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.