Fly Fishing Photography On A Dime

i really enjoy taking photos while we're out fishing or doing anything outdoors. i was reading a piece on how to improve you fly fishing photos and there were some really good points there. Found the link on Midcurrent here:

http://www.midcurrent.com/news/2009/06/21-fly-fishing-photography-tip.html

Sometimes, i'm so busy looking for signs of fish and bait that i forget to notice simple things like a sunset or sunrise, how the waters glassy surface reflects the opposite shoreline, ect. Then the camera doesn't come out.....like last night at Coffee Pot Bayou.

i especially like photos of gear. Not in a gear selling sort of way....but in an artsy form. Where you can see a background, beach, seawall, dock. So next time you're out, try taking a few shots of your gear, flies, ect.

i'm not some world class outdoors photographer, but i can take some decent photos. It's not hard if you can picture the type of picture that you want to see in your head.....then go get it.

Now let me warn you; i don't have some top notch, ultra expensive super model camera. Mine is a Olympus FE-220. A Wally World Special with a 2gb XD memory card. $120.00 out the door. It's a point and shoot model with 3x optical zoom, 5x digital zoom and around a dozen settings. It's fairly idiot proof which is why i like it. It's of 8.1 mp quality and was accompanied by an idiot proof editing program. Perfect for me!

The only thing that i wish i had done is spend a little more money on a camera that is water proof and shock proof because i'm constantly checking to see if the camera is getting wet.

Mama's camera is the same make but is a slightly better model and has more options. Also, it tends to take a bit more vivid photos than mine. Colors are true. With my camera, if i take photos indoors in florescent light, they tend to come out bland and yellowish.

Whether you have a super model camera or a little rinky dink point and shoot like me, be creative. Don't be afraid to get in close, take some original looking shots, and shoot a lot pics in a row if your camera allows for it.

Editing photos with reverse negatives, color smearing and use of effects isn't photography.....it's some sort of graphic design or whatever you want to call it. Getting the shot is the important part. i try different things like sepia or black and white options on a lot of photos and i'm often surprised by how good a bad shot comes out with a little bit of tinkering.

So....in a nutshell, you don't need to be an art school graduate and have thousands of dollars worth of camera gear to take some nice photos. Also, do some homework before you go shopping. Figure out what options are important to you and what models feature those options.....and if it fits into your budget or not. You'll be far more educated when you get to the store.....