Fly Fishing Photography Tips and Techniques

Adam arrives at Middle Provo River at sunrise and sets up his gear. The Provo River offers a premier location for fly fishing for brown and rainbow trout. He positions himself downstream from a lone fisherman, explaining, “When you’re shooting in the low light of dawn, it’s important to have your subject stationary.” He positions the fisherman in the lower third of the frame and uses a 4-stop soft grad filter to contrast the rising mist. He beautifully captures the entire scene, fisherman, river, trees, and the white-capped mountains in the distance.

At dawn, the light changes quickly, but it’s still dark enough for long exposures, the fisherman having to hold steady for sharpness. Adam switches camera positions to add a growth of frost-covered reeds as foreground. “Framing the composition through the reeds is a good way to take the focus to the fisherman,” he says. To hold back the brightening sky, he adds a Reverse ND Grad filter and shoots at a reduced shutter speed. The goal in these wide-angle shots is to create depth, contrast, and luminous colors caused by the dawn light.

MORE IN THIS COURSE:

Completing Your Outdoor Photography with Landscape Filters—Course Preview
Shooting with Filters at Bells Canyon
Photographing American Fork Canyon
Photographing in the Early Morning Light
Photographing Cascade Peak
How to Focus on Compositional Elements in Photography
Shooting with a Grad ND Filter
Fall Foliage Photography Tips and Techniques
Photographing Wildlife: Strategies and Techniques
How to Photograph Reflections
Landscape Photography: Shooting Grass
Capturing Photos at Dusk
Tips for Photographing Moonrise
Fly Fishing Photography Tips and Techniques
Shooting with Filters in the Late Dawn Light
Tips for Shooting an Iconic Sunrise
Photographing Outdoor Stock Shots