If he’s a flyfisher, I sure think so!
It’s not too late to order one and get it in your hands for Father’s Day. I have four left in my current inventory. Three 5 x 7 prints are double matted and framed in an elegant dark wood molding, making for an intimate gift for the fly fishing dad in your life. Pricing is $195.00. I’m willing to give the next two orders 10% off, saving an additional $20.00. Please send an email to adam(at)adambarkerphotography.com to order.
Brown Trout caught and released on fly in northern Utah.
Underwater photography is so fun you could charge me for it and I’d still be all over it. Come to think of it, I have been charged for it, and it’s not cheap…
Regardless–the unpredictable nature of underwater images makes for interesting times both shooting and editing. This is a shot of a hungry brown trout on a nice creek in northern Utah. Even with my limited experience, I have found a couple of things to be helpful in my underwater endeavors. Should you ever take the plunge yourself, hopefully these will be helpful.
1.Fill the frame with your subject. This means that, especially when shooting fish with a wide angle lens on a full frame camera, you need to be super close. That fish should be nearly touching your dome port.
2. Keep your lens’ minimum focusing distance in mind. It is possible to be too close and not be able to focus. If you’re having issues with this (or even if you’re not), I recommend getting a diopter to screw onto the front of your lens. This will lessen your minimum focusing distance and also assist in getting sharper images edge to edge.
3. Shoot lots of images. It’s an entirely different world down there, and just as you have had to shoot a lot of images to get comfortable above water–you’ll have to do the same below water.
4. Shoot at mid-day. This is entirely counter-intuitive for most photographers. The fact is, it’s much darker underwater then it is above water. The more direct light you have illuminating your underwater world, the better.
5. Have fun, and enjoy the happy accidents. It’s all so cool, you’ll be finding frames that you didn’t expect to turn out that you fall in love with.
Ever since I can recall actually discovering (via magazine/movies) the world of saltwater fly fishing, I have harbored the dream of experiencing it for myself one day. In short, it lives up to the hype–and then some.
Patagonia fly fishing ambassador Mikey Wier tosses it into the blue on Rendezvous Reef, Belize
Just as Alaska is to freeskiing, Augusta is to golf or Monaco is to racing, so too, is Belize to saltwater fly fishing. Crystal clear water, mile-long flats and significant numbers of varying species of big game fish nearly guarantee an epic experience when plying this country’s Caribbean waters. Belize is a mecca for anglers seeking tarpon, permit, bonefish, snook and a host of other species of fish.
Angler Jamie Connolly takes a break from the action at Robinson Point, Belize.
I was fortunate to be spending my first Belize experience aboard a 58′ boat called the Rising Tide. Being on a boat gave me prime, immediate access to the water at the best times of day to be shooting, which are always very early and much later than most plan for. Were we staying on land, it would have required much earlier/later departures and just wouldn’t have been possible. Many thanks to Don Muelrath and Mike Copithorne of Off the Hook Fly Fishing for their assistance in setting up the trip.
MIkey Wier cradles a Robinson Point Permit after a worthy battle.
When all was said and done, I shot well over 5,000 images and even managed to catch my first ever permit. Awesome! Also key to this trip was my underwater housing from Aquatech. It’s a whole new world below the surface, and I was so pleased to be able to capture these fish in their native element. Also, many thanks to Patagonia, Simms, Winston Rods and Lamson Reels for helping out on the product side of things.
Lunch. Robinson Point, Belize
Belize Bonefish and Lamson Vanquish Reel
Angler Ryan Hawkes and Capt. Dean Meyers flee an oncoming cold front near Long Caye, Belize.
Belizian Bonefish, resting up after a worthy fight.
Guide Nato and Mikey Weir make good use of waning daylight. Robinson Point, Belize
Ever wonder what’s involved in a smaller scale commercial lifestyle shoot? Have a read.
AdamBarkerPhotography commerical shoot with Loon Outdoors in Sun Valley, Idaho
This past week I was fortunate to work with Loon Outdoors, a company committed to providing environmentally friendly fly fishing products to anglers. We had arranged for a one-day shoot up in Sun Valley, ID. In the days leading up to the shoot, I’d been checking the weather incessantly, hoping for something other than the obvious–rain and cold and general nastiness on the day of (and only the day of) the shoot. Murphy’s law was definitely proving itself on this one. After a bit of dicussion with company president Alan Peterson, we decided to go ahead with the scheduled shoot.
Alan Peterson and Jay Burke looking for lunkers above the Big Wood River in Sun Valley, Idaho
The truth of the matter is this: some weather is fantastic for photography, and fly fishing photography in particular. It provides for interesting shooting conditions and unique atmospheric opportunities. Too much weather, however, can be a literal game ender.
AdamBarkerPhotography commerical shoot with Loon Outdoors in Sun Valley, Idaho
My alarm clock went off on the morning of the shoot and without even looking out the window I knew I would be encountering some unique weather-related challenges throughout the day. I could hear the rain drops on the windows. Not so good. I parted the curtains and was surprised to see 2″ of snow had fallen overnight. Wow. Cool! Snow would provide for something a bit different. Throughout the day on the Big Wood River, we had steady rain moving in and out, providing for alternately inspiring conditions and an utterly miserable, wet hell for a photographer. By late afternoon, the skies had dropped the majority of their bounty and we decided to head south to Silver Creek for what turned out to be an absolutely gorgeous evening of dramatic skies and golden light. We returned to the cars under waning dusk light low on energy and high on life. I was spent, but the client was grinning and the mission was accomplished.
A fisherman strips line out on the Big Wood River, Idaho
I’ve had a bit of time to reflect on this shoot with its associated expectations placed upon the photographer. There was a bit of extra pressure considering we were allotted just one day to capture a wide range of images. These are certainly challenging times for many photographers and business owners alike. There still remains, however, a noticeable gap between the true professional and eager amateur. A true professional will always deliver, regardless of conditions or obstacles placed in his path. He/She relies on past experience and draws from his technical skill and creative vision to create something out of nothing (when nothing is presented) and to capture the magic in a quick and proficient manner when Mother Nature decides to lend a hand.
To see more of the images from this shoot, check out the online gallery. Special thanks to Simms, William Joseph and Clikelite backpacks for helping to make this a productive shoot.
A trio of fishermen pose for the camera after an evening on SIlver Creek, Idaho
