This Wednesday my first feature for SPIEGEL ONLINE was published. In that article, I am reviewing Lorien Green’s really interesting film “Going Cardboard, A Board Game Documentary.” The documentary is about the growing popularity of strategic board games in the US. These games are often referred to as Euro games or German-style games, and Green tracks how they have become more and more popular in the US over the course of the last 15 years. If you have a chance and like board games, I recommend getting a copy of this documentary. SPIEGEL ONLINE is arguably Germany’s most...

This Saturday Ontario members of the Outdoor Writers of Canada (OWC), which I joined in 2006, met for the annual spring get-together at the Toronto Sportsmen’s Show. Since 1957 OWC has been the premier Canadian industry association for “professional communicators specializing in the outdoor field.” These, however, are not your grandfather’s days. Times are changing. With so much information for writers on the internet, social media and other channels of communication, why should anyone be a member of an industry association anymore? Because the OWC, I would think, is still the...

In a city like Toronto where you can basically do anything, what kind of people would spend their Saturday nights in a board game café? All kinds of people, it seems, from the nerdiest nerd to the trendiest hipster – people who don’t mind waiting for hours to get one of the much sought after tables in this not even fully licenced place. Snakes & Lattes, Toronto’s first board game café and probably North America’s only successful one of its kind, has become a place for everyone to wine (on some tables), dine and play. I guess it’s a great starting point for my...

If you are planning to visit the Canadian east coast to go brook trout or Atlantic salmon fishing, you may now be better equipped than ever when it comes to deciding which lodge to pick. The New Fly Fisher, an iconic Canadian TV show, has recently visited over ten lodges in Newfoundland and Labrador and dedicated an episode to each lodge. The professionally edited and narrated videos are now available online. You can watch the shows on The New Fly Fisher‘s YouTube channel. To my knowledge this is the most extensive video database about fishing lodges in any region of the world. Kudos to The...

Traditionally the first day of winter steelhead fishing feels cold. So I wasn’t that surprised when I was shivering for most of the two hours I spent wading the Humber River this Saturday. Not getting any bites doesn’t help keep you warm either. Although I am looking forward to getting some more winter steelheading done between now and April, it would be nice to snowbird and spend the winter months fishing in warmer areas. Check out these five guys in the fantastic films below. Enjoy a 32-minute winter get-away with videos from Australia, the Christmas Islands, the Seychelles, Louisiana and...

This week Toronto members of TMAC (Travel Media Association of Canada) and SATW (Society of American Travel Writers) met at Google’s Canadian headquarters at Dundas Square to attend a PD session titled “Google for Journalists: Getting the Most from the Web.” The session was excellent, and I believe each attendee learned dozens of research tricks and tips to present their findings. I was inspired to create more informative maps using free Google tools. Below, you can see the (totally self-centered) first map on my website. Coast to Coast, 12 selected features about Canada. Click on the markers for...

Again, it’s that time of the year: you wake up one day just to realize that the weather has been pretty chilly for most of the week and that it is already mid-November. The warm days are gone and will only be back in half a year. In November, I usually sit in front of the computer regretting not having done enough fly fishing during the warmer months. My second regret (specific to 2011) is that I didn’t really shoot any great fishing videos, although my goal for this summer was to have mastered my camera and editing software. So there is my first goal for 2012. In 2011, I only put together...

The Canadian Badlands in eastern Alberta is the perfect destination for a rugged road trip: empty, often winding roads, spectacular views, the brightest light and greatest skies you can imagine. During the last weeks, features of my recent trip through the Badlands have been published in Die Welt and Die Südostschweiz newspapers. However, papers such as these can only publish so many photos. Below you find a few more images that I took during my last road trip. All of those shots haven’t been published yet. If you are interested in a road trip feature about the Badlands or images of that region,...

Today newspaper Die Südostschweiz, a long term client in Switzerland, published my travel feature about the Calgary Stampede 2011. The story looks great and they used one of my favourite photos of that trip: Cowboy 207 getting ready for his shot at winning 100,000 dollars at the rodeo. You can check out a PDF copy of the article here. (I am waiting for a few more publications resulting from my last trip to Alberta. The next features should be on road tripping through the Canadian Badlands and hunting down dinosaur bones.) If you are an editor and interested in stories and photos from this trip, please...

My friend Shereen got me all excited when she told me that some of the photos I took at her and Dave’s wedding were being featured in a blog called The Scarcely-Clad Bride. Then I learned that the blog’s real title is The Sari-Clad Bride and that it features wedding photography of Indian and Pakistani brides in colorful dresses. I also remembered that I never took any compromising photos of her and that she, indeed, was wearing a sari on her special day. I am not a wedding photographer (or a big fan of weddings, for that matter) but was all too happy to help out at this destination wedding in the...

Online fly fishing magazines have been around for a while now, and I think it’s time to have a look at what is out there. This is Fly, Catch Magazine and Ten & Two Magazine are three web publications that feature superb fly fishing photography, film making and story telling. Although it gets increasingly difficult for online and print magazines to find new destinations and truly innovative techniques, these three publications do a great job challenging fly mag conventions when it comes to image quality and overall look and feel. I have mentioned this before: This is Fly is my favorite online...

I recently joined the Travel Media Association of Canada (TMAC). Last week, TMAC held its 2011 Conference & AGM in Ottawa. This meeting is one of the premier Canadian networking and personal development events for members of the travel media industry. Attending the conference is a great perk of being a TMAC member. Having face-to-face time with fellow writers and travel professionals from all over the country, exchanging ideas and getting the latest industry news is well worth going through the rigid TMAC membership qualification process. As a writer, you have to have published a substantial number...

Anthropologie retail stores have an interesting brand communication tool in place: The Anthropologist website, an “online space for inspiring works and inspiring individuals.” This site has no obvious connection to the retailer and there are no items for purchase. Each month the site features one or more individuals “who move us in order to move you.” Furthermore, the website champions “the idea that sharing sources of creativity in turn kindles it.” In 2010 the Anthropologist showcased craft metalworkers using century old techniques, motion studies of ballerinas and...

2010 has been an interesting and productive year for me as an outdoor and travel writer, and I could add a number of new publications to my list of clients. Amongst others, newspapers Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung and Die Welt as well as fish and travel magazine Fischabenteuer published my features. My regular clients such as Fliegenfischen and Northwest Fly Fishing magazines, Tages-Anzeiger, Die Südostschweiz, and Welt am Sonntag newspapers, as well as Welt Online published articles as well. More features are lying around on editors’ desk eagerly awaiting publication. Other articles need to be written...

Fly fishing is online. There are a bunch of “where, when and how” forums, a few interesting blogs and at least two regular podcasts. But how many good online magazines are out there? I would think there is one: This is Fly. By mixing fly fishing topics with ecology, lifestyle, arts and music, the cool and sleek magazine stretches the boundaries of conventional fly fishing publications. Every cover is designed by an artist who is featured with a substantial portfolio in the magazine as well. Every issue also contains a playlist of songs to listen to while reading through the pages of This is...

Manitoba is a great travel destination for outdoor and nature lovers. The problem is, however, that very few European travellers are aware of what the prairie province has in store for them: countless lakes, spectacular forests, endless grasslands and an abundance of wildlife. During the summer of 2009, I visited Manitoba, specifically Churchill on the shores of Hudson Bay and Roblin near the Sasketchewan border, on assignment for newspapers Welt am Sonntag and Tages-Anzeiger as well as fishing magazines Rute & Rolle and Fliegenfischen. Let me tell you, Manitoba is as spectacular as...

The current issue of Fliegenfischen magazine – at newsstands since June 11, 2010 – features two of my articles about North America. One piece reviews fishing for tiger trout in Manitoba and another reports on the Atlantic Salmon Federation’s efforts to promote catch and release fishing. These two articles mark my start as North American “correspondent” for the magazine. In every issue, I will be contributing stories, reviews, reports and news updates from the U.S. and Canadian fly fishing scene. Now even more than ever, I am looking for potential stories and developments in...

Northwest Territories Tourism decided to go with one of my shots for the cover of their 2010 Fishing Guide. That is great! The photo shows guide Dan Miguel and a beautiful Arctic Grayling. I took the photo when I visited Frontier Fishing Lodge some time ago. The grayling was taken in the Stark River – amazing and phenomenally productive waters for any dry fly angler! It’s a very popular photo that has been chosen by editors of Fliegenfischen fly fishing magazine and Northwest Fly Fishing magazine for publication before. Read about the Stark River in a review (PDF) I wrote for Northwest Fly...

For a Toronto based travel writer working for German-language publications, it sounds like a a dream come true: this month, 360° medien launched 360° Kanada – a magazine entirely dedicated to Canadian travel, lifestyle and immigration. Glossy and upscale 360° Kanada, published bi-monthly, will inform Canada visitors about the latest trends in tourism, the hottest new cultural events and the most important developments in immigration politics. A number of my travel features are scheduled to appear in upcoming issues. Look out for them! Follow...