Welcome to Fly Art Studio
My name is Neal Osborn. I am a self-taught fly tier and mediocre fly caster. I am an advanced amateur photographer but not a professional. I wake up every day and pray I can become half the man my dog thinks I already am. Yet, I have a vision to master the art of macro photography. Granted, it is an odd, some might say ultra niche, vision but it certainly occupies my precious free time. In fact, my home studio is littered with photography books, gear, props, and my computer is full of links on macro related photography. And so follows the creation of Fly Art Studio. It is my way of giving back to the fly fishing community; a way of sharing what I have learned so we can all together take better photographs our flies.
I hope you enjoy the site. As it grows I’m sure you will enjoy reading the articles on various topics of fly photography. Developing your own photography is a wonderful experience, have fun. If you are new to photography, feel free to ask questions. If you are a professional, feel free to leave comments or share ideas on topics that would make this site even better. If you have a particular subject you would like covered let me know. Finally, I am always interested in having guest professional photographers on the board; let me know if you are interested in helping out.
Fly Art Studio is a community centered around learning macro photography techniques to take your fly tying photos to the next level. I created this site to serve as a clearinghouse of knowledge for those interested in taking beautiful pictures of your flies. Photography is strongly embedded in the fly fishing industry. We all recognize the time honored grip-and-grin and on-the-water shots that we have come to embrace. Many professional photographers have brought us wonderful pictures of fishers in action. From magazine covers to product marketing, we are inundated with life-style photographic images that evoke emotion and passion in the sport.
However, there is a genuine lack of skill out there in relation to fly tying photography. This is a shame because we, as tiers, spend countless hours creating tiny works of art but lack the necessary photography skills to effectively showcase the result. Let’s face it, most fly pictures are flat out drab. No longer shall we stand for bad photos of the fly! The goal of this site is to share knowledge and techniques in macro photography so we can get the quality shots of the little stuff.
Why small equipment and flashes? Because that’s all you really need start your journey into high-end macro fly photography techniques. We will explore the essential setup for the budget studio. From point-and-shoot to the advanced dSLR, there will be something for everyone here. Understandably, macro photography can be an expensive hobby and therefore we will focus on the basics when necessary, but never hesitate to showcase the full symphony.
You don’t need all that heavy, expensive gear. You’ll find all kinds of ideas for other ways to light and shoot on the cheap. You will now focus on inexpensive lights, basic props, and an assortment of light modifiers to get those professional looking shots.
As stated above, the vision of Fly Art Studio is to provide a foundation of articles and skills to the reader in order to advance your own fly photography in a more artistic direction. For example, with a simple macro studio like the one shown below, it is possible to get amazing fly photos right from the tying bench.
Think of Fly Art Studio as a photography and lighting community for the most enthusiastic fly photographers. There are no secrets here for the entry level techniques. My vision is to create a site full of articles that I would want to read. In order to accomplish this goal it became apparent that I needed to start at the beginning in order to teach the necessary skills for macro photography of the fly. Let it be known, you can’t (under any circumstance) simply pic up a point-and-shoot camera on automatic settings and get a perfect fly shot. You MUST learn to shoot in manual, to control light, to manipulate flash, to apply depth-of-field, to adjust white balance, to create a mood for your image. The problem is simple – this stuff is boring! Almost nobody reads past the first few chapters in a photography book any more. We have come to rely on the digital camera as a crutch. No wonder so many of you have cursed your camera or considered buying an expensive dSLR believing that would solve your problem. It won’t. Only by learning the basics can you apply that knowledge.
Fly Art Studio: Fly Art is a perfect name for this site and I am lucky it was available for domain registration. It really sums up my desire to take beautiful pictures of the fly. The studio part is also critical because everyone needs a “Man-Cave” or studio setup for their photography. The studio is a state of mind, a release from reality, a way of separating yourself and focusing on a production. The studio doesn’t have to be large or located in New York or Los Angeles. In fact, my Fly Art Studio is a self-made PVC work of practical bars, clamps, backgrounds, and props. It can be broken down and stored in the closet or setup in an instant to take a shot. There are also portable studio setups that can be placed in a backpack for on-location river shots. The studio is a common theme that will be discussed in future posts.
I have chosen to focus on the point-and-shoot and entry level dSLR for the majority of the tutorials. This serves two purposes. First, that is the setup most people have available. You will soon see that is all you really need! Second, it provides a platform for learning the basics of macro photography. If you then choose to upgrade your equipment you will at least know “why” you have the need to do so. Each month I will provide a slideshow, called Art-Fly, to showcase some of the advanced techniques I am currently working on in my own studio.
