Sight Casting

January 10, 2009

Movie Review – Drift, A Confluence Film Production

Filed under: Movie Reviews — haydockj @ 3:00 pm

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

January 9, 2009

Capturing the right photo – Trout Spots

Filed under: Trout Spots, Trout and Fish Photography — haydockj @ 5:07 pm
Brook Trout  Brook Trout Spots Macro Photo    

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

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January 8, 2009

Capturing the beauty of trout spots – abstract art

Filed under: Trout Spots — haydockj @ 5:26 am
          oil painting 20x30"           oil on canvas 20x30           20 x 30 oil          
           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


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