Saved by the Lens #21
Casting Lines and Laughs in Shasta
Somewhere between the rustle of pine needles and the quiet ripples of a northern California creek, I stood beside a man who knows this rhythm better than most — my old friend Will Arreola, rod in hand, line arcing toward the unknown.
Will and I go way back. High school days, when our biggest concerns were which girls were watching and how fast we could peel out of the parking lot. Time has done its work — softened the bravado, sharpened the jokes — but our bond has only grown stronger, forged in seasons of change and shaped by a shared love for the simple, the real.
Now, I’m not what you'd call a fisherman. I can appreciate a good tackle box, sure, but give me a camera over a rod any day. Will, on the other hand, is a true disciple of the water. He doesn’t just fish, he “listens” to the river, studies the wind, communes with the bank like it’s holy ground. Watching him cast is like watching someone pray, but with a beer in his back pocket and an eye on the prize.
On this trip, deep in the woods of Shasta, I wasn’t just documenting a buddy fishing. I was witnessing what it means to be alive with purpose. Will, in boots caked with mud and a grin crooked from sun and sarcasm, reminded me that no matter what life throws your way — and it's thrown him plenty — you keep showing up. You keep casting. Not because the fish are biting, but because “you” are.
The forest was bare-limbed but pulsing with that early spring energy, that sense that something's waking up just beneath the surface. Kind of like us. Two men pushing fifty, still laughing like we’re sixteen, still chasing stories in the woods, still showing up — not because it’s easy, but because it matters.
I came to photograph. I left humbled. There’s a sacredness in the ordinary, a power in showing up for your passions, even when the world tells you to rest. Will taught me that — without ever needing to say a word.
Next time he tells me to grab a pole, I might just do it.
Soon as Raymond returns my book.
Are you looking to get in touch with an experienced commercial photographer in Los Angeles ? Contact Daniel Acuña today. Acuña is accomplished in several types of commercial photography, including corporate, documentary, lifestyle, portraiture and travel. For more information, call (818) 900-5940 or send an email to info@danielacuna.com.
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