Fishy people: The photography of Earl Harper

Fishy people

The portraits of photographer Earl Harper

by Earl Harper - Monday, Nov 19th, 2018

Those who find that the only wealth in fishing comes from the fish themselves always seem to be the ones missing the point.

Whether on streams that course through our hometowns or on the rivers, lakes and shores of far flung places, the worlds that revolve around fisheries are replete with riches. They are rich with fish, certainly, but rich also with the wonders of the natural world, with the drama that comes from the intersection of land and sea, with the rhythmic ebb and flow of tidal and lunar cycles and, perhaps above all, rich with the people whose lives are entangled amongst all of it. For those of us that share this entanglement, there's an instant connection and kinship—despite language barriers, cultural divides and the wildly diverse number of ways in which human lives intersect with the worlds below the surface of water.

For photographer Earl Harper, this connection is paramount above all and has led him to train his lens on the fishy people he encounters in fishy places with increasing frequency—whether close to Harper's home in Seattle, Washington or in distant places like Mongolia, Kamchatka, Argentina or Thailand.

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One of Harper's annual pilgrimages is to Alaska, to chase migrating salmon on the Naknek River with a group of longtime friends. One of those friends is Trevor Gong, seen here all pimped out in disco attire, drinking a can of Rainier on the deck outside Rainbow Bend Lodge (photo: Earl Harper).

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The first of a what is now Harper's burgeoning collage series was shot at the Ikari House in Christmas Island, capturing the diverse personalities of the guides and staff. Sadly, a little more than a year later, Moana Kofi (top left), widely considered one of the world's finest flats guides, passed away (photo: Earl Harper).

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Guide Nikita Migunov sneaks in a smoke break, seen through the porthole window of a Russian MI-8 helicopter. When the big, Cold War-era choppers spin up, guides and staff pile on the week's gear to keep it from getting 'redistributed' throughout the bush (photo: Earl Harper).

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Spend two weeks floating down a river with Fish Mongolia in search of taimen and you'll form friendships that last a lifetime; and not just with the other guests, but with the guides, staff and more (photo: Earl Harper).

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When Harper stumbled upon this group of kids chatting outside a riverbank cabin in northern Mongolia, only the boy wanted his photo taken. After each shot, the kids would peer at the images on the back of the camera and one or two girls would join the frame. Before long, a party of one had swelled to this raucous and excited group (photo: Earl Harper).

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After a couple of weeks touring the estancias of northern Patagonia and camping under the southern sky with Patagonia River Guides, you'll emerge steeped in Argentine culture, kinship and, almost certainly, 10 pounds heavier (photo: Earl Harper).

francois botha guide - pira lodge - argentina

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Guide Francois Botha shows off what’s left of his gloves as he nears the end of a season poling for golden dorado at Pira Lodge in northern Argentina (photo: Earl Harper).

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Sleepy Punta Allen sits inconspicuously on the shores of Mexico's Ascension Bay, one of the fishiest places on earth. Ascension Bay also happens to be one of the world's premier permit destinations. Given the regularity with which the bay's permit make it to hand, the guides from Dick and Kaye Cameron's Palometa Club have plenty of reasons to smile, and rarely miss the opportunity (photo: Earl Harper).

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Ken sits with his dog, Hitler, on the grounds of one of Belize's first fishing lodges, the historic Blue Horizon. Ken and Hitler are the Blue Horizon's caretakers while the lodge undergoes a remodel (photo: Earl Harper).

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A boat captain ferries Harper and his wife, Doreen, into Khao Sok National Park Thailand where the couple spent a week fishing for Thai mahseer and sleeping on floating bungalows (photo: Earl Harper).

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The guides at Bair's Lodge are some of the most seasoned in the entire Caribbean, with over 100 years of flats experience between the group. But even after decades on the flats, each day still ends behind the lodge where the guides, staff and guests gather to discuss the day's successes and failures and—and share a Kalik or two. Or a Sands, if you prefer (photo: Earl Harper).

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It's at least plausible that one could cover Iceland from coast to coast and not encounter another angler with more enthusiasm and passion for the island nation's fish and rivers than Fish Partner's Kristján Páll Rafnsson. 12 hour days? Try 15. Sleep is overrated (photo: Earl Harper).

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The photographer, Earl Harper, takes a break from capturing images and dodging midges on the shores of Iceland's Lake Thingvallvatn (photo: Chad Shmukler).

Bahamas