doesn't take away from my imagination, because no amount of money will buy that. This just reminds me that what ever our chosen craft, it is more about the crafter than what we use to make it. But that's not to say that we won't ever need different equipment as our vision or technique's change, just as if the fisherman wanted to catch a shark he would definitely need something more than just the line. I do believe it's more about our vision through technique rather than our equipment that defines art. And I don't think the man I watched is any less of a fisherman because he didn't use an expensive pole.
The next connection, and the last photo connected me with my heart.After about twenty minutes of watching this man fish, he filled his entire bucket! And when he releasedthe last fish into that bucket, he promptly grabbed onto a rope that dangled from his boat and as he began topull on it, he turned and looked at me and smiled and said, "time to go home." As he pulled that rope, it took him about twenty feet away and as he pulled some more it brought up an anchor that he hoisted into his boat. And as he sat down and was driving away he looked up at me again and gave me a wave. We had a little bond that morning, a connection between two strangers. He didn't know it but he was for those twenty minutes a teacher, and I a student, both of us practicing our chosen craft.
Love, KimXO
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