So I want to share a few more pics of examples demonstrating a variety of techniques other tiers have used to present their flies and hopefully spark some conversation on the balance between documentation and art. Some have found the balance and it might be helpful as I continue testing different compositions.
Prime Examples
Two from David Stenstrom. The group of caddis borders on that point where some sacrifice of clarity is made for the sake of a more artful presentation. At times it does make for a more powerful showing of a fly when you see them en mass.
Another of Stenstrom's strengths is finding the balance between the stage and the background, allowing the contrast to work for the entire fly. There are times when the contrast can be too much with this technique, but he always seems to find the best composition. His pics are very often leaning toward art. I'd be curious to hear about his set up. Two extremes and nothing of the fly is lost.
Two from Hans Weilenmann. The reason I started photographing and sharing flies to begin with was seeing Hans' exceptional images. For one, the flies are so clear and readable it leaves the impression that you understand enough to reproduce the fly. The high art of clarity. Hans shot a couple of my flies very early on and it changed my tying by leaps. His photographs have probably done more for tying than anyone else and I wanted to achieve something similar to share as he has done.
The high clarity achieved by the lighting and correct depth of field is careful to allow every material be accurately read.
The quality of the materials down to the amount and tone of the wax used on the silk is crystal clear.
This from Charlie Craven Like Hans, Charlie has been shooting most of his flies for documentation purposes and often reaches the level of art in doing so. Shooting against a black background can often result in blowing out much of the detail or rendering an inaccurate representation of the materials, but often Charlie has dialed in the balance and offers an beautiful documentation.
This from Ariko Miettinen. Ariko ties and shoots lots of fly styles but excels at tying and photographing wet flies. Something that proves very difficult to achieve an artistic effect without adding context. More a challenge than most styles. I can imagine many would see a shot like this as it represents much more than the fly. It compromises the accurate colors in the materials but makes up for this by creating a visual experience that lands squarely in the art camp.
Those Ken Rockwell links are very helpful. He writes to my introduction level and answers questions I didn't know I had. When I have the extension tubes I'll pair those with a couple lenses and see if I can get some differences in the sharpness at varying apertures. I think that goes beyond what most care to see, so I'll try to keep this thread more general so there is something to be gained by everyone. 
