By David A. Brown
Special to BassFan

As one of the industry’s top tournament photographers, James Overstreet approaches his job with an old-school work ethic and a blend of creative vision and rock-steady swagger: Kind of like Ansel Adams meets Cool Hand Luke.

Born and raised near his hometown of Bryant, Ark., he fished regional bass tournaments for about 25 of his younger years, and that understanding of the game helps keep him in position for those “wow” shots that tell the stories.

Instantly likeable, J.O.’s an interesting guy with an endearingly straightforward perspective, so we thought we’d profile the man behind the beard behind the lens.

The B.A.S.S. Gig

As a freelancer with B.A.S.S. and Jerry McKinnis' production company, J.M. Associates, for the past decade, J.O. spends a lot of time on the road. He’s cut back his travel in recent years, but the schedule still keeps him on the go.

“At one time I was doing 250 days a year on the road, but now I’m not doing a whole lot outside of B.A.S.S.,” Overstreet said. “When ESPN owned B.A.S.S., I did a lot of other things for ESPN Outdoors, like saltwater and the hunting side in the winter. But I’ve cut my travel about in half (recently).”

Working all the Bassmaster Elite events since the series’ beginning, Overstreet has also shot Bassmaster Opens for 3 years now. Each image matters, but he said the pinnacle is easily defined.

“I think obviously the Bassmaster Classic is the biggest deal for me because of how important it is; and that last day specifically is always the biggest,” he said. “That last day on the water with the leaders is the most significant for me – especially if I’m on the right guy and then later, if he holds that trophy, that’s my favorite stuff to shoot.”

Overstreet said he’s been in position to do that several times with Classic winners such as Cliff Pace, Chris Lane, Skeet Reese and Kevin VanDam.

“When you can paint that entire picture of that last day of the winning guy, that’s a pretty big deal,” he said.

Deep-Seated Passion

Overstreet reports to longtime pal Steve Bowman – formerly the outdoor editor of an Arkansas paper rivaling the one for which Overstreet worked as a circulation manager. Media wars aside, the two kept in touch after leaving the business and once Bowman landed at J.M., he invited Overstreet to join the team.

He traces his picture-taking back to his youth. A high school photography course instilled the basics and a gig as yearbook photographer solidified the passion.

“I could always do it, but I never thought of photography as a career because I never thought you could make any money at it,” Overstreet said. “I owned a construction company before becoming a full-time photographer and it got to where I enjoyed photography so much I had to commit to one or the other.

“My wife and I were pretty settled and once I built the house we live in now, I shut down the construction company and took on everything I could get with B.A.S.S. and ESPN Outdoors and totally committed to doing only photography.”

Favorite Shooting Locales

A mountain man at heart, Overstreet said Yosemite National Park tops his hit list.

“I just think it’s the most incredible place in America,” he said. “Every turn in the road or every bend in the Merced River is a postcard.

“You never run out of things to shoot in there. You could shoot it for years and shoot a different scene every time. With the weather and the atmosphere changing so much, the light changes and there’s just so much that goes on in the 4-mile valley.

“I think that’s why Ansel Adams spent so much time there.”

Memorable Moments

“I have a photo of KVD when he won the 2011 Classic in New Orleans on Lake Cataouache,” Overstreet recalls. “When he catches that last big fish on the last day, I shot a picture of him screaming, with this fish held out to the side and the rod in the other hand.

“You could tell he knew he had enough to win. He knew there was no way anybody was going to catch him.”

Overstreet said he has a similar photo from Skeet Reese’s 2009 Classic win on the Red River.

“Those winning fish are special,” Overstreet said. “I think the anglers know what they have to have when they’re out there.

“It’s always interesting to watch the video of a tournament show and then go back and look at the photos of that same few seconds because it happens so fast.”

Demanding Job

Despite a genuine love for his work, Overstreet chuckles at the common “dream job” misconception. Hanging out with the pros, floating around in the sunshine – always calm water, of course – and hopping up to snap a couple of photos with perfect lighting and textbook angles.

Hmmm. Doesn’t sound like the majority of J.O.’s work days.

For starters, Overstreet trailers and drives his own camera boat, so he has to be as sharp on the trolling motor as he is with aperture and shutter speed. Pleasant days are certainly not unheard of, but nice or not – dry or soaked – daily productivity expectations remain.

“A magazine or newspaper guy is only looking for (a few) photos he can run,” Overstreet said. “With me, I have to shoot 100-plus publishable photos every day from launch to weigh-in.

“You never quit shooting, you never quit editing. You’re putting out three to four galleries a day. So the demand for quality and quantity is intense.”

Lake knowledge is imperative and considering how good anglers are at hiding, you can add bloodhound to the list of requisite skill requrements. Throw in some meteorological mayhem and guess what – he's still gotta file 100-plus solid images.

“It’s not as easy as you might think,” Overstreet said. “You know where the field is, but you don’t know where the players are going to be. We don’t get to pick the days we go out. If (the anglers) go, we go. That’s your job.

“You’re sleep deprived by the end of the tournament and then you’re going to drive 1,000 miles to get home. You gotta love it or you won’t last.

So what’s the appeal? The motivation?

For James Overstreet, it’s the ability to record, preserve, enshrine a moment in photographic perpetuity.

“A photo lives forever,” he said. “You watch a video and (a notable event) happens in 1/1000th of a second. Because it happens so quickly, you might miss it. With a still photo, you capture that drama forever.”