My first actual "gig" - fly fishing shots (warning: 12 pics)

[dakkon76]

Went out early this morning just after daybreak to shoot some fly fishing shots for our local magazine. Aside from some street photography, this was the first time I actually showed up to shoot someone I didn't know. Gonna post 12 pics and hope for some C&C if anyone has some to offer. Definitely feeling the limits of my XSi as I struggled to work with the auto focus - I was too afraid to use manual just yet

These have been adjusted a bit, burn/dodge (lightroom 3) on a couple that had some bright spots on his face.

These were shot with my Canon 85mm f/1.8 and Sigma 50mm f/1.4, most of them at f/4.0, ISO 200 to get a shutter speed of about 4-600 (shot in aperture priority). Most of the action shots I ended up keeping were from my 85mm, the opposite of what I expected. I found myself wishing I had the 70-200 f/2.8 IS USM

#1

#2 - I just got a reflector yesterday, but had no one to hold it. Also don't have a TTL flash

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

#11

#12 - This was one of the shots the art director wanted, with the rod/reel in focus... but it was tough with my 50mm, probably would have worked better getting closer with a wide angle lens?

 

[Robin Usagani]

Dont be afraid to go very wide, even if the person is so small. You probably want to post some with the line flailing and all fit in the frame.

 

[dakkon76]

Wide is something that always scares me, mostly because of the preview I think. I worry that it won't be sharp enough. And wide for me means standing far away with my 50mm and crop sensor I wanted to back up and get all of his line in frame but I was too worried about them not turning out - I guess I should have given it a shot. Thanks for the advice.

What would your lens choice have been for these shots?

 

[cgipson1]

When you have a subject as large as a fly fisherman with a lot of line out... a wide angle is a must. Schwettylens is dead on about that!

I don't know what they have in the Canon lineup, but my Nikon 10-24 is sharp, and allows me to grab a lot of space! Perfect for that kind of shooting.

 

[sierramister]

My advice is to never hit that shutter unless you can see the subject's eyes, especially in sports photography. And on number 12, I would have gotten very close the rod/reel and possibly moved him back further. Overall though, they are a nice set!

 

[Big Mike]

Definitely have some good one in here. But many of them feel too tight. When I think of a fly fishing photo...I see a wide angle shot where we can see the whole line whipping around in the air. It's good to have some close ups as well...but the ones where the line is abruptly cut off, don't feel right.
And to me, a big part of the appeal of fly fishing, is nature. So at least some photos should capture the natural beauty of the location. You've done this a little bit...but I'd like a nice wide angle view to really put it all into perspective.

As for the rod & reel shot...I agree that it would have been better to get much closer to the reel and maybe move him farther back. If it was a product shot, for example, you would want the product to fill much more of the frame.

 

[Robin Usagani]

It's all depend where you are. If I had one choice I probably go with 70-200 because you can always go farther to wider.

 

[dakkon76]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. There are plenty of opportunities to snap pics of fly fishermen around here, I'll have to go out to the river and give it another shot and go a little wider. Sounds like I should be fine with my 50mm and maybe even my 85mm as long as I keep my distance. Fall should be pretty nice for this, I'm glad I did this photoshoot yesterday... I've been starved for subjects lately and wouldn't have thought to go out and do that.

 

[joealcantar]

I see you have a 18-55mm why not use that? most of the kit lenses do have a sweet spot, if the light is right and it brings you into that setting, USE IT!
You have to think magazine spread as you take the shots, two page , vertical with room for print etc. Enjoy the shooting and the shots will be there.
-
Shoot well, Joe

 

[Compaq]

You should have gotten a few with the whole loops. When he's casting, he's casting tight loops over the water. It's awesome to watch. If you could have gotten behind him a little and get the loop.

:thumbsup: