We’ve posted a lot of expert rigs on our blog – detailed descriptions of how some of the best anglers in the world set themselves up to chase fish in different parts of the world. In fact, two of the most popular pages on our site are our steelhead rig roundup and our king rig roundup.
We’ve also posted a whole lot of great photos from Louis Cahill, our friend and photography ninja. We know that quite a few of you like taking pictures, so we thought we’d change it up a bit and asked Louis for his expert rig of the photography kind.
So here you have it! If you were to catch Louis taking pictures of fly fishing on any given day, here’s the setup be’d probably be shooting.
The Summary
- Nikon D300S
- 10.5mm f/2.8 Fisheye lens
- 12 – 24mm f/4 ED lens
- 24 – 70mm f/2.8 lens
- 60mm micro f/2.8 D lens
- 80 – 200 f/2.8 IFED lens
- SB 700 Speedlight flash
- 7 rechargeable batteries
- 25 data cards
The Detail
- With the D300s I get a fast frame rate, 12mp file and great ISO response at a reasonable price.
- The 10.5 fisheye is a dramatic lens. I use it sparingly. Think of it like hot sauce.
- The 12-24 is my favorite for hero shots.
- The 24-70 is a great all-purpose lens. It’s very sharp but pricey.
- The 60 mm micro is one of my favorites but it’s pretty much a single purpose lens.
- The 80-200 f2.8 I like being close to the action but it doesn’t always happen this lens brings me closer.
The Commentary
- Photography is a complex medium. It’s easy to take a photo. It’s tough to take a great photo. Taking a great photo every day is a job. It’s all about expressing the way you see the world. This setup works for me but you may see things differently. Experiment.
- I shoot a lot. Really…a lot! My digital image library is over a quarter million images. Data management becomes a nightmare and hard drive failure is heartbreaking. Make redundant backups! Trust me.
- I use a lot of fill flash. When done well it’s a really clean look. There are lots of ways to set it up. Most modern flashes have a backlight TTL mode. Start there and experiment.
Actually, Bruce Chard took that photo of me. We’ll call that payback.
Great article! Very informative! I wish their was more like it out their on fishing photography! Hard to find good info like this. Keep more articles like this coming!!
Thanks for the kind words Kyle. We’ll see what we can do!