FLYMPH FORUM

I'm sure it must have been posted before, but could you instruct a newbie on tips for adding photos to posts. I don't mean how to insert an image, but taking decent pictures of flies and making them presentable for the forum...thanks...

You're right, ronr -- this topic has gotten a lot of face time here over the last 10 years. There are several very accomplished picture takers on this forum, including at least one professional. Hopefully they will chime in here to provide accurate information on some of the finer details.

Basically, you need a camera that has macro capabilities that will allow you to capture a magnified image of your fly. You also will need a really good light source that is adjustable by one means or another and by its nature does not distort color.

Because macro photography is so dependent on focus you should have a stable means of holding your camera still while the photo is taken. An inexpensive tripod will do this. The one I use came from Target for less than $20.00.

Editing your photos and prepping them for posting requires basic cropping and re-sizing capabilities, which are already in every PC running on Windows platforms sold since 2010 and before.

Hopefully this info will give you a rough idea of what is required at a minimum.

This looks helpful.

https://photography.tutsplus.com/articl ... hoto-11046

Ron,

Here are two excellent tutorials that William and Karsten pulled together.

William’s tutorial: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=6321
Karsten’s tutorial: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=2529

thanks to you all.. this is what I'm looking for. I'm a little shy at this point to subject my flaws to such an esteemed audience, but my less skilled buddies may not notice my uh-ohs....

Ron,

I encourage you (and others) to post your flies, and share with us. We all benefit from the process and participation. We have all gone thru the same learning curve. In my own experience, the sharing has encouraged me to improve my tying skills. Soft hackle flies are deceptively simple. You can learn a TON, by focusing on these little flies. There are few materials in the patterns, so it is hard to hide any issues. That is one of the reasons I've found them so compelling, for so long. It is important to remember, that these are mostly fishing flies. They don't need to be "perfect" to catch fish. (thank goodness for me!)

Posting photos is only part of the interaction. Many times, posts take an unexpected turn, resulting in some nugget of information/knowledge being shared with the membership. In my view, the photos and flies do not need to be "perfect" or of some "quality".

Don't be shy...

I strongly second what Ray has said.