Chad Simcox
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What camera are you shooting on and how are you processing your images. I shoot ISO3200 quite a bit and my photos usually turn out suprisingly well. They remain sharp and nicely saturated. I was always a fan of Illford’s Delta 3200 and other high grain films. Of course grain structure and digital noise are two different things, but the results can be pleasing.
http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox InstagramCare to elaborate on your lighting set up?
On the first photo you need to clean off the surface that the fly is on. There is a lot of dust in the image.
Personally I’d like to see a little less reflection. This would help define the fly pattern that you’re displaying. That is more of my personal taste, so if you want the strong reflection then go for it.On the second photo, I dont think the light backdrop is the right choice for a light colored fly. Also I’m not sure the textured surface adds anything to the photo. A contrasting color of smooth texture would help show off the fly a bit more. Because of the material’s characteristics, I think this fly would be best displayed in a traditional elevated fashion as if in a vise. That would allow for the flashabou and other long matterials to drape down. Again this is more personal preference.
I think the third photo is the best of the set. The photo is a bit more dynamic with the rod and reel
http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox Instagram#s 42, 52 and 77 (i think those are right) were my favorite. They really make me miss fishing on the Little Red. I didn’t get to make a trip back home to Memphis this year to go fishing.
http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox InstagramHow wouldn’t you implement fill flash on this shot and not overexpose the fish?
Aim the flash towards the fisherman’s face, snoot the flash or zoom the head if you have that option.
http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox InstagramI agree with studio shots, but they have their place/usage.
I confess, with the shot of the dog, the blur was done in post.
http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox InstagramGo to a camera shop and compare the two side by side. I own the 20D and the design is considerably different from the lower end SLRs from Canon. I personally like heavier/larger cameras for most situations.
Canons do well with noise in higher ISOs. 3200 comes in quite handy for me a lot of times. It depends on the type of shooting you’re doing. When shooting at music venues, the extra speed from iso 3200 is nice.
3 fps is plenty fast if you’re not shooting sequences. The 20D is 5fps and is a bit too slow for a lot of action sports photography. I’d like to have around 8, but most people don’t need that.http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox InstagramPhoto #7 is my favorite out of the lot. It looks a bit soft (maybe from web compression). Do a little bit of unsharpen mask on it if you have photoshop. Also a boost in saturation and a little bit of dodging on the green and blue nets off to the right side might help.
http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox InstagramThanks for the feedback everyone.
Eric, I agree with you on the rock being in the way on #1. I was hiking in along the trail on the side of the canyon. I don’t know this fisherman, but I stopped and shot a few photos of him. I watched him net a big bow then I moved on. I never spoke to the fisherman as I would have had to hiked down to him so he could even hear me. It was one of those situations where I was not going to ask him to move to a different pool.
2 & 3 were both shot in my bedroom. The map and flies shot (#2) was on top of my dresser. I used a single Sunpak 383 that was hand held and connected with a PC sync for lighting. I have a lumiquest modifier on the lens that works as a bounce card with diffusion. Not much done in post. Just adjustments made in Adobe Raw Converter before bringing it into photoshop for resizing. The shot of the green drake in the rod handle (#3) was set up on my bed. I set up a little area using a wool coat, my vest, net and my 5 wt (which when I pulled it out I found out had broken somehow in its hard case). I lit this shot with the sunpak 383 fired into a white umbrella. I wont go into placement other than it was set up behind the subject. The backlight illuminates the hackle to give it that vibrant pop.
The 4th shot was an idea I had and figured I’d try it out in my free time. It is more of a generic stock photo for the non fly fishing industry. I did a series of shots with casting, drifting, and portrait type poses. These shots are going to stock photo are for RF stock collections (dont worry, I dont shoot for microstock!!!).
Ben, thanks for looking. I do not use any plugins in my post production work flow. Everything i do is using standard photoshop tools. Typically I use PS just as I would a dark room. Burning, dodging, adjusting contrast, etc. I work in TV and over the years have developed techniques for image enhancement that I am now using on my photography.
Yuhina, the reason I say that they are different is because it seems like most editorial fly fishing photography looks the same to me. Usually action photos tend to be wide shots captured mid day with a large DOF. Photos of flies often look to obviously be shot in studio. They are usually photos for illustration, so that technique is fine. I just don’t find it interesting. There are exceptions to this statement, but pick up most magazines or books and you’ll see the same 3 styles of photos. My approach is to get a bit more creative with lighting and composition. I’d like to think I blur the lines of studio lighting and natural lighting on my fly photos.
http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox Instagramphoto #18 shows an interesting scene but the photo does not work. A larger DOF would have helped, but the angle itself is the problem. I find the pool and formation of the leaves to be the most interesting aspect of this photo. I would have focused in on that area for some shots.
photo #41 is a wonderful photo.Kind of makes me home sick for TN.
http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox InstagramDont overlook used cameras either. I know http://www.craigslist.org always has tons of used DSLRs listed in my area at good prices. Just make sure you check the camera out before purchasing it. Also be aware that shutters will wear out on DSLRs. Different camera models have different shutter lifespans so do your research.
I did months of research before purchasing my camera (Canon 20D). Then a month after I bought my camera the 30D was announced. I didn’t get discouraged though, its not like the 20D doesnt fit my needs just because the new one came out.Also check http://www.keh.com for used camera deals. Other dealers like B&H also have used departments and you can trust their ratings on used equipment.
http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox InstagramAs a photoshop alternative you could try the freeware program called GIMP. http://www.gimp.org
I’ve never used it, but I’ve seen great results from photographers using the software.I’ve used multiple techniques for watermarking my images. Typically I now add ©200x Chad Simcox to my image in the corner. This does leave the image open to easy theft by cropping. I’ve gone so far as to ad a logo pattern (created in photoshop) to my image. This made it harder for someone to clone out the watermark and cropping it out would be impossible.
This image uses both techniques.
By the way, that was shot last fall on the Big Thompson River in Colorado. Don’t you hate hiking in to a spot to find the run is already occupied?If you have photoshop, play around with your transfer modes of your watermark. Also include your copyright info in the metadata of the file. It’s good practice to get into and it can help prove ownership of the file if you need to prove it. Just make sure you do not use the save for web option. That option will remove your metadata (someone using your photo could do the same thing by the way).
I post images to my portfolio site at a height of 275px at 72dpi. It is a size that is still usable for web but not large enough to tempt others to use. Plus I think it’s large enough for people to see the photo. Of course all the details wont be there, but if someone is interested in licensing a photo I can send them a larger file or direct them to my stock portfolio to download a comp.
http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox InstagramIt looks like there is an underwater mode using the function button. But I cant seem to find any specs on how waterproof it is.
Olympus lists the camera as splash proof. To me that says water resistant, not submersible.http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox Instagram
