Mercy... lots of questions here. I'll try to answer all. We put in at a ramp near what's called Happy Hollow... just about a mile off of I-40. Chris told me we were about 5 or 6 miles below the dam. We ran his boat upstream about a mile or so in morning and later went downstream. We were fishing mostly beadhead Pheasant Tail nymphs with a tiny, tiny (#18?) midge dropper. Almost every fish came off the midge dropper. I am constantly amazed at trout feeding habits. I almost had to use my reading glasses to even see the midge... I don't mean tie it on, I mean see it, literally. I shoot a Fuji digital camera... but what camera you use doesn't matter. Some of the best photos I've ever seen were shot with the cheapest old beat up things you can imagine.
I was taught THE photography secret by a professional photographer 30 years ago. I can't believe I'm actually going to share it, but hey, this is CFF and it's just between us... right?
"The key to being a good photographer is to shoot a LOT of pictures, and never show anybody your culls."
With digital cameras... that's easy. Shoot until you run out of memory card and it doesn't cost a dime. I shot 70 or 80 pictures Saturday. I'm not showing you my culls. emoBigsmile
However, that said... learn how to use "the rule of thirds" (Google it), leading lines, backlighting, flash fill, and framing. Examples of all of those things in each photo above. As for outdoor photography... shoot ALL of your photos within one or two hours of sunrise or sunset. Don't waste your time trying to shoot "pretty" pictures at high noon. Light is too harsh. You must have soft, even light provided only in early morning and late evening. Combine that basic with some of the primary photography principals listed above.... never show anybody your culls... and you too can be a great photographer.
Figured I'd share a few photos.
