The Future of Photography????

I can remember when the first DSLR's came out, and how I saw it as a revolutionary tool that was going to take photography to amazing new places.  I'm amazed at how far it's come and how far the big camera companies are continuing to push these technologies.  But there's one player that not too many people seem to be familiar with, and it has the chance to be the next big thing.  

When the Lytro first came out, I thought it was a cool concept, but a big gimmick.  It looked like a kaleidoscope, not a camera.  And the ability to choose your focal spot after you've taken the photo?  It just seemed too good to be true.  

Well, they've just released their second generation, the Lytro Illum.  Chris Burkhard recently bounced over to Iceland and put the Illum through the paces.  

What's cool, is that it creates a 3D Living Image, or an interactive image in which you, the viewer, can choose the focal point.  It creates some awesome images and it can be a lot of fun to take an image that seems to have been shot around f4 - f5.6, and change the depth of field and focus with the touch of the screen.  It shoots at a constant f2, but with the ability both in the camera, and in post, to change the depth of field, perspective, and focus.  Otherwise it seems to work the same as a normal point and shoot camera.  

Honestly, for now I'll be saving my money as it seems to be a very creative and fun way to shoot, I'm just not 100% sold on the application and unsure of how it handles the post processing of images.  Is it an awesome technology, you betcha.  I just don't think I'm quite there yet.  

For more on the Lytro Illum and Chris Burkhard's photo adventure, check out Digital Trends.

Reading Material

As the ability to create new forms of media increasingly becomes easier, there's more and more people getting in the game.  That's both good and bad.  It's good in that it brings some amazingly talented people the forums with which to display their works for the masses, and continue to push the boundaries of the sport.  But with that you also find lots of works that lack story lines, plots and characters, the epitome of "fish porn" - gratuitous shots of fish, out of focus and lacking anything tangible.  

It seems like every month there's a new e-zine out there for something, be it fishing, fly fishing, photography, snow boarding or bike riding, plenty of my hobbies are covered and I've literally got plenty to read.  

Where there are the good and the bad, a few of the good ones will give you plenty to look at and some great content to read.  This Is Fly is one of the originals and has been kicking out some of the industry's best.  What these guys are doing is paving the way for other magazines and showing them how it's done.  

Give the most recent edition a read, you won't be disappointed.  

The DRiFT/ISA Early Show, Take Two

A visit with Brightwater at the Early Show

First off, I'm a fan of Brightwater products; if you're a fly tier you know what a pain it is to have loose hanks of flash or synthetic materials rolling around in your case or on your desk. If you travel or teach, you'll discover that organizing you gear makes setup and pack up easier and that keeping flash in tubes keeps your desk somewhat free of clutter.

So from rolling and non-rolling tubes for flash, threads, and a nifty tube with tubes for hooks, to LED lights for your cap when your fishing in the dark, Brightwater Fly Angler looks for products that solve fly tying or fishing problems. They also have a very nice line of license plate holders to replace those ugly ones that the dealerships put on your car.

I talked with Mark about his products and purchased a new hat to replace the one that took a flying leap into a lake at fifty five mph.

To quote Mark, "I tie and fish, so I'm always looking for a product or an item that I think fly fishers would appreciate."

I appreciate his no roll caps on tubes and the Fidel hat.

You can buy Brightwater products on line at: http://brightwaterflyangler.com/

Your spouse, who wonders where that shiny stuff comes from, will appreciate it. 

Stuart Van Dorn

Photos by Brad Eaton