Fly Art Studio

iPhone 4 Fly Art

Neal Osborn — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 03:51:09 +0000

The new iPhone 4 arrived today and I had a chance to play around with the camera and video functions. It is a very respectable upgrade and the white balance, at least on my model, is excellent. Furthermore, the up-close images (nearly macro) are incredible. In summary, a fly tier could photograph and videotape a fly tying sequence with this camera phone.

Here are some images of my Tarpon flies honestly taken “straight out of camera”. It’s always fun to see the fruits of labor neatly lined up and color coordinated before the battle. Let’s hope they look this good to the Tarpon next week.

Latest Fly Art

Neal Osborn — Wed, 12 May 2010 01:43:07 +0000

It’s been a long while since I’ve posted some fresh Fly Art here on the site. This laps is mainly due to my tight travel schedule as of late. However, I recently had some time to shoot a few glamour fly shots and the results were intriguing. The subjects are mainly redfish flies since that’s what I’ve been tying and fishing recently. I plan on doing a tutorial for the flies in the near future so stay tuned for updates.

Check out the slideshow below for more recent Fly Art photography

March iPhoneography

Neal Osborn — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 02:22:40 +0000

The past few weeks have been very busy with travel and lecturing. The water is still high and muddy in the rivers here in Georgia so the fishing has been nonexistent. Well, there is always the iPhone to keep me occupied. Here are a few pics from the past few weeks.

Tailwater Nymphs: The Little Things Matter

Neal Osborn — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 02:02:39 +0000

This is a FAS video short. Click the video below to watch the movie. You can also click the lower right to watch in HD, full screen.

I thought it would be fun to do a video of my top flies for Tailwater nymph fishing. The hard part was not capturing the footage or positioning the lights for this technical shoot. Rather, it was choosing which flies to include to keep the length under 5 minutes. This was a very rewarding project in many ways. First, I had the opportunity to try out some new macro lights for diffused foreground lighting of the subjects. Second, it was rewarding to push the limits of Canon HF S11 video camera to prove just how far it will go in low light under macro conditions. I can safely say that many of the internet reviews on this camera have been a bit skewed. Sure, it is not a professional camcorder, but it performs better than any advanced amateur/pro-sumer model on the market at this time for the fly tying documentary genre. Third, it is just flat out cool to watch your flies in HD while listening to Pachelbel’s Canon, also known as Canon in D major.

Video Description:

Genre, fly tying; black background, center and front diffused lighting; macro HD video at 6-8 inches from the subject; flies are from my tailwater nymph box and include, Hair’s Ear Nymph, Trout Crack, Tungsten Head Nymph, Lightning Bug Nymph, Flash Back Pheasant Tail Nymph, Prince-Copper-John Nymph, and Micro Hard Body Minnow.

One Light Fly Art

Neal Osborn — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 03:06:55 +0000

I grabbed this shot the other day after tying a dozen Big Eye Baitfish flies. The technique is really simple. The trick is to place the background far from the subject; here it was about 8 feet from the fly vise. You want a simple base, like a black cloth; here I used a black felt cover. The lighting is from the top; here I used a hot lamp with a simple white cloth diffuser, hand held about 2 feet above the fly vise at about a 45 degree angle in front of the subject. The key is to keep the light on the subject and to do that you can use a rim of black cloth or even a cardboard circle (it’s called a snoot for those that aren’t familiar with the terminology). The camera is of course triggered on a time delay so you have time to walk over and hold up the light. A little manipulation with software, especially the black slider, and you are done. I added a vignette for effect, but that is optional.

Reel Art

Neal Osborn — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 03:57:58 +0000

This is a quick markup of a shoot I did recently featuring my Tibor Light, Spring Creek CL reel. I love this little jewel of a reel, especially paired with a Fiberglass rod. For small spring creek trout fishing in the North Carolina mountains, this setup is a joy to fish. Also, it makes a really cool sound that is distinct to the product.

RSS and Fly Fishing

Neal Osborn — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 03:00:27 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

The FAS website has been upgraded recently with a new look and feel. In the coming weeks there will be even more upgrades focused on providing quality tutorials in both manuscript and video formats. With this in mind, I would like to briefly describe the importance of RSS readers in the fly fishing community. For anyone who’s a little timid and unsure how to approach RSS, check out this fun, and casual three minute video by Lee LeFever describing RSS in plain English. It could change the way you stay updated with online content. This weekend I plan on doing a screen capture video tutorial on how to use a RSS reader to keep up with all the latest online fly fishing news from around the world. Until then, enjoy the YouTube video – it is a good primer for what’s to come.

Edit: I have decided not to do a tutorial on RSS for fly fishing. Honestly, I recorded the tutorial but in watching the final video I decided it was way to complicated and showed preference to sites I frequent the most. However, if you go to reader.google.com and follow the tutorials you will certainly get the hang of the RSS reader.

How to Clean Your Fly Desk

Neal Osborn — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 02:25:35 +0000

This video speaks for itself. It is a quick sequence describing how much I love the extendable arm vacuum by Black & Decker (PHV1800) to suck up feathers and debri in a snap.

Winter iPhoneography

Neal Osborn — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 04:57:34 +0000

Here is the February iPhoneography webshow. I have been traveling a lot this winter. Therefore, most of the iPhone pictures in this post are scenes from airports and restaurants. Unfortunately, none of them involve fishing.

Click on the image above to open the flash gallery and view the show.

Tying a Bait Fish Fly with Enrico Puglisi (EP) Fibers: FAS Video Tutorial

Neal Osborn — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 05:28:19 +0000

Hey folks, the first FAS video tutorial is now up. This video highlights my version of the Enrico Puglisi (EP) Baitfish pattern and was shot in 1920×1080p, full HD resolution. Because of the large file sizes involved with this format, the sequence had to be cut into three parts. I hope you enjoy the presentation and learn a few new tips and tricks for tying this wonderful streamer pattern. It is a foundation pattern, which means that it is a “style” of tying that can be extrapolated to many other patterns to suit the specific waters you are fishing.

Important Note! This video highlights my method for tying a quick EP Bait Fish variant. THIS IS NOT the way Enrico Puglisi ties his flies.

If you want to learn how Enrico Puglisi ties his own patterns, I strongly recommend you visit his site at http://epflies.com/index.php/ (click the picture below to visit the site). For a small fee you can gain access to his personal videos and watch him tie various patterns with expert commentary, tips, and tricks. By joining you also have access to direct ordering of materials. I highly recommend that you check it out.

The current videos on Enrico’s site include:

Peanut Butter, EP Permit, Finger Mullet Black Tail, Trout Streamer, Bay Anchovy, Floating Minnow, Everglades Special

click the picture to visit the EP site

The Fly Art Studio videos are below.

Edit: I now realize the importance of getting a manicure before shooting HD macro video!!! Honestly, I shot this video just two days after returning from a Redfish trip in Florida where it rained all three days. My fingernails were mush after that. In the future I will remember to pay attention to my nails, ha.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

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Recipe

Hook: Gamakatsu SC15, Size 1

EP Fibers: Green, Chartreuse, White, and Black (modify according to the baitfish you are targeting)

Thread: Clear Monofilament 0.006

Eyes: Jurasic Eyes 6-8mm (or any 3-D molded eye)