fly image backrounds

[calftail]

No offense to those who like to use a fly image with a background like this blue one (there's a million of them) but I like an image with a little extra. In no way do I consider my photos good or approach art but I just get plain ole bored with the mono background. Your opinion ?.......

 

[ted4887]

The reason I like the monotone backgrounds is because it allows me to see detail easier.

That being said, many of the flies that I tie I just can't photograph with a monotone background because they're too stinking big. But if I'm tying small stuff, then I always try to photograph them with a solid background. It's easier on the eyes, IMO.

 

[random user]

Funny to see this thread. I just finished a sort of light box for taking pic of flies.

It is uber fancy: Cardboard box spray bombed flat white, little pedistal thing with a cork on top, again spray bombed flat white, string of $10 white lights pushed through the box at even increments.

Idea works, but I have too much bright light in it and its the harsh blue/white light which is washing things out a bit. Need to figure pout how to aim the lights a little bit and replace the lights with a warmer white.

As far as backgrounds and this forum.... Comes down to 2 questions:

What is the intent of the image?
What is the intent of the photographer?

Backgrounds make for more interesting images. Monochrome backgrounds make it a lot easier to visual dissect a fly and be able to tie it with reasonable accuracy.

In a forum such as this, any image is a good thing, even pixied cell phone images. Images here I think are about conveying information about what we are doing and what we are doing it with, and even how we are doing it.

So, for me, post them up! If they are artistic, great! If they are semi-glitchie cheap sell phone images, great! If they are anywhere in between, great! Images here are about me learning something.

With images I post up here, I try to get a pic which would allow someone to pretty much use it as a guide so they can tie the fly too.

 

[williamhj]

Along the lines of what random user wrote: if the purpose of the picture is the fly (swap, recipe, etc) then mono tone background. If the details of the fly are secondary to the pic then whatever the photog wants. Personally I like the plain backgrounds, focuses on the pattern.

 

[flytire]

If the fly blends too much into the same colored background what good is it? Is the purpose to show a fancy background or the talents of the fly tyer?

I prefer to see detailed vs artsy photos

Flies in focus count for extra style points regardless of camera used

 

[Ard]

Quite a few of our members have built lighting boxes for photographing their flies and they produce some outstanding images. Me, I have a myriad of excursuses about why I haven't done that. I rely on old tried & true reasoning; the same reasons that have served me well regarding tons of things that need done around the house here How would I explain why I built a light box for photographing flies when I could have been milling that new base board for trims..........get it?

When I've taking pictures of flies I've done staged shots like this reel / Royal Wluff .......


But my favorite is to simply hold a piece of beige fabric behind the fly and shoot that way.


Some show better than others but it's how I roll.




Sometimes I change to a dark Navy Blue to make for more definition.
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They could of course be better but I believe that getting the white balance right and using a tripod and remote helps to cover for the lack of effort for my eye. I like things to be as easy as possible however, lately I've stooped to using a point & shoot camera on some flies tied. I have to get passed that and break out the SLR before long because I'm making some pretty cool stuff lately. I probably will stick to the fabric thing though

Ard

 

[pszy22]

Ard,

Those are all great shots.

With regards to the question originally posed, I appreciate and enjoy the artistic qualities of all Ard's pics, but in terms of actually seeing the detail of the fly itself, the plain dark blue background is the clearest, at least to my old eyes.

So I'd probably pick one of the artistic shots to use as wallpaper for my computer screen, but if I wanted to replicate one of Ard's excellent ties, I'd like the plain dark blue background. Using that shot, I can pretty much count how many hackle barbs Ard used for the tail.

 

[Ard]

Aw Geez pszy

Thanks man, really.

 

[calftail]

Just like a kid with a box of crayons.....

I pulled up the first pic of the fly on my laptop screen and edited it out of focus, then set the same fly in front of the screen and snapped this........

 

[Rip Tide]

Flies are meant to be fished with

 

[random user]

I like Ard's idea of fabric, especially the dark blue, but Rip Tide's idea is more betterer

 

[bear 007]

I like a solid background for most of my fly shots, I think it shows fly construction a little better. I just use a piece of black poster-board and my point and shoot with a table mount. Using this setup I can vary the background color from black to gray by just angling the poster-board into the light.

I'd much rather see them like this though.

 

[Jimmie]

They are all OK IMO. Just ............