Black Herl Bodies Mole and Hen 1550's

[William Anderson]

A few herl bodies for comparison. I'm still on a black fly kick. Just wait until I get the Black Ultra Wire that I ordered. (smiley)

Crow Herl body



Goose Herl Body

[fishhead]

They all look great, I like the goose one the best

[tie2fish]

All are superb, William, as is the photography.

[Soft-hackle]

William,
Tell me, does this photo look better or worse to you?



Mark

[William Anderson]

Honestly, I don't like the sharpened image. It makes the fly look a little too harsh, and definitely brings out the glare of the metal. I can see the improvement in the body herl as far as seeing the fibers more crisply, but I would prefer that a soft body appear soft and a soft hackle and mole dubbing maintain their subtle character. I know in some shots a sharpening tool can improve an image, but I am really trying to capture the nature of the fly with the lighting and camera, without tweeking it. I may be expecting too much with modest equipment and basic knowledge, but I'm trying. I do want to be able to post flies for comment and critique and have them be as representational of their actual quality as possible using pixels and monitors.

Do you like the second image more or less than the original? Any other advice about getting what I'm trying to achieve? I think my pics are pretty good. Certainly for the purposes of posting for an exchange of ideas, but if i'm going to do something, I would like to do it well. How does Hans do it? If I can figure that out, then I can move on to a more expressive medium possibly, but until I have the best representation figured out, changing its surroundings won't be an improvement. Any thoughts?

w

[Soft-hackle]

William,
I normally don't like to mess around with another person's photo, however, you had expressed some desire to get more in focus with your pics to show more detail. In some cases, one way is using good photo editing software. I am lucky to have Adobe PhotoShop, which is one of the best. I have and use it because of my business. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the other photos. I think they are very well done.

Of course a better camera, with more adjustments and good macro feature might be what you are looking for to get your photos where you want them to be. Even in the past, film images needed to be focused well in the camera and again in the enlarger, using a magnifier to actually bring the grain of the film into focus. Those days are gone, and now, the "enlarger" is the photo software we use to edit digital images.

Many times, photographers use what is known as a raking light to show and heighten texture of an object. The light is placed so it cuts, or rakes across the object, making the light rays run parallel to the object, thus pronouncing the texture. Adding a small light to your set-up to do this might be what you are looking for, I'm not sure.

As far as I'm concerned, I think your photos are quite good, but you have in your mind what it is you wish to accomplish. I'd try getting in touch with Hans to see what kind of camera and lighting set-up he uses. I'm sure that will help you a lot.

Also, I hope you do not mind my attempts to help you. As I said, I think your photos are very good. I taught photography regularly at one point. I still do, occasionally, through Empire State College and thought I might be able to assist you.

Mark

[willowhead]

All three patterns are exquisitly tyed and beautiful.....i like Mark's pic better.....but only because it's sharper and shows more detail, not in any kind of an artistic way. Although i'm sure "artistic way" has nothing to do with the original purpose of the pic. Your both light years better than i am with a camera. William, those tyes are really great.

[michaelgmcgraw]

You both do outstanding work! I like the crispness of Marks version, when I'm viewing flies I like all the detail I can get.
I also enjoy a good clear shot with a nice background also. There's no bad to be said about Williams or Marks versions.

[letumgo]

William - With each posting, you keep raising the bar ever higher...

I love the subtle differences of each of the herl bodies. The grey goose herl body is my favorite.

[willowhead]

There's a Vodka company you outta contact.............. You could end up rich. Hey, stranger things have happened.