would it be possible for those of you who post pictures of your flies to compose them using an eye pleasing background instead of backgrounds the obliterate the fly you want to show us?? buy a 59 cent sheet of light green, light blue or even gray craft paper or even a sheet of foam at the local big box craft store and use it for a background.
people dont usually want to try and pick out your fly in a picture with a filthy and cluttered background, trying to find the fly while looking down inside a wrinkled up waste trol or even trying to look at your totally unfocused fly. oh and put some light on the subject! 1 light on top and 1 on the bottom of the fly!
we want to see your creations so make it possible for us to see them
sorry for the rant! either my eyes are getting older or i’m getting crankier or BOTH!
Ranting about photos is basically the equivalent of cursing the camp cook. How about helping out the photographically challanged members like myself. Your photos are indeed excellent and appear full sized with your post instead of those little attached thumb nails. Could you submit an article that covers fly and fishing photos from first click through the PhotoBucket mess right to the pages of FAOL. You obviously have the necessary skills and sharing them with other FAOLers would be a really nice thing to do. You would also be saving old eyes and old dispositions. Seriously, please think about this request. 8T
Specifically note #3, 5, 6, and 7 apply to tying photos.
Normand DOES make an excellent point about background. Not only does it make the photos look nice, but it also makes it much easier on your eyes to shoot a fly on a solid background. On a more technical level, a solid background placed a good distance behind your subject will also make it MUCH easier for your camera’s autofocus to lock on to the fly as opposed to anything else, resulting in MUCH sharper photos.
Normand, there is already an older photo section on the site by Al Campbell. It might be less work to write an update for that than to start from scratch. I don’t think Ladyfisher wants to change anything Al wrote but a seperate article added to the end of that section could help catch it up to the newer cameras.
Three cheers for Normand. I’ve always felt that FAOL needed a consolidated source of photography information which would help members with their photos. 8T
if i were to do an article it would be up to me whether to start fresh or make an update. who’s to say i’d even post it here or on my blog where i have control of the article. besides where on this entire thread did anybody say anything about changing anything al campbell wrote??
please find and post the link to that article
well doesnt that just burst a lot of bubbles. its all been done before. not much i can add to al campbells articles.
i started the thread in an effort to get members to take better photos not to volunteer
The first thing that got my attention on the fly tying forum was the quality/crispness of the fly photos that you posted. A secondary observation was the, attention to detail, that you demonstrate. The thing is, when you take such high caliber photos, any defect stands out like a sore thumb!LOL!!! Your submissions have been flawless. Very nice tying. When I finally get around to getting a digital camera I will check out Al Campbells blog as well as anything on your blog relating to photographing flies. Thanks.
“if i were to do an article it would be up to me whether to start fresh or make an update. who’s to say i’d even post it here or on my blog where i have control of the article. besides where on this entire thread did anybody say anything about changing anything al campbell wrote??” Normand
Obviously, you can not change an Al Campbell article!! I’m thinking that calls for a new start … in your own words.
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/photo/ will take you to Al’s photography articles. They are good but a little dated when he talks about cameras in particular.
If I were doing this…(I may start a series of posts on my blog, but don’t necessarily feel up to doing and FAOL feature)…I’d approach it like this: sure, Al’s articles are out there, and they’re great, and full of great info. But in my opinion, if I were doing it, I’d concentrate less on photo asthetics (composition, background, framing, etc) and more on the technical end. Push this button, hold this here, use this command in PP…that sort of thing. Also, natural progression of technology has allowed the tyer to do more with their photography to the point that many things Al addresses are non-issues at this point, and new issues have (pardon the pun) cropped up. His work, while groundbreaking, also tended to address a (fairly) non-existent demographic at that time: people who had no knowledge of photography, but were prepared to drop four figures on an SLR. Nowadays, an entry level SLR can be had for under $400, making Al’s article relevant again in a way that was probably not predicted at the time.
The need I’m seeing is for a simply stated, illustrated guide, with only the briefest of explanations as to the technical nitty-gritty behind the facts of the matter. For example: “Use a solid color, mid-tone background, a minimum of 4-6” behind your subject fly. This will not only make it easier to make out the finer details of the fly, but will also allow the autofocus sensor in your camera to readily see that the fly is the intended subject and focus quickly and precisely on it." No need to explain how an autofocus works, no need to explain the science behind white balance and 12%/18% gray, no need to show the effects of a multi-toned, multi-depth background.
or i’m getting crankier 