Hey there everyone. I haven't been terribly active on here lately due to college classes and a burgeoning photography passion. For some reason I have put off posting some images from the June Snorkelpalooza along the South Toe River. My cousin Jason and I drove 14 hours each way, but between the great conversations with friends from previous NANFA gatherings, those who I have spent years speaking to without ever meeting, and those to whom this was my first introduction, not to mention the fish, it was absolutely worth it. I'll keep the narrative short so I can get back to homework, but maybe one day a more complete write-up will show up.
The beautiful South Toe River
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Greenfin Darters were under nearly every rock, yet as Bryce would too oberve, they were not keen on having their photos taken.
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And of course the snail-loving tan-in-the-summer(green)side darter showed me its incomplete web address.
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These darters' bigger, bolder cousins were also all over. This male Gilt Darter was particularly lovely.
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Another benthic creature lurked in the shadows, this one more predatory.
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A more free swimming critter, the Smallmouth Bass is probably my favorite sport fish.
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Schools of Stonerollers grazed on the algae like herds of buffalo on the Great Plains.
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This Redbreast Sunfish father nipped at my fingertips as I tried to snap shots of him defending his nest.
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And finally, the group favorite. This great big male Whitetail Shiner had the best crevice in the severel hundred feet of stream we covered and never wandered far. This fish was truly magnificent.
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I had an incredible time and can't wait to get back to the Blue Ridge area. I strongly recommend a trip out that way to anyone who hasn't before. If I can drive 14 hours, you can too! If you would like to see full size versions of these images and some others I have taken, feel free to check out my flickr page: https://www.flickr.c.../147324886@N07/
And now for the shameless self promotion.
I am currently working on a gear upgrade to hopefully make photography a larger part of my life, but it is a fairly cost prohibitive field. In addition to doing shoots, working on the side, and selling off my current equipment, I have taken up selling prints. If you have any interest in having any of these images, or any others in my gallery, on display in your home I do have an etsy page where you can order professional grade prints from me. Follow the link here and there are instructions in the description below: https://www.etsy.com...hop_home_feat_1
Thank you for checking out my pictures and putting up with my self-advertisement. Thank you also to everyone who I spent time with on my foray out East. That trip, however short, will always be a seminal moment in my passion for ecology and photography and I greatly appreciate the role each of you played in making it so.