So long 2011...

So long 2011..
Here's to more great fly fishing and photography in 2012.

Holgaramas and Macro Photographs

I finished two rolls of film recently, Kodak Tri-X and Plus-X by the way, one was a roll that was entirely "Holgaramas", while there other was from my Macro Holga.  While I've had a lot of success with the Holgarama technique I thought I'd do something just at little different this time and remove the square mask from the camera, something that I was told would soften the transition between the two overlapping frames, which I am happy to report it did just that.The only thing though is that it makes the negative a little wider than it would with the mask, but hopefully I can correct that problem. 
So without further ado here are the two best  Holgaramas from the roll.

I really like this one, I remember thinking about the quality of light when I came upon the scene and the negtive did not fail.  I like that the transition comes together a lot nicer without the mask, I will defiantly be doing Holgaramas without the mask from now on.

  This one is at a wide bend in the river, where the river makes this long sweeping turn that heads off away from the camera.

My second roll went through my macro Holga, which is a Holga that I have dedicated solely for such purposes.  I a set of "macro" and close up lens that snap onto the front of the lens that I use for when I want to take such close up photographs.  The "macro" set has two lens that allow me to get as close as 30mm and 60mm, while the close up set has lens that allow me to focus as close as 120mm, 250mm and 500mm.  The trouble with using these lens, especially at the closer distances, is that it is difficult to compose, because you can't see the subject enough through the viewfinder.  So what I did to help overcome this was tie a piece of twine around the lens and put a different piece of tape on the twine that corresponds to the particular distance of each lens.

 By doing this I figured I would increase my chances of getting the subject in front of the lens, which for the most part works, but it is a technique I am still mastering.
I have been trying to get a good close up photograph of some flies and the two here are the only two frames of the 12 on the roll that turned out, so here they are.

I really like this one and I think I shot it with the 60mm lens, which I think is as about as close as you can go and maintain good focus and not become distorted as is the case with the 30mm lens as I have found out so far.

I am not sure what I think about this one, but I thought I'd put it out there and hope that someone comments on it.  I know there is a negative space above the flies, but in some way I think it works.  What do you think? Is there too much negative space or is it OK?

Thanks for taking a look and please comment.
Brian

Pretty Fly...

You know it was a great year, when you can begin the year with some coverage about your photography and end it with some too.  As you may recall, in the Winter 2011 issue of Fly Rod & Reel, so I am delighted to let you know that my photography is featured in Issue number 32, the December 2011/January 2012 of "This is Fly".
"This is Fly" is a great online magazine, that's been a round for a few years now, that I feel is an innovative magazine especially for a fly fishing one.  They use a lot of different typography and layouts and they do stories and feature things that aren't about fly fishing at all, as is the case of the  non photographic artists that they feature in every issue.  I am pleased with the layout and treatment of my photographs, other than my blogsite and my Flickr stream, I'd say this is the largest single grouping of my photographs with 20 photographs shown out of the 24 that I submitted. So check it out HERE, then go to the table of contents page and click on the line that says "Featured Photographer" Brian Schiele." Then go back and check out the rest of magazine!

Thanks to everyone I have fished with and photographed!
Brian

Art makes a great gift!

I have several photographs available for purchase from a limited run of printing I did earlier this year, with the exception of the rectangular ones they are all printed by hand in the darkroom; the rectangular ones are printed on the computer on a fine archival paper. They are matted with bright white museum board. the rectangular ones measure  11"x14" and the rectangular ones measure 9"x12".  They are available for $60 which includes shipping.  I can take a check or PayPal.  If you happen to be in the Salt Lake City, Utah area, we can make other arrangements.
Without further ado here is what I have available and the quantities I have of each...

This is one of my favorites, it was one of my first fly fishing photographs.  I love the bokeh of the Holga lens, especially on the branch on the in the upper left corner and the trees along the upper edge of the photograph. This is the Weber river. I have four these available.

 This one was published in an article written about me and my photography in the winter issue 2011 issue of Fly Rod & Reel magazine. This is also on the Weber ut on the other end.  I have three of these available.

This is also on the Weber river, I did it just a few feet away from the previous photography.  I love the quality of light on the Weber and was taken by the texture on the water.  I have three of these available

 This one is done on my first trip down the Green river here in Utah.I love the line created from the angler hucking big streamers in the fall.  I have five available

I made this photograph while walking back from a day of fishing on the Middle Provo river.  The texture of the rocks caught the attention of my eye.  I have four available.

 Another favorite of mine, it has such a timeless quality to it, and the quality of  light makes a great moment at the end of great day of fishing with buddies, that much more memorable.  I have two available.

 Anglers often have to be creative and improvise while being on the river, which is what caught my eye when I made this photograph.  I have four available.

 

This one was also published in the Fly Rod & Reel article about me, the right half was published in the magazine, while the entire diptych was published in the online version of the story.  I have two available in the above mentioned size and price but I also have a much larger one that is not matted.  It is printed on the same paper but is 13"x19" with an image size of 7 7/8" x 16 7/8" and can be purchased  for $100.

 

 This is one of the first "Holgaramas" I did on fly fishing, I really like how it turned out too.  It has a dream like and magical quality that you won't come across anywhere else.  I have just one of these in the larger unmatted size that is printed on 13" x 19" paper with an image size of approximately 9 3/4" x 167/8". It can be purchased for $100.

Just remember, Christmas is only 63 Days Away and counting and art makes a great gift.  If you have any further questions, I always available via email.

Thanks!
Brian

They love my photography in Scandinavia...

I got another request to be interviewed about my photography recently, for a fly fishing web zine in Norway called Vak (which means "rising fish" in Norwegian, Swedish and Danish, as I found out).  It wasn't my first appearance in a magazine or web zine in Scandinavia either, I am happy to say.
You can check out the article HERE,  The story was  titled   "Foreviger fisk med plastikk", which translates to "Perpetuates the fish with plastic", which you have to admit is kind of funny, although I am sure in the author's native tongue sounds better. 
I am not  a linguist or anything like that, but I know that language to  language translations often don't always come across that well when they are translated, especially when the message is translated to English. 
So unless you can read Norwegian, I'll leave you with a translated version of the interview.

"Perpetuates the fish with plastic"

Brian L. Schiele is a fly fishing the Holger-master.

In hipster communities around the world have the phenomenon of Lomography received high marks in recent times. Holger is one of the cameras used, and inexpensive plastic tool uses the film-type medium. Holger was first produced in Hong Kong, and the first cameras came on the market in 1982. Originally this was thought to be an affordable mass-produced camera for the Chinese working class. 

The camera's cheap construction and simple lens (everything is made ​​of plastic) often give characteristic pictures with a lot of vignetting , "poor" focus, light leakage and other photographic disorders. NOK Ironically it was this combined with low-fidelity aesthetic that was appreciated by some photographers. Which meant that Holger became a kind of cult phenomenon.
But it's not just blog the hipsters who have pressed the plastic to his heart. Brian L. Schiele is an American family man and fly fisherman from West Valley City , Utah. He uses exclusively Holger to immortalize their trips, and we went for a chat with him.
- I have used Holger cameras in about 18 years. The challenges of using a basic camera appeals to me, and I think it helps to slow the creative process down a little notch, said Schiele to Vak.

He points out that film-based photography is what he really can, and will continue to use it as long as possible.
- I think the movie will be there from my life anyway. The biggest challenge now is to find places that are doing development. As of today I have a place that still does this. But one day, the NOK will be gone, and when it happens, I will call themselves, he says.
Schiele own a digital point & shoot camera, and I think that the ability to shoot digital is great. But he is far from certain that he sees himself as the owner of a DSLR in the future. It seems he really is okay ...
The explanation of why he mostly takes pictures of fly fishing is simple.
- When I'm hooked on something so I'm really hooked. Then it is also natural for me to turn the camera on it, something I did when I started mountain biking. I'm not the world's best fly fisherman, so when I come up short in a fishing situation, I take either the camera and start looking for motives, said Schiele.
He's usually with three different Holgaer when he is on a fishing trip.
- I am convinced that I am using these cameras will be able to capture the timelessness that characterizes fly fishing and being out in the river, he concludes.
Check out Schiele's pictures on his blog or by visiting his Flickr profile .
PS: A Norwegian fly fisherman by the name Torgeir Nordkild is also a frequent user of plastic, and although it may not be as many fish pictures to find among his work, it's still worth a look at Norkateers LomoHome .

There you go, it is kind of funny, at least from my English speaking point of view that is.

My other appearance in a Scandinavian photography magazine was in Sweden's Kamera & Bild, in it's December 2005 issue as part of an article on toy cameras.


Thanks to Google for providing the translation, with its, Google Translator, it was the first one I found that translated Norwegian.

Also make sure you check out The River Damsel's blog a fellow Salt Lake area blogger and angler who I have had the privilege of fishing with a few times this past summer.  In her most recent post, "Haunted By Waters" she posted a photograph I took of her and paired it with some quotes from the movie, "A River Runs Through It", that are incredibly fitting.
Brian 

Some cross blog love...

I don't know about you, but through the internet I have virtually met a lot of great people, some of which I have met in person and many more I hope to meet in person someday.  One such person is a guy but the name of Cameron Mortenson, who runs a great blog dedicated to fiberglass fly fish rods called "The Fiberglass Manifesto".  Over the past couple of years since we've known each other Cam has written about me and my photography three or four times and wrote about my photography again in his post today.  Because of the exposure I got from Cam, I think it helped me get the write up about my photography in the Winter 2011 issue of Fly Rod & Reel. 
The one thing I like most about Cam's blog is that while it is about fly fishing and fiberglass rods, he does a great job at encompassing every aspect of fly fishing from art, to kids (he co runs another fly fishing site, called, www.fishykid.org) and fly tying to name a few of the many things that involve fly fishing and fiberglass fly rods. 
As a way to get the word out about his blog, he sells stickers and t shirts with the Fiberglass Manifesto logo on them.  From there he holds a monthly TFM Spotting contest, where each of the monthly winners are eligible for the big contest at the end of the year, for a fiberglass rod.  I have entered once, with a Holga self portrait, but I didn't get enough votes.
Whether you fish or not, check out "The Fiberglass Manifesto".
Thanks again for the love Cam!

EDIT:
Since this was first posted I have found out that This Is Fly, an online fly fishing magazine has picked up Cam's post and posted about my photograph in its daily blog. Check it out HERE.

EDIT,EDIT: 25 September 2011
I have also found out that Midcurrent.com, another fly fishing blog/website has mentioned me in their "Tippets" section.. Check it out HERE.

Trout Dreams

Dreaming men are haunted men.
Stephen Vincent Benet

I don't know about you, but I sometimes dream about the things I am passionate about, I sometimes dream about my wife while sleeping next to her, I have dreamt about mountain biking, and I of course dream about fly fishing.  I don't remember most of my dreams, but when I do, it's because they are vivid, I often feel compelled to recreate them photographically.   Trying to recreate these dreams is often a slow process, as in the case with the two photographs I am posting here.  The two photographs were on the same roll of film, but were taken years about, about two and a half to be more precise. My dream photographs are usually double exposures, one exposure is of the angler and the other of the fish the angler caught.  I can't really explain why it takes me so long to do photographs like this, I guess they just come to me.  
 

This first one, was literally the first photograph of the 12 exposure roll of film, that was done sometime in July of 2008.  As I recall, I think the first exposure was of the angler, but as all of this time has since  passed I don't remember.  It was taken while fishing my first and only time so far on the Strawberry River, one of Utah's "Blue Ribbon Fisheries".  

 The next "trout dreams" photograph was taken a little more recently somewhere in December of 2010, on the Middle Provo.  I think this one though the exposure of the trout was made first, with the second exposure of the angler.  

Under optimal conditions my technique for shooting double exposures  involves making an exposure of each element on the first frame then reversing the order on the next frame.  I do this so I can ensure optimal dream quality, because the subtitles of doing double exposures can vary. That being said, it's not so easy to do it this way when you want to also ensure that the trout survives, so I have to take what I can get when I do photographs like these.
When I do double exposures I prefer to use a slower speed film, either Kodak's Plus-X or TMAX 100 film, because they can handle a little more exposure.  I have done other double exposures with color film but the dreams I am having about fishing seem to be in black and white. 
I also feel that by doing the entire project in black and white adds a certain time quality, which is a big part of what I am going for with these photographs. 
So what do you dream about and are dreams color or are they black and white?
Brian

A Holga master and a Tenkara master go fishing...

I recently had the pleasure of meeting, fishing with and getting a little instruction from Daniel Galhardo, the founder of Tenkara USA.  If you've never heard of Tenkara, it's a form of fly fishing that originated in Japan a few centuries ago, it's very simple, in that all you use is a fly rod and line.  In many ways I think it has some similarities with toy camera photography in that it is primarily about the challenge of using a simple tool to obtain amazing results.

Dan was in the Salt Lake area doing an informal workshop and demo of tenkara fishing and his Tenkara rods, through a local fly fishing shop, Western Rivers Fly Fishing.  I have had fished once with one of these simple fly rods once before, but wanted to know more, so I went and took my Holgas along.   As see it, there is a connection between what I do with my photography and tenkara fishing.  The rods that Dan produce I think are really comparable to Holgas, they are made of a composite material and telescoping, which puts them somewhere in between a bamboo stick and a more contemporary fly rod, comparable to a Holga where you could put them somewhere in between a pinhole camera and your average digital SLR camera.

The technique you use while fishing with a tenkara rod is slightly different than what you do when fishing with a more contemporary fly rod, in that it's all in the wrist, and how you grip the rod is a little different too.

The sign of a great master, is that the master is able to teach the subject to any and all skill levels, and while the fly fishing ability of the group I was with was above average, Dan was certainly generous with his time and knowledge and got around to all of making sure that we all had a good technique.

 

 I really like the idea of tenkara fishing because it is so simple and minimalistic, while most of in the class carried our big backpacks with all of various gear, Dan didn't carry all that much, in his small hip bag. 

I enjoyed the day I had with Dan and the others, so much so I'd like to get a tenkara rod, perhaps if you took at look at my Etsy Shop, so that I might be able to buy one sooner rather than later.

Thanks for reading!

Living with if for a while...

I don't know what your editing process is, but when I look at a newly processed roll of film, I go with my gut, I look at the roll and I can quickly pick out the negatives I am going to print. There are usually others though that stick in my head after that initial look that I will have to live with for a while before I do anything with it.
This photograph was one of those negatives, if you look at the previous post (Salmo Trutta), that was the  negative I picked upon my initial look, and was the one I picked when I looked at the roll again, but this one, of the same trout has stuck in my head since then.

 

I am not sure which photograph I like more, or which is the better of the two; judging by the comments I have  received on Flickr on both photographs there is no clear choice.

So what do you think? Was my original choice the better one or was the one that I have been living with all these months the better photograph? Or shall I go out and photograph more fish, this was the first trout I have actually photographed after all. 

Please be specific, and give an honest critique of both photographs.

Thanks as always for reading, I look forward to hearing your thought about the photographs.

Brian

Memories of My Mom...

I thought I'd do something a little different, and post something  about my mom.
My mom died recently after a hard fought battle with cancer that lasted 16 years. During her more than 61 years on this world she did a lot of great things and I thought I'd touch on a few of them.  My mom was probably the most patriotic person I know, she loved our country and loved serving it too, when she was 31 years old she decided to join the military, the Air National Guard more specifically.  I was 10 at the time she went to air force basic training, and I was very proud of her when she graduated, it made being away from her all that time well worth it. Even though I was in the Air Guard for 11 years I always enjoyed having lunch with her and my dad on "drill weekend", we would often call each other "sergeant mom" or "sergeant son". She retired form the guard a few years ago after serving for 20 years.

My mom also played the violin, something she had done for a good part of her life, growing up she played in both the junior youth symphony and the youth symphony of the local school district. Later in life, before she had been diagnosed with cancer she was an original member of a local community symphony where she played for many years until the cancer prevented her from playing any longer.  I had always wanted to photograph her playing the violin, and I did so in what I recall was one of her last seasons with the the community symphony. 

The summer of 2007 my mom's cancer started to win the battle, a battle that she had faced head on with unwavering determination and a smile of optimism.  During that summer "The Story Corps Project" visited our area, so I took her there to record her story.

 I interviewed my mom for about an hour as I recall, and while most her life was pretty well known to me, I did learn a few new things about my mom too.

These are just a few of the memories I have of my mom, thanks for taking the time to read them and where ever you are mom thanks for being you... I LOVE YOU!

Channeling Rich, while photographing Rocky's Fly...

As I have previously mentioned, I enjoy "social networking", it has given me the opportunity to meet people I wouldn't have met otherwise, even if it is only virtually.  One such person, was a guy named Rich Schaaff, who like me is into fly fishing and photography, and was one of those people I really wished I could meet in person, unfortunately, I never got that chance, because Rich died suddenly last fall.  While I haven't really thought about him all that much since, it was on the occasion that I met one of my virtual friends who and also actually known Rich that I thought about him while we talked.
At the Wasatch Fly Fishing Expo, I met Rocky Maley, who has known Rich for several years, and has had Rich photograph a lot of his incredible flies for his website and more. After we initially talked and Rocky had a chance to look at my photography he came back with a couple of his flies, one of which I took and Brett Colvin, one of the other photographers I was displaying my photography with, took the other.
Before I photographed Rocky's fly, I took at look at Rich's "Art of the Fly" page, for some inspiration, many of the flies on this page are Rocky's.
As I was photographing Rocky's fly, I kept thinking of or perhaps "channeling" Rich, becasue I have struggled a little with doing these "macro" photographs with my Holga, so I think it helped, because I got it the first time.
Because these types of flies are bigger than the trout flies I am accustomed to I thought I would do something really different than just the usual square Holga photograph, so I did a "macro Holgarama".

I have talked to Rocky about it, while he gets what I was trying to do, he is a little confused by it, but he also said that the technique could grow on him.  I did a square version of the fly too, which Rocky really liked. 

 In talking to Rocky about it, and he said he would send a few more flies down.

I have posted this on a few photography and fly fishing forums and there no real consensus on which is the better photograph, so what do you think. Which is the better photograph and why?

Thanks for reading and hopefully taking the time to comment.
Brian

I am on Etsy now..

I thought I'd set up a shop on Etsy in an attempt to sell some of my photography.  I only have one listing at the moment, so please come and check it out..

Brian L. Schiele (mtbbrian)

Thanks!
Brian

Salmo Trutta...

I have known for a while that in order for this project to be successful I need to have some photographs of and with fish in them, but it's challenging sometimes to put my fly rod down and just be there as a photographer.
So on my last outing, I really made an effort to do that and was able to come away with a photograph of a nice MP brown trout that my buddy James had landed.

I have some macro photographs of some flies on this roll that I will post shortly. I hope you like this photograph there will be more photographs of and with fish to come.

Brian

 

In the darkroom....

I spent the day printing in the darkroom today, it was the first time I had done so in quiet some time; it's a part of photography that I enjoy almost as most as going out with my camera.  While I don't have a darkroom of my own, I am grateful enough to know someone who does, and I must say Robert Hall's darkroom is one of the nicest darkroom's I have ever worked in.
Even though I have been wanting to print for some time, the big reason I did so today was because of the email I got earlier this week from another photographer and fellow angler Jason Morrison.  In his email Jason asked if I'd be interested in showing my photography along side his in the display space he had recently gotten at the up coming Wasatch Fly Tying and Fly Fishing Expo, without hesitation I said yes.  

I decided upon 10 different negatives that I would make five photographs to for  the expo, eight of which would have to be printed in the darkroom, and the remaining two I will print on the computer.

       

Robert is a gracious host, everything was set up by the time I got to his home so all I had to do was pull out my negatives and away I went. 

 

I got into the groove quickly despite having been in the darkroom last about a year ago, so I was able to figure out what I needed to do each negative without wasting a lot of time or paper. 

I am not quite sure which is more magical, doing all of the dodging, burning and other adjustments as I create the photograph or watching it all appear as the paper bathes in the developer. 

 

Before too long one completed print become two, then three, and so on... 

 

 Next thing I knew I was done with the first set of five photographs and moved on to the next set.  I love to see how a test print becomes a final print, the whole process really is magical.

 

From test print to final print. 

Before too long I had a print washer full of prints that had been archivally processed and washed and need to be emptied for the next cycle.

Not a bad way to spend to spend some time in the dark, wouldn't you say...

 

Despite having a goal of completing eight sets of five prints I was only able to complete seven in the seven hours I was printing today, so needless to say I am pleased with the work I did today.  

The prints from today's darkroom session will be available for sale at the Wasatch Fly Tying and Fly Fishing Expo April 1-2, so please come by and by one or two.

 

Thanks again for the use of your wonderful darkroom Robert!

 

Now you can read it here...

When the write up about my photography was first published I kept thinking about how I could get it out there for people that don't read Fly Rod & Reel.  I hoped that it would make it to the magazine's website, but for whatever reason it didn't appear in conjunction with the new issue; I am happy to write that you can now read the entire write up on the magazine's website. So without further ado I present to you, Old/New Photos written by Bob White, that first appeared in the Winter 2011 issue of Fly Rod & Reel magazine.  Read it HERE! Thanks for reading!
Brian

Something old, something new...

I went fishing this past week and was able to finish off a roll of film, Tri-X if you are wondering.  It's funny how much or little time it can take do shoot 12 exposures, This particular roll, was started back in September, it wasn't the best 12 exposures I have made in a while, but there were a couple that turned out well enough one of which I really liked.  I'd say up until this last outing I'd say that my priorities were split equally between photography and fishing, but this last outing I really made an effort to watch for and make photographs.

 

 I like this photograph,even though it was particularly warm for January in the Heber valley, the flare gives a good sense of the cold and fog conditions that occur on the Middle Provo.

This next photograph is one I made back in July, but never really considered much until I went over my negatives from last year recently.  It's only from three rolls ago too, I might add.

It's hard to beleive but looking at my negatives from last year, it looks like I only shot eight rolls of film, that's only 96 individual photographs, not all of which turned of course.  Since it is still January and all, I resolve to shoot more, to take more chances so I can make more great photographs...

Oh and if you haven't read the Winter 2011 issue of Fly Rod & Reel magazine, it should be out now.  Check page 18 for a write up about my photography.
Thanks for checking out my blogsite!

Angle On My Art...

I love social networking, just ask my wife, through sites like Face book and Flickr, not only have I met some great anglers, photographers and other artists, it's been a way for me to get my photography out there too.  Through these sites, I have met,mostly virtually, photographers like Lucas Carrol and Aaron Otto, angler  Cameron Mortenson, and painter Bob White, to name a few.
It was sometime back in the  late spring or early summer 2010 that Bob White announced that he was doing a new column in Fly Rod & Reel, called "Angle On Art", so I immediately emailed him about my photography.  Over the course of over several emails with Bob, and lots of waiting I am pleased to announce that in the Winter 2011 issue of Fly Rod & Reel there is a write up about my photography.

Needless to say I am ecstatic about the write up, the photographs are printed very well and Bob's writing is excellent.
I think that seeing the two photographs with the write up has given me a direction for the project; one of the photographs I submitted was a diptych that if you are familiar with my fly fishing photographs you have seen, but is shown as one of the two original photographs. So as much as I like the diptychs and other formats I have done, I think I will do single square photographs from now on. 
I am not quite sure what else to say so go and buy a copy of the Winter 2011 issue of Fly Rod & Reel and check out page 18.
Thanks!
Brian