Fly lure photography, low key - The Mission Fly Fishing Magazine

LOW KEY FLY PHOTOGRAPHY

Illuminated subjects, dreamy shadows, texture and pitch-black background looks cool. Low key photography is a genre of photography that caught my interest. What would fly lure photography look like shot this way?

Leonard and I had a go after chatting about it. We are happy with the early results. We took different approaches with different effects. Great potential for this method.

Leonard aimed for soft light and dreamy shadows. The RABs look amazing with the hackles coming to life out of the darkness. With lights dimmed, he found it best to illuminate his fly lure from below with a headlamp. Headlamps have a white light, which is better than the yellow hued lamps. A tripod kept the 100mm macro lens stable. Shot with auto focus at 1/20 shutter speed, ISO 1000, F3.5. A black background completed the setup.

: RAB shot illuminated with a headlamp from below. ISO 1000,1/20sec, F3.2. Fly and photo by Leonard Flemming

: A dreamy RAB that has brown trout written all over it. Shot illuminated with a headlamp from below. ISO 1000,1/20sec, F3.2. Fly and photo by Leonard Flemming

I went for brighter light and harder shadows. A hand-held flash with a remote trigger illuminated the fly. A black foam strip glued onto the tip of a kebab stick served as the mount for the fly.

: Balbyter ant – a favourite yellow and barbel fly. I prefer red thread – it pops.

: The bright colours of this Ed’s hopper really pop against the black background

: These three photos were shot at ISO 200, 1/250 sec, F18

Without a macro lens I use an extension tube to increase the magnification of a 24-70 mm lens. I shot in a well-lit room and so to reduce the ambient light, used a fair shutter speed, 1/250, a closed aperture F16-22 and low ISO 200. A tripod and manual focus completed the setup.

: Different angles with the flash can give subtle differences to the shading and shadows. I liked top down, or slightly behind.

: White materials like these posts illuminate richly

: A silhouette type shot with with light angled from top and behind

: Smaller flies like this Adams, #18, looked a bit busy and harsh. The technique seems better suited for larger patterns

With these camera settings the image is pitch black, apart from the illuminated fly and you do not need a background. Make sure you are not close to a wall or background – otherwise this shows up in the flash. I shot on one side of the room, facing the other side.

: Larger flies lit up nicely. Even this side profile jig which has a load of flash work out well.

Light from the sides (side one, top, bottom) tended to work better. Lighter colours create amazing highlights. Black, unsurprisingly, did not work. Although you could create some cool silhouettes with the light a few degrees behind. I preferred slightly larger flies, although the Adams is a #18.

Plenty of experimentation remains. Have a go and share your tips in the comments below. I am sure that with some creativity you could create some awesome photographs.