Bringing Lures to Life

Photographer Sarah Cramer Shields was on the Northern Neck of the Chesapeake Bay with her boys when they caught their first fish. “Their enthusiasm and energy were palpable,” she says. “I can still feel it!” 

Last year, when photographing a variety of lures for the newly released Freshwater Fishing Lures stamps, Shields was able to channel that same sense of wonder into creating a series of dynamic and colorful images — and in turn capture the essence of one of America’s favorite pastimes. “I’m always looking for the best light,” she says, and with this pane of stamps, she found it. 

Shields grew up fishing in the summers with her Uncle Tommy on Crystal Lake in Pennsylvania, so the sport has special meaning for her. “Crystal Lake was a really special place,” she says. “You could see all the way to the bottom it was so clear. I rarely caught anything though, because every time I saw any fish, I was too excited to sit still.” 

Regardless of the lack of success with a rod and reel, she was thrilled to be asked to shoot fishing lures with her camera for USPS. Freshwater Fishing Lures is her first stamp project, and one that took her out of her comfort zone as a photographer. 

Shields is mostly a portrait photographer in her hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia. Her images have been published elsewhere in numerous newspapers and magazines, and in five cookbooks. She has photographed many notable personalities in her career, including journalist Katie Couric, musician Dave Matthews, and restauranteur/philanthropist José Andrés, among others. 

“I always approach my new clients and shoots with enthusiasm and fresh ideas,” she says, “but honestly, my specialty is people. I have been documenting people’s lives for over 20 years — making them feel comfortable and showing the world their beauty. The challenge with this project was to make these lures come to life in a similar way, and I think we did just that.” 

Shields had a strong ally and collaborator for this project in art director Greg Breeding, who helped her see potential in a pile of inanimate objects. “Greg is a fantastic advisor and director,” she says. “I learned so much from him during this process. I believe he said, ‘I know you like to photograph humans, Sarah, but do you think you can make these fishing lures come to life?'”

Creating life in a still image on a stark white background had its challenges. “The hardest part was perfectly capturing the lure designs without any glare,” she notes. “Also, finding just the right perspective of each lure for a viewer to enjoy. There were so many lures and so many iterations, but the process was worth it!”

Together, Shields and Breeding photographed over 30 lures, each in numerous “poses.” Lures are, after all, a facsimile of life, and each had the potential to find energy when posed in just the right way. The finished pane, in the end, was a work of art balancing a variety of shapes and colors arranged at different angles.

“We had a few meetings to get the images just right,” she says, “and I gained so much knowledge from [Greg’s] art direction and experience with USPS. I am so grateful for the collaboration and can't wait to do more!”