Tag Archives: photography

Fishy photogs and free beer

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Fly-Fishing PhotographyAll of the fly-fishing photographers I’ve ever met (including one Mr. Tim Romano) are pretty darn serious about their craft. And it goes way beyond the hero shot, which even yours truly can’t seem to capture without someone with a shit-eating grin on their face getting in the way of the beautiful fish. I admire the skill they exhibit, and if you fancy free beer and acting like you belong in an art gallery, such as I, here’s your chance to admire them too.

There’s a new group out there called the Greenbacks – their goal is getting the yung ‘ins into fly-fishing, and along the way teaching them about native trout and the conservation efforts around them. As part of that initiative, they are putting on a shindig showcasing these masters of the digital take, at Anthology Fine Art (635 Santa Fe Drive, DenCO). Entitled Surface Film*, it’ll run the month of February and proceeds will benefit the Greenbacks, Colorado Trout Unlimited, and all those fish I can’t seem to catch. The opening is February 3rd at 6:30pm sharp, and if you show up a half hour early at precisely that time you might nab yourself a free beer.

MG signing off (to mention “free beer” one more time)

* Hat tip to Joe Cermele for coming up with that name. The editor would appreciate any tips he could provide for rebranding this site, as the present moniker is neither clever, catchy or convertible into anything of monetary value.

Check out this super cool Louis Cahill trout picture from my backyard

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Master photographer Louis Cahill’s work is a regular fixture over at Deneki Outdoors, and with good reason. It just plain rocks. When Deneki Top Dog Andrew Bennett dished out this reminder of Cahill skill, however, I felt the need for a little one-upmanship.

See…Louis doesn’t just take pictures…

Louis Cahill

…he poses for them too.

Catching trout is the easy part.

MG signing off (having one-upped, although who I’m not quite sure)

If someone lands a fish but no picture is taken, was the fish actually caught?

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On the ride up to a Gold Medal trout water today:

Angler 1: I rowed that stretch 25 times last year. We stuffed pigs every run, and by the end of the season I was sick of the place. But I did hook one that would have pushed 20 pounds.

Angler 2: Did you get a picture of that fish?

Angler 1: No, I didn’t land it. But I did land one over 13.

Angler 2: Did you get a picture of THAT fish?

Angler 1: Yea. I think so.

Uncertainty remains, no matter the time nor the place nor the size. Although size matters (and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise).

Some fish for the peace and serenity, while others do so to knock everyone in their gang off their perches.

Some take pictures to capture the surroundings – they conjure magic in pixels. Others accumulate bragging rights, for the ride home and beyond.

I fished without a camera on my person today – the Pentax Optio that became a mainstay of my gear bag is gone.

I caught one decent rainbow while everyone was watching, and then ventured off on my own. A BWO hatch appeared out of nowhere, on a bluebird day. I cast tiny flies onto fast water shadowed by tall pines. And picked up a handful of dinks.

Neither art nor hero shot to speak of.

Did the entire day even happen at all?

Barry Beck says “Cathy can outcast me with one hand tied behind her back”

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Cathy Beck denied this was the case, and said she’s just getting set up. It wouldn’t be the first time, as you’ll soon find out.

I had a chance to sit down with Barry and Cathy Beck, the first couple of fly-fishing, at the Denver International Sportsmen’s Expo. They’ve been in the fly-fishing business their whole adult lives, running a fly shop, hosting guided trips throughout the world, and capturing images that are found in publications galore. They need little more in the way of introduction, so we’ll get down to the nitty gritty.

Transcript follows…

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Lowering the bar for the winter

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Lowering the photography bar tooThe call came in Monday at 7:58 am.

VOICE #1: How was it?!

VOICE #2: So so. We picked up plenty of stockers, but only two decent native bows. No rhyme or reason.

VOICE #1: How was the weather?

VOICE #2: Nice, and cold, in the morning. Got some cloud cover in the afternoon, but didn’t see any bugs. Probably too cold.

VOICE #1: Okay. I’m on my way to work. Will catch up soon. See ya.

An early winter fishing report, exchanged in less than sixty seconds and in under sixty words. No embellishments about a bang-up day. No mention of a post-outing beer guzzling fest either. Someone hoping to live vicariously through a fishing story. Sorely disappointed. It just didn’t happen.

It’s a sign of the season. Lowering the bar for the winter.

MG signing off (to find a ballroom dancing class for winter, thinking it might just improve his wading skills come spring)

A camera decision turned inside out

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For the last few months I’ve been on a mission. A camera mission. I’ve been looking at digital SLRs to replace the Pentax point and shoot I’ve been carrying around for the past two years. The Optio has done right by me – it’s been dunked, dropped, generally beat up just fine, and it still works like a charm. But I wanted better pictures, particularly when fishing, and had convinced myself that a DLSR was the ticket.

After pouring through specifications, perusing a wide variety of opinions, comparing prices, and even toting a loaner around for a few weeks, I’ve come to a decision. I’m not going to get one at all, at least for the foreseeable future. There are plenty of reasons: new offerings seem purposely handicapped in one way or another until you hit the “professional” level, and I’ve got no interest in upgrading next month; some older models are much more sought after, which tells me the manufacturers have a ship that will soon need righting; people are way too optimistic about what units are worth second-hand, a hint that prices may soon come crashing down; and last but certainly not least, it seems a lot of folks buy these DSLRs, set them to auto, and never touch anything but the shutter button again.

Which is pretty much what I’ve done with my little point and shoot, until now.

Instead of dropping a grand that would be much better spent on single malt scotch, I’m going to embark on an experiment: how much can I get out of a point and shoot if I turn off the “automatic” setting, read the manual front cover to back, and really learn how to use it under every possible set of conditions.

The Pentax Optio W30 Manual
Out with the old (automatic mode), and in with the new (program mode)

Leg one of this journey has already ended: I figured out why pictures taken at my desk always turned out yellowish. I reset the white balance, manually via shutter, and the problem was solved.

I wonder what else I’ll discover as I pour through an instruction manual for the first time ever.

MG signing off (to take a bunch of photos with an old camera, betting they’ll turn out decent once I do a little reading)

Introducing The Landeen Photography blog

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I thought I was dreaming so I pinched myself. Alex Landeen, professional photographer and Fat Guy Fly Fisherman extraordinaire has started a new blog about the fine art of recording radiation on sensitive mediums, and telling the story in literary form too:

I didn’t know this man, and he didn’t know me but as I stood in this place with the playful wind and soft orange end-of-day light I felt closer to something I couldn’t quite touch.Who was Larry Titus? Who are his grilling, drinking, party friends? Has he finally found some gas?

I will probably never know, so I took a photo instead.

I don’t know Larry either, but I do know Landeen (and have the bar tab receipts to prove it). And while there are plenty of photography blogs out there, I also know that when the words professional and photography are used around Alex’s name, they really should be spelled with capital Ps. He’s just that good. You can see more of his work here.

MG signing off (excited that he’s about to get more photo tips from Alex without having to buy him any beer)

Epilogue: Thoughts on fly fishing with a Fat Guy, and fly fishing itself

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While I only had the opportunity to fly fish with one of the Fat Guys, I did get to drink with two of them. Alex concluded best in his account…”it would be really funny to go sit on Kyle’s passed out head.” So you all know how the partying turned out. And while the fishing was good by almost any objective standard Alex didn’t convey precisely how incredible it was, at least from this angler’s point of view.

For someone who has fished the targeted water for a sum total month and a half of his life (at least), I consider it one of the best days ever. The fishing itself was off-the-wall, but the camaraderie made it all the more special. We walked, we talked, and we laughed an awful lot. There were many a high five throughout the day, as unselfish fishermen tossed their rods at the drop of a hat and scrambled to net each other’s takes. Landeen the photographer was there to record for posterity the anticipation, the excitement, the unbridled joy. It doesn’t get much better.

All smiles on the water
Alex captures the essence of fly fishing…having fun

For me, fly fishing isn’t just about the rod and reel, the feel of the cast, the occasional (or in this case, constant) hook sets and fights, and the netting of fish. It’s about days like we had, and it’s the main reason I rarely fish alone. I don’t get quite the same enjoyment fishing just for the sake of it, and thanks to guys like Alex Landeen (and Nate Taylor) I’m reminded of why.

Stuff you might have missed while searching for your old ‘Thriller’ vinyl – 06/29/09

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Technology

  • How Difficult Is It To Post A Bill On The White House Website For Five Days? [Techdirt] – Watch for a new government job listing for, uh, White House Blogger. Primary responsibility: cut and paste.
  • Great Wall of Facebook: The Social Network’s Plan to Dominate the Internet — and Keep Google Out [Wired] – All Google has to do is remove Facebook from their search results, and the fight is over.
  • Indian CEO Says Most US Tech Grads “Unemployable” [Slashdot] – The kingdom of outsourcing may be hedging its bets through the PR channels.

    • Finance

  • Krugman and the Housing Bubble: A Love Story [Reason] – Mr. Krugman is long to get his story straight. Looks like the ‘internet is forever’ mantra is getting the best of him.
  • Goldman Sachs: The Great American Bubble Machine [The Big Picture] – A must read, particularly the final blow on cap-and-trade. I suggest clicking through to the Scribd page and going full screen.
  • Frank Pushes Fannie and Freddie to Take On More Risky Loans [Contrarian Profits] – Along with a plan to refinance homes that are underwater, it looks as though we’ll all soon be in government housing, whether we like it or not.

    • Fly Fishing

  • Is It Time For Rodmakers to Get Out of the Warranty Business? [MidCurrent] – It would certainly force people to rest their rods someplace besides the door jam of their vehicles.
  • Invention Lets Fish Live Without Water [Cutthroat Stalker] – A fly fishing photographer’s dream come true? Heh, nothing can help my photog skills.
  • Elite anglers focused on FKO/IGFA Inshore World Championship [Fishing World] – Coming soon, and on EPSN to boot.

    • Adieu.

    Veddy, veddy important for fly fishing: casting and knots

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    If you can’t cast a fly and/or can’t tie it to the line, you are going to have a hard time fly fishing. It’s that simple.

    Fortunately, learning how to do both of these veddy, veddy important angling tasks is just about as easy.


    A book I originally thought would help with lazy guide syndrome (i.e. guides refusing to pole close enough to the bones so I could just net them) turned out to be a pretty darn good book on generally casting and practice technique. Longer Fly Casting has plenty of pics to follow – it lingered in my library for a while, and has since been passed on. And since that time it’s been updated too!

    The other “must have” for getting the fly in the water is Practical Fishing Knots. I’ve mentioned this one before, and it too was given to someone after I finished up with it. It’s a great guide that will leave you with a stable of go-to knots. Sadly, it’s been a while since I chased big game, and if I’m ever asked to tie a bimini twist I’ll probably have to buy it again!

    Experienced fly fishing folk won’t be surprised that both recommendations are written (or co-written) by the infamous Lefty Kreh. That wasn’t the intention, but I’ve heard Mr. Kreh is one fine photographer too. Maybe he’ll put out a how-to book on that as well.

    I could certainly use the help.