Trout Underground : The Five Zen Photography Tips You Might Not Have Heard Before

[coreyk]

Thought there might be some interest ...

"After all, camera and fly rod manufacturers share a dirty little secret; cameras don’t take great pictures any more than fly rods make great casts."

http://troutunderground.com/2008/03/12/the-five-zen-photography-tips-you-might-not-have-heard-before/

[F/V Gulf Ventur]

Good read Corey... see post #3 ; )

[coreyk]

sorry ... post #3?

[powerbait]

Hey Corey:

Interesting article/post. The only thing I note (other than there are big rainbows near the base of Mt. Fuji) is that the statement, when taken in isolation, is only partially true. Certainly, critical photographic skills like composition have nothing to do with the camera you use. Nevertheless, some photographic tools--particularly lenses and films (or, in the digital realm, the quality of the sensor) make an enormous difference in the final image. To that extent, I'm not sure the analogy to fly rods is a good one. One can catch monster fish with a el cheapo rod that casts like a 2x4, but you'd be hard pressed to capture a stunning image with a waterproof disposable camera, no matter how sweet the composition.

By the way, some of the sweetest lenses out there are (the often ignored) fixed prime lenses made for traditional SLRs. They are tack sharp and relatively inexpensive. And you better believe you can see a difference if you use quality film with one of those lenses vs. some consumer grade zoom lens.

Just my .02 for what it's worth (not much, at that).

Tim

[F/V Gulf Ventur]

sorry ... post #3?

In the rebuttal for the article... nothing really, being a smart ass ; )

[F/V Gulf Ventur]

Hey Corey:

Interesting article/post. The only thing I note (other than there are big rainbows near the base of Mt. Fuji) is that the statement, when taken in isolation, is only partially true. Certainly, critical photographic skills like composition have nothing to do with the camera you use. Nevertheless, some photographic tools--particularly lenses and films (or, in the digital realm, the quality of the sensor) make an enormous difference in the final image. To that extent, I'm not sure the analogy to fly rods is a good one. One can catch monster fish with a el cheapo rod that casts like a 2x4, but you'd be hard pressed to capture a stunning image with a waterproof disposable camera, no matter how sweet the composition.

By the way, some of the sweetest lenses out there are (the often ignored) fixed prime lenses made for traditional SLRs. They are tack sharp and relatively inexpensive. And you better believe you can see a difference if you use quality film with one of those lenses vs. some consumer grade zoom lens.

Just my .02 for what it's worth (not much, at that).

Tim

Fixed lens will always be better... just like the 2.8 "fixed" 600mm I shot last week, way better than any Zoom with all the 2x's.... but then again, its a $8,000 difference in lenses ; )

[coreyk]

Tim ..

I agree, Good point(s).

I don't necessarily agree 100% w/ the statement the author made, but I do think it may help to get people thinking about what they can do w/ the tools they have. Personally, I don't take something like that a fixed "rule", but another good point-of-view to put in the bag-of-tricks. Plus, Its a great jumping off point for a good conversation. <g>

I have been tempted to pickup a manual fixed lens off ebay to play with... I think you may have just pushed me over the edge. ;) What camera do you shoot w/ and what manual lenses would you recommend? I picked up a cheap canon 50mm 1.8 (digital) recently and love it!

I actually picked up some film for the old polaroid the other day... Think it could be fun to get a different 'effect'.

[coreyk]

In the rebuttal for the article... nothing really, being a smart ass ; )

where is it? :) Feeling lost ... lol

[F/V Gulf Ventur]

Scroll down in the article to the comments ....5th comment down (BG)....sorry, bad joke ; )

I was reading it the other day....Mark (Yahina) was featured in there
http://troutunderground.com/2008/03/07/pretty-little-fish-the-underground-loves-watercolors/

[coreyk]

lol .. sometimes i'm a little slow! sorry.

I saw the post about Mark! Cool stuff! I'd love to meet-up w/ him next time he's around here!

[cheech]

lol .. sometimes i'm a little slow! sorry.

I saw the post about Mark! Cool stuff! I'd love to meet-up w/ him next time he's around here!

Mark's the nicest guy you will ever meet. His excitement level for fly fishing is unmatched.

I have a Yuhina original at home of a nice tiger trout. It's gonna get framed for sure.

[F/V Gulf Ventur]

Mark's the nicest guy you will ever meet. His excitement level for fly fishing is unmatched.

I have a Yuhina original at home of a nice tiger trout. It's gonna get framed for sure.

Must be nice, I don't get mine till b-day time, that's AUGUST!.... <sigh>

Who's up for another 16 days straight of fishing with the crazy man from Taiwan? Put it on your calendars fellas, start your cardio workouts now... fun times.

[chanceb]

Must be nice, I don't get mine till b-day time, that's AUGUST!.... <sigh>

Who's up for another 16 days straight of fishing with the crazy man from Taiwan? Put it on your calendars fellas, start your cardio workouts now... fun times.
I've checked out his blog...seems like a cool cat. I wouldn't mind tagging along with you guys when he's in town? :)

[yuhina]

Thanks for the nice comments Friends...

I am soooo excited about coming back to Utah this year... I can not believe we will do it all over again!!! Hey Cheech and F/V : )

BTW, if this site need my help in fund raising or something else (drawing), I will do it for free.

Thanks again! Friends.

Mark

[cheech]

Thanks for the nice comments Friends...

I am soooo excited about coming back to Utah this year... I can not believe we will do it all over again!!! Hey Cheech and F/V : )

BTW, if this site need my help in fund raising or something else (drawing), I will do it for free.

Thanks again! Friends.

Mark

I guarantee one of your paintings would fetch a bit of cash at the Wasatch expo. If you want to donate the painting, I'll pay to have it matted and framed for the auction... The money goes to the Stonefly Society (TU).

What say you mighty nymphing ninja?

[mtbbrian]

Good read!
My camera of choice is a Holga, it's a very zen like camera.
Brian

[yuhina]

Thanks Cheech,

will do! It would be a honor to me! Sent you email...
Take care, Brother

Mark

[UtahFlyGuy]

Mark I've looked at your paintings and they are awesome man. Congrats.

Pat

[powerbait]

Tim ..

I have been tempted to pickup a manual fixed lens off ebay to play with... I think you may have just pushed me over the edge. ;) What camera do you shoot w/ and what manual lenses would you recommend? I picked up a cheap canon 50mm 1.8 (digital) recently and love it!

.

I think it's great you're experimenting with different kinds of films and lenses for different effects. When I'm serious about photography (tough to find the time these days), I shoot traditional slides/film using a mongo-heavy Canon EOS-1N on an even heavier gitzo tripod w. Kirk ball head--mostly to shoot landscapes. The the whole outfit probably weighs 20 lbs., more when I'm lugging around multiple lenses. I use a range of lenses, including a fixed 100mm/f2.8 macro ... one of my favorites. My other favorite is a 17-35mm/f.28 zoom. So, I suppose I'm old school.

All of the Canon and Nikon prime lenses have extraordinarily good optics and are relatively cheap. Can't go wrong with any of them. My dad uses an old, old canon with a couple of primes, and the image quality blows away almost anything you see these days--digital or film.