Sight Casting

Capturing Underwater trout photos

haydockj — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 23:34:30 +0000

Colorado River Cutthroat on the fly Colorado Brook Trout on the fly

Last fall, I purchased an Olympus Stylus 1030 SW point and shoot camera. The camera is the smallest camera I have ever owned, yet it has a ton of capabilities. I purchased the Olympus so I would have an inexpensive small camera for fishing excursions when lugging along a larger DSLR camera is inconvenient (long hikes with other fishing gear). It turns out I love the camera so much that I now take it along even if I have my DSLR. Although I appreciate its size (3 7/8″ w by 2 1/2″ h), its durability (it can be dropped from over 6.6 feet without damage), and its memory capabilities (10.1 megapixels), I am most enthusiastic about its underwater capabilities. The camera is waterproof to 33 feet. And, easy to use “scene selection” functions allow for easy switching from portrait and landscape modes to underwater mode. To date, I’ve taken the camera on a dozen trips including local excursions in Virginia as well as an October trip to Aspen Colorado. The trip to Colorado included time on the Frying Pan, a few small streams (Ivanhoe and Cunningham Creeks) and a few high mountain lakes (Lake Lyle and Savage Lakes). To date, I have taken underwater shots of brown trout, Colorado cutthroat, brook trout and rainbows. While the quality of the shots has not yet been appropriate for pictures larger than 5×7 images, I have learned a lot along the way. Obviously, I could invest a ton of money in a more professional set up (underwater housing for my DSLR). But, my primay objective is to capture underwater images that are good enough to inspire a painting (to inspire my wife to paint that is). Here are a few lessons I have learned along the way in regard taking underwater shots.

LESSON #1 -Don’t kill the fish. Obviously, it would be a lot easier to simply hold fish underwater or tire them out excessivly prior to release. However, ”over tiring” the fish increases mortality rates. I must admit, with shame, that I accidently over stressed the first fish I shot with this camera. And, I had to creel the rainbow trout and eat it for supper. In doing so, I also realized that a tired, floating fish makes for a less interesting subject.

LESSON #2 – Related to Lesson #1, having a partner helps…a lot. As one person releases the fish, the other person has already submerged the camera and is ready for the shot as the fish departs. Or, as you play the fish, your partner can try to take a few shots as you try to land the fish. Now, this can be a game of numbers (you may need to catch and release many fish). And, many shots will simply consist of a tail as the fish darts to freedom. However, I’ve found that releasing the fish gently into moving water sometimes results in a more calm departure. In fact, some fish stick around for a few minutes and allow various shots from different angles prior to speeding off to safer grounds.

LESSON #3 - Good light, as with all photography, is critical. But, I have not been successful with flash underwater on this camera as it tends to overexpose the picture. And, unfortunately, fish do not seem to appreciate the challenge of light. Instead, trout like to dart for the nearest dark space immediately upon release. So, you have a choice, release the fish into a sunny spot and watch it quickly leave. Or, release it in a shady area and suffer from a poor picture. As with all good things in life, effort is required.

For my next excursion, I am going to work a bit on trying to “steady my hands” underwater with a makeshift mono-pod to help eliminate some of the blurry images. The fish are already moving, shaky hands do not help.

Brook Trout Heading for Cover

Brief winter fishing escape

haydockj — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 03:19:54 +0000

This past Sunday, I had the opportunity to take a brief fly fishing adventure with my friend, Russ, and my oldest son. We were fortunate that recent cold winter weather took a brief hiatus and we decided to take advantage of the unseasonably warm (64 degree) weather. So, we drove 30 minutes to the local Rapidan River. My son was anxious to try out the fly fishing rod that he received for Christmas and I was happy to try out some new camera equipment. Although ice still held tight to some small waterfalls, the small pools were ice free. After a 25 minute hike upstream, we started exploring various pockets and pools while trying to keep our lines out of the trees crowding this small stream. We were fortunate to catch a half dozen native brook trout. The biggest fish was no larger than 6 inches (if you factor the standard fisherman’s exaggeration, you can assume the biggest was probably only 5 inches). Despite the small size, their coloration was immense (no exaggeration here, more like an understatement). We caught the brookies on a variety of bead head hare’s ear and prince nymph patterns, nothing fancy. We took a few quick shots of each fish before returning them icy water unharmed. Each one quickly darted off to find a dark place to hide.

Movie Review – Drift, A Confluence Film Production

haydockj — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 20:00:48 +0000

Some of my non-fly fishing buddies don’t quite understand the allure of “standing in freezing cold water and trying to catch trout you don’t eat.” Thus, it is no surprise that these friends would have little interest in a movie about such pursuits. However, it would not surprise me if Drift finds appeal among both “piscatorial minded romantics” and the less fish-loving (ichthyophilists) among us. Why? Sure, Drift is a movie about fly fishing. But, surprisingly, fish are not the primary characters in this flick. Instead, Drift is a movie about relationships, bonding…yes, people. After a predictable opening sequence (river footage), supported by a comforting musical score from Jon Swift (Run River), one of several “character vignettes” unfold. Ranging from philosophical thoughts of John Hazel (all that spey fishing can promise is the opportunity to “fish good water well“) to the banjo blues of Charlie Smith, each vignette teases the viewer with a glimpse into the personality of folks who deserve even deeper understanding.

For me, my passion for fly fishing seems to be a contradiction on several layers. I often yearn for the quiet beautiful places as well as the solitude and reflection time that fishing provides. On the other hand, fly fishing provides me with some of my most rewarding and enjoyable bonding experiences with family and friends. And, while fly fishing is not a competitive sport, it strikes me as supremely competitive albeit with the opposing teams represented by fish, weather, failing eyesight, cold hands, travel, and equipment failures.

Anyway, I recommend this movie and appreciate the one hour of escape that it provided me on a dreary East Coast, cold, Saturday afternoon. My only critique is that the film did not more fully explore the lead characters. That being said, it was easy for me to connect with this movie as it resurfaced my own memories of having fished several of the locations with good friends (Turneffe Island, the Green River, and the Frying Pan). After reviewing my 401K and IRA accounts and realizing that I may not be taking as many bonefish, permit, or tarpon trips in the coming year, it is good to know I can live vicariously though movies like Drift. It also encouraged me to reach out to a few buddies to set up some spring trout fishing itineraries.

In closing, here is a quote form the movie made by one of the Garbutt brothers (family of guides in Punta Gorda, Belize) as he recognized openly a strong bond and love for his brothers as well as realizing he has something special…”When my brother catches a permit, I catch a permit.”

John

Capturing the right photo – Trout Spots

haydockj — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 22:07:41 +0000

As Isaak Walton once wrote, “Inhabitants of the watery element are for wise men to contemplate and fools to pass by without consideration.”

Trout Spot Art is inspired by the actual patterns on trout. The first trick is to catch the fish, capture the image, and release the fish unharmed. When possible, we use heavier tippets than normally preferred (typically the lighter the line the better so the fish are not spooked by the coarse line) so we can land the fish quickly. We try our best to rely on rubber or fine mesh nets as opposed to handling the fish to reduce the likelihood of removing their protective slime.

Once netted, we use a pair of forceps to remove the barbless fly hooks from the fish and move quickly to a pre-established ”shooting” set up (digital SLR camera with a Macro lense). As we capture a few photos of the patterns, the goal is to focus on close-up images as opposed to shots of the whole fish. The two photos above show the difference between a standard lense (left) and a macro lense (right). In many cases, the subjects (also known as fish) are only a few inches long. For example, the fish used in the pictures shown was only about 5 inches long. Thus, a macro lense, good light and a high quality SLR camera are essential.

After capturing images, a variety of artisitc approaches can be used for each individual photograph. Some images are simply enlarged and printed so as to provide detail for the artist to paint. In other cases, the photos are digitally modified to render a final product that enhances various elements. In the end, many images might be derived from one single photograph and one fish. The final painted images inspired by these photos (above) are shown on our January 8th blog post.

John

Capturing the beauty of trout spots – abstract art

haydockj — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 12:26:11 +0000

Jeremy’s Run Brook Trout Paintings. Actual sizes 20×30 oil on canvas.

Pardon, in advance, the art and fly-fishing puns that will likely abound. We’ve recently experienced a prolific hatch of fishing related art–’Trout Spots’.

A small group of people get to catch and marvel at the beauty of the spots on the sides of trout. Without the help of a macro lens–us over 40-somethings find the iridescent qualities hard to see. As a website designer by trade and passionate fly fisherman by “evening hatch,” Russ Bombardieri has always appreciated the art of as much as the sport itself. Their colorful patterns and grace have always captured his imagination. During the spring of 2008, while admiring a native brook trout he caught in the Appalachian Mountains, Russ realized that few people have the opportunity to truly appreciate the beauty of trout “up-close.” He came up with the idea of celebrating the patterns of trout through realistic and abstract art.

Russ shared his concept with me (John) and together we decided to actively pursue the idea. To bring the idea to life, we enrolled Rebecca(http://www.rebeccahaydock.com/gallery_flyfishing.php).

Today, we are committed to capturing macro photographs of trout spots and using those photographs to inspire realistic and abstract pieces of art. The first series, titled “Jeremy’s Run,” consists of several oil paintings of native Brook Trout. The second series, “Colorado Cutthroat”is also underway and digitally altered images in giclee form are available for sale.

And, to ensure our kids also have the opportunity to realize dreams of catching elusive trout, a portion of all artwork sales will be donated to environmental causes working toward conservation of cold water fisheries.

John Haydock