[Chad Simcox]

As much as I get disgusted by the almost cult like followers of the the website, it’s a great resource.

Strobist.com

This will point you in the right direction. I think your best and cheaper option would be to get some Gadget Infinity Cactus V2 triggers and 2 used flashes.
I use Sunpak 383s for my speedlights, but those have since been discontinued. They were less than $100(each) new. The V2 triggers were maybe 50 for the transmitter and 2 receivers.

Please don’t start calling yourself a strobist after reading the site.

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[Chad Simcox]

The technique Andrew mentioned is the one I was refering to. But I still don’t think I would do it for the reasons others have mentioned.

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[Chad Simcox]

Back before cameras were filled with electronics, you could put them in the oven for a few hours at a low temp to dry them out. I don’t know if I would do that with my DSLR (or even my 35mm SLR).

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[Chad Simcox]

I like the rods on the bumper shot. Wonderful morning light on them.

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[Chad Simcox]

Wow great shots of what look to be amazing falls. I don’t care how cliche` those type shots are, I still am impressed by good shots of falls. I really like the contrast of the 1st one, but wonder what it would look like as a black and white. The muddy water just doesn’t do it for me. Then again, the bit of color does add something unique to the shot.

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[Chad Simcox]

Just out of curiosity, why do you want to go full frame?

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[Chad Simcox]

Awesome job on getting noticed and published by the big fish in the pond.

Thanks guys – appreciate all the comments.

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[Chad Simcox]

John,
I think that photo falls into the same dilemma as a photo I recently posted. It’s hard to tell that the fly is resting on a fly box. I find these legged hair wing flies are difficult to get shots of. Do you focus on the familiar profile of the fly with the thorax and hackle showing, or do you focus on the shape of the legs and the large hair wing? I don’t think this angle is the best for shooting this particular fly. Also placing the fly on the outer edge of the fly box seems unnatural as the fly box would have to be propped up or held in place to get this shot. I like the concept of using the black background, but I don’t think this is the shot you’re looking for. The lighting is good, but the unfamiliar position of the fly box and angle on the fly just don’t do it for me. I’m impressed with the large DOF and your ablity to keep the entire fly and almost all of the fly box in focus in this shot.

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[Chad Simcox]

They are relatively equal on focal length, however they are not the same in quality. I’m not sure on the tech specs for both, but with the L series you should expect a sharper image, less chromatic aberration, and a set aperture throughout the zoom range.
If right now you feel like the lens you have is not wide enough, I would look into some of the 10 or 12mm zooms that are out there. I have seen good results from the Tokina and Tamron and Sigma lenses. I’m not sure, but I think all of these lenses are designed for smaller sensor cameras (1.6x crop bodies). If you plan on buying a full frame body, be aware of this because these lenses will become obsolete on the new body.

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[Chad Simcox]

Things like birth control are widely used, are not changed much by water treatment facilities, and end up in receiving streams like the Hooch.

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[Chad Simcox]

Here is my critical cold honest truth:
I’m not sure what your focal point is on the group fly shots. It just looks like you set down a bunch of flies and snapped a photo. They’re kind of boring and don’t tell a story. Work on arranging the flies so that they don’t all blend together in a pile.
All I see on the first photo is the body of a royal trude and a bunch of hackle with some rubber legs sticking out.
The second photo suffers from the same problem, no focal point and the focus is just on the deer hair wings of the flies. Show the viewer what fly is so important that you have a bunch of them in your fly box.
The third photo is a good set up but a bad fly. The wing is all messy and mashed down. Work with a new fly that hasn’t been in a fly box yet. Also give me an angle/composition that has a bit more going on, again this one is kind of straight forward and bland.
The 4th photo you’re working a better angle. I really like the colors and texture of the wood, but this isn’t the right fly for a shot. The rubber legs are an important feature of the fly that sets it apart from other flies. Show the viewer what the profile of this fly is like with the legs sticking out.
Ahh the best of the bunch, #5. I’m a sucker for tightly packed nymph boxes. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to be focusing in on the pheasant tails or the hairs ears or the empty area that is void of flies. Help guide my eye to what you’re trying to show me.
The sixth is just a blob of flies that doesn’t make sense to me without being in context of maybe some text or more photos.
The seventh is again suffering from a boring angle that I feel doesnt really show me the fly. To me it looks like a trico spinner, but I cant tell. Those flies have a distictive shape to them, use that to help the viewer recognize/relate to the photo.
The 8th is a bad angle, again don’t know what I’m looking for in this photo. Maybe it’s a where’s waldo type image… Hey that gives me an idea for a project, “Where’s midge?” A fun filled book where you have to find a midge hidden in photos of other flies. Nobody steal my idea! Thanks for the inspiration John.

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[Chad Simcox]

I’m looking at buying a lens now and I’m only looking at used lenses. There are good deals that pop up on craigslist, but I need to buy from a dealer so i can use the expense as a tax write off. If you’re buying a used lens, take your camera body and try it out first before buying. The lens could be soft or not function propertly and someone is just trying to unload it on some sucker. Buyer Beware is a great moto to live by.

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[Chad Simcox]

Bike and ski means action shots. I know some of the Nikon bodies have a high sync speed because they use an electronic shutter. If I were shooting a lot of action, I would go with one of those Nikons so I could shoot high speed with a flash.
I myself love the Canon system, but that’s all I’ve ever known…

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[Chad Simcox]

That first shot is awesome! I better see that published somewhere within the next year. 😉

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[Chad Simcox]

I thought that was Happy Hollow. That log has been in the same spot for a long time! It’s been about 5 years, if not more, since I’ve been there, and it looks the same.

For some reason your other photos are coming up as protected and are not showing for me now.

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[Chad Simcox]

I too think the second is the best out of the group, aside from the over exposed sky. You could have benefited from a ND grad filter. The subject seems a little soft, but that could be from compression/scaling for web.
The first one has a good concept, but could be better with a more dynamic background. As it is now, it is a little boring. To me, the photo serves as a memento from being on the trip. Your viewers weren’t on the trip, so they do not have an emotional tie to the photo. Therefore you need to make the photo a bit more interesting to look at.
Got to love the green scenery along southern tailwaters in the summer!

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[Chad Simcox]

I’ve found the noise to not be that bad when shooting at ISO1600 or 3200

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[Chad Simcox]

The Reel Truth

If you haven’t seen this before, it pretty much sums up what David was saying.

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[Chad Simcox]

I tend to worry less about taking pictures when the light ins’t good, and more about fishing, and the opposite when the light is good.  Sometimes the really good light might only happen for a few minutes a day, thats when you forget about fishing and just keep pushing the shutter button.

What about a great hatch during some amazing magic hour light?

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[Chad Simcox]

Affordable huh? If anyone would like to buy one for me and an array of primes and a zoom, please do so and I will give you a full detail report of my experience shooting with it. I’m sure you could write it off somehow, you can work that part out with your accountant.

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[Author]

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