In the early spring of 2005, I had an opportunity to accompany a group of trout bum filmmakers called the Angling Exploration Group (AEG) on a fly fishing exploration to the South Island of New Zealand. I was brought on as the official photographer and assistant filmmaker for the trip. For four months we slept in the dirt, battled the elements and insects and ventured into the remote terrain in search of big elusive brown trout. In the end, I was able to help notch up another chapter in the AEG's ongoing adventure film series in what would be known as Trout Bum Diaries Volume 2: Kiwi Camo.

From my time down under, I returned stateside having experienced my first film project working behind the lens, accompanied by a mountain of slide film still to be developed. Coming onboard to this expedition with a journalism background, my goals for my still images were to document the experience of the trout bum lifestyle with its rewards of monster fish while showing some of the more "challenging" aspects of the trip.