Cap'n Fishy
Well-known member
I was inspired by paulfish_1's first ever fly-tying video. Decided to have a go at doing some video work over the winter. I've been very much a stills photographer over the years. This is despite my cameras having had video mode available for the past 10 years! I have barely used it. I did have a go at filming myself doing the hackle on a paraloop mayfly, back in July, and ended-up giving myself a dose of the shakes. Stage fright!
Well, I was determined to get over that.
The other thing was the whole positioning of the camera. Paul followed the likes of Davie McPhail and sat it directly opposite himself, focused on the fly, with his white T-shirt as the backdrop.. When I did the paraloop, I was thinking I would be better to have the camera on my side, as that was where the lighting was coming from. However, doing it that way meant a lot of the time I was masking the fly with my hands. So, I decided to try Paul/Davie's way.
The first thing I had in mind was that someone asked about how to do the knots in pheasant-tail fibres. I decided to give it a go. The first problem was how to keep my hand movements in the correct place. If you are tying a fly, you can pre-focus the camera on the fly and get on with it and it will be in focus the whole exercise. Not so easy when there is no 'anchor' to focus on. However, my camera has its own Wi-Fi ability, and I can hook it to my tablet and project what the camera is seeing on the screen of the tablet. I had a go at doing it this way, and it worked not too bad. You will see a pause at the start of each fibre - that is me holding it and checking I am lined up OK in the tablet before continuing.
My only prop is a small dubbing needle I use to tuck the end of the fibre into the loop I have formed, before pulling it tight. The key is to make the first knot close to the tip of the fibre, and then put the second one in, a bit further back. If you only want single-knot hopper legs, just stop after the first knot.
... and bear in mind, I am left-handed, so for most of you it is a mirror image.
Col

The other thing was the whole positioning of the camera. Paul followed the likes of Davie McPhail and sat it directly opposite himself, focused on the fly, with his white T-shirt as the backdrop.. When I did the paraloop, I was thinking I would be better to have the camera on my side, as that was where the lighting was coming from. However, doing it that way meant a lot of the time I was masking the fly with my hands. So, I decided to try Paul/Davie's way.
The first thing I had in mind was that someone asked about how to do the knots in pheasant-tail fibres. I decided to give it a go. The first problem was how to keep my hand movements in the correct place. If you are tying a fly, you can pre-focus the camera on the fly and get on with it and it will be in focus the whole exercise. Not so easy when there is no 'anchor' to focus on. However, my camera has its own Wi-Fi ability, and I can hook it to my tablet and project what the camera is seeing on the screen of the tablet. I had a go at doing it this way, and it worked not too bad. You will see a pause at the start of each fibre - that is me holding it and checking I am lined up OK in the tablet before continuing.
My only prop is a small dubbing needle I use to tuck the end of the fibre into the loop I have formed, before pulling it tight. The key is to make the first knot close to the tip of the fibre, and then put the second one in, a bit further back. If you only want single-knot hopper legs, just stop after the first knot.

... and bear in mind, I am left-handed, so for most of you it is a mirror image.
Col