The Landscape Is My Canvas Photographs By Aaron Goodis

NationalProStaff.com - The Anglers Land Scape

2012-02-22T01:41:00.000-08:00

NationalProStaff.com - The Anglers Land Scape

Check out a few of the last couple of seasons bangers!

Fly Fishing Photography By Aaron Goodis

Making A Come Back!

2012-02-18T00:34:00.000-08:00

" California Dreaming In Vancouver "

Well I have been off to a slow start this year, but not for lack of ideas and motivation! For those of you who know me well outside of this blog then it is no secret, I deal with an on going battle with Crohns disease. For every one else I will spare you the details, all that really matters is that it is not fatal and very manageable with few life changes and in my case a not so little surgery. I have been dealing with the Crohns since I was much younger so I am very familiar with set backs and restarts.

" Scarfs at Granville Island "

The problem is that Chrons disease effects the digestive track usually in the colon and can flare up at almost any time making it a little difficult to predict the future health wise. ( I stay super positive of course) . So in my case on Jan 5/12 I ended up having a fairly major surgery to remove most of my colon, not to nice so again no details. So basically I have been in healing mode ever since, I am finally feeling good and luckily the procedure was done very successfully!

" Tree Of Recovery "

Now you may be wondering how this all relates to photography? First I am making an incredible come back and the main motivation for me(other than family support and great doctor's) is the act of doing the photography it self. Photography can be a very healthy sport. Yes I said it "a sport". Basically it forces me to walk and in some cases hike long distances with heavy packs ( I will be doing this soon) but most importantly it can be done in your back yard very close to home. So not only does photography promote exercise, thought and technical skill it is also super fun and very motivating!

Check out my site and fallow the links to fallow me on Face Book www.aarongoodisphotography.com

Also follow me on the NPS, www.nationalprostaff.com

Thank you for every one's support!

We all need to keep shooting!

Aaron

Happy New Year

2012-01-04T16:51:00.001-08:00

Check out some recently published work... BC Outdoors Sport Fishing Magazine Jan/Feb 2012

Feature photos and article by yours truly " Modern Steelhead Flies " Featuring the recipe for the BC Prawn along with a few other kick ass flies.

IF 4 2012 add in Fly Fusion Magazine.

Happy New Year every one, bent rods and tight compositions!!

Published In Catch Magazine Issue #20

2011-11-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

I am super proud to say that I finally really made it in Catch with a stand alone photo essay on British Columbia. Catch is by far one of the best fly fishing magazines displaying some of the best fly fishing photography and video. Check it out.

http://www.catchmagazine.net/

Super Stoked!!

Recently Published Work Sept/Oct 2011

2011-10-29T13:05:00.001-07:00

The Dean, North West Fly Fishing, Sept/Oct 2011

Recently Published Work Sept/Oct 2011

2011-10-29T13:01:00.001-07:00

The Spey Underground, Fly Fusion, Fall 2011

Recently Published Work Sept/Oct 2011

2011-10-29T12:53:00.001-07:00

BCO and Fly Fusion Sept/Oct 2011

Help Support The Cause!

2011-10-21T15:39:00.000-07:00

Help support the cause! Come on out and support our beloved Thompson River Steelhead.
Thompson River/Spius Creek Fund Raising Pub Night.
November 23rd, 2011 7:30 pm at the Bourbon 50 W. Cordova St. Vancouver.

Back From The North

2011-09-28T12:50:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been away from my blog for a while. I just have not had the time to do much in the way of posting, partly from being super busy with the photo/work side of things and also I was away on the big northern adventure, chasing Steelhead and fighting weather and water conditions.
Unfortunately the trip did not give much in the way of great fishing but like all trips there was definitely a fare share of adventure! I fished rivers such as the Bulkley, Kispiox, Copper and Skeena. With the rivers blowing out I decided to come back a day early and catch up on the home front.
There is lots of cool new things happening with AGP such as 4 new recently published feature articles for BC Outdoors, Fly Fusion and NW Fly Fishing magazines. I will update all the new published work soon.
I am super stoked to say that I will have the "Introducing" Feature in the Nov/Dec Catch mag so be sure to check that out. (if it falls through I will let you know)

I will also be trying to update this blog more frequently as I know it sucks when blogs are not updated! lol.

I wanted to throw a big shout out to James Whalen and company for the great hospitality in Smithers and also for the day on the Copper, that day will never be forgotten!

Tight lines.

2011-08-21T17:09:00.001-07:00

The UBC Totem Poles offer a very unique place to take pictures. I love Native Art so I try to make a couple trips a year up to the poles. This location also work great for HDR work. Visit

my Flickr page to see a few more photos from this shoot. Click Here to see the flickr page.

The Fisherman

2011-08-13T21:54:00.001-07:00

The Fisherman, a photo by Aaron Goodis Photography on Flickr.

A Man fishes for small bottom fish such as Flounder. The Seal I saw was much more successful! A rare quiet moment amongst the kayos that is the Point Grey Yacht Club pear on a Friday nigh in the summer.

Light House Park - The Green Slime

2011-08-12T23:06:00.001-07:00

Light House Park - The Green Slime, a photo by Aaron Goodis Photography on Flickr.

Photo of the day. Ruffly 18,250 photos to go assuming I make it to 80.

Aaron Goodis Photography's photostream

2011-08-10T13:07:00.001-07:00

Aaron Goodis Photography's photostream on Flickr.

Check out the new flickr page for Aaron Goodis Photography. The idea here is to add one photo a day for as long as I live. Now I know this will be an impossible feat but I will do my best. This gives me motivation to shoot as well as look in the collection for good shots that I can post here. If you enjoy the photos please take the time to fallow the page and comment on the pics.

Vancouver Fire Works

2011-08-07T22:37:00.000-07:00

Although I am not a fan of crowds I braved it on Saturday night to capture this image of the fire works. I must say they were quite impressive!

Nikon d300s and Nikon 16-35 mm fx lens 1/3 @ F4

Going To The Dark Side With HDR

2011-07-29T00:28:00.001-07:00

Portaue Cove. Shot taken merging 5 images with HDR. 1/20 @ F8

These are the high light shots for my HDR day view. Turning to the dark side can be fun and exciting! Read full story below.
False Creek "the stoop". Shot taken merging 7 images with HDR. 4 @ F11

Squamish River blind channel. Shot Taken with 5 images merged with HDR. 1/30 @ F9

Green Tree at Totem Beach. Taken with 3 images merged with HDR. 2.5 @ F7

Take a visual journey through my first day with HDR! Read the story below!

2011-07-28T23:24:00.000-07:00

One of the many great look outs on the Sea to Sky Highway. Shot taken using 3 images merged with HDR. 1/125 @ F9

So here's the story, I am (or should I say was feeling) a little burnt out creatively, I guess you could say that working all day and then running out for the last magic hour in search of great sun set light was catching up to me and yes I was feeling lazy! Know don't get me wrong I was and still am doing this every day because we all know that the one night we stay home will be the banger, super pink! And we or me especially does not want to miss it, dedication can be misery at times. LOL. So what do I do to get my self up and out of a creative funk? Of course grab some cameras and a fly rod, get in the truck and get the hell out of the city. And yes even try and learn something new.
The Look Out, Sea to Sky Hwy. 3 images merged using HDR. 1/250 @ F9

In fly fishing we would call using a lure on the end cheating. (GOING TO THE DARK SIDE) In photography I have often herd HDR called the dark side. Why you might ask? The lure increases your odds to success and merging multiple photographs together will make the imposable possible when it comes to exposure and highlight/shadow detail in photos that can't be captured in just one image. The purest would say well "you get what you get, don't cheat". But lets face it, cheating can be fun! I am feeling a little un pure these days any way so lets try out this HDR on some photos. A one day road trip begins from Vancouver to Tim Horton's in Squamish, up to Brandywine Falls and back to Van.
Upper Cheakamuse River. Shot taken using 5 images merged with HDR. 1/15 @ F9

Now I am totally new to this HDR thing so as a disclaimer I will only attempt to explain what it is and how it works. First HDR stands for High Dynamic Range, so basically what happens in very high contrast scenes is the cameras sensor will not pick up all the light and detail as your eye sees in only one exposure. This usually leaves that nice blue sky or the bright areas washed out or the dark shadowy areas black. For me I like to be able to see the finished image as I saw it at the time not the bland one on the back of the camera but I also believe in getting the best exposure in camera so I don't have to do a lot of editing in the computer. HDR is a great option, I can merge 3 to 7 shots together and by varying the exposures I can capture the entire range of light and contrast in one image. Pretty cool right! And also super fun! All those bright middle of the day super contrasty times look out, I have a new tool and I am creatively back in the game!
The walking bridge over Brandywine Creek. Shot taken with 3 images merged with HDR. 1/30 @ F9

I relies this all may seem intimidating and advanced and believe me it was for me and that is also one of the reason I have not tried HDR sooner. I actually found it to be very easy to use but you will need a special program to run the images through the HDR process. I chose Photomatix Pro and it works great. You will also need to shoot on a tri-pod as the images must line up. I found great info at www.StuckInCustoms.com
Brandywine Falls. Shot taken with 3 images merged with HDR. 1/20 @ F8

All shots taken with Nikon d300s and Nikon 10-24 DX lens, Tri-pod and Remote Release.

These are the first ever HDR images I have made and so far I am very satisfied with the results. There are allot of looks out there and some photos I have seen look very HDR'y a little out there for my liking. I wanted to stay to my real looking images and capture the light as I saw it and HDR helped immensely with that. So give it a try and also I strongly recommend going for the drive out of town if your feeling stressed!

Have fun and enjoy the images.

2011-07-18T14:06:00.000-07:00

Check out this little promo video below. Hot new landscape shots from AGP all shot within half an hour of Vancouver in the last 3 months.

Enjoy

See Through My Eye 2011.m4v

2011-07-18T14:05:00.000-07:00

Get That Silky Look

2011-07-02T22:30:00.001-07:00

Cypress Beach, North Vancouver. Shot with Nikon d300s, Nikon 10-24mm DX lens, Lee 3 stop hard step Grad ND filter and Polarizing filter. Tripod and remote release. F14 @ 1.4 seconds.

One of the questions I get asked the most is how do you get the water to look all silky like it's moving. The answer is easy, a slow shutter speed. Here are a few quick tips that will help you show some movement in your water scape's.

First you will need a tripod and if you have one a remote release, due to the slow shutter speed you will need to remove any chance of shaking the camera.

Set your camera to aperture priority and choose a smaller F-Stop say F13 - F22 by doing this the camera will automatically reduce the shutter speed.

If in bright light light set you ISO to 100 or 200 this will also make the camera reduce the shutter speed.

Avoid bright days or shoot early in the morning or late in the evening, by doing this you will automatically have less available light to work with and this also will force the camera to set a slower shutter speed.

Nothing beets trial and error so get out their and point at some moving water, most likely you will be happy with the results.

New Published Work-BCO Summer 2011

2011-06-30T18:38:00.001-07:00

If your interested in Summer Spey Fishing with your single handed trout gear check out this feature article in BCO Sport Fishing Magazine Summer 2011. Writing and photographs by Aaron Goodis. ( To see the whole story you will just have to buy the mag :)

New Published Work

2011-06-30T18:31:00.001-07:00

Fly Fusion Magazine, Summer Issue, Fly Tier's Canvas, BC Prawn Tied by Aaron Goodis
Fly Fusion Summer Issue, In The Pink, Pink Fly Box tied by Aaron Goodis

Photos courtesy Jennifer Bird

A Day On The Water

2011-06-22T13:07:00.000-07:00

Some times the best thing to do is just take a break from it all and spend a day on the water with a good friend. Dim and I exploring the North Shore.

Stay tuned for up coming posts including " Understanding Depth Of field " and " Getting That Milky Look - Movement In The Water "

Thanks again for checking out the blog.

2011 AGP

2011-06-14T14:48:00.000-07:00

The Beach

2011-06-13T14:37:00.000-07:00

The Creek.
G-Loomis Crosscurrent 9' 6wt and line bucket. Beach gear.
Moon over the "Office".

With anticipation of the up coming Pink Salmon return I though I would check out a few of our local haunts. Coho are showing off of the mouth of the Capilano River but nothing showing at the "Office" yet. Soon the fishing will be on and I will have to trade the camera for the fly rod.

NOT!

Spey Casting Work Shop With Fraser River Lodge

2011-06-13T14:27:00.000-07:00

Aaron Teaching in the pond.
The loop.
Demo time.
Thank you to Frank, Geff and Patrick at Fraser River Lodge for a great spey casting work shop on June 4th. Let me just say that this lodge is absolutely beautiful, located right on the banks of the Fraser river just out side of Agassiz, BC. These guy's offer world class fishing and I look forward to working with them in the future!

Photos courtesy of Fraser River Lodge. www.fraserriverlodge.com

Recent Storm Light

2011-05-31T22:42:00.000-07:00

Whitecliff Park.
Light House Park.
Spanish Banks, the last few nights I have had some great storm light to work with. Being prepared made all the difference. Nikon 10-24 mm DX , 3 stop Grad ND hard edge filter.

See The World Through My Eye

2011-05-30T13:43:00.000-07:00

Steveston Fishing Boats.
Light House Park.
Light House Park.
False Creek.
Gary Point.

Nikon 10.5 Fish Eye.

2011-05-25T19:43:00.000-07:00

AGP Web Site Promo

2011-05-24T01:10:00.000-07:00

Check Out The New Aaron Goodis Photography Web Site

2011-05-22T00:15:00.000-07:00

It's been super busy lately, not allot of shooting photos or fishing. However some exiting things are happening. First check out the new site at www.aarongoodisphotography.com I have been throwing down a lot of hours to finally finish the official site featuring updated portfolios.

Please check it out and feel free to leave a comment or any suggestions.

New Published Work

2011-05-21T23:40:00.000-07:00

Fly Fusion Summer Issue 2011, support photos for the article "Tickled Pink".
Image below is from the International Fly Fishing Film Festival (IF4) held in Vancouver back in March.

Image above, Fly Rod & Reel-Ultimate Destinations Guide 2011. Fly Tying in the dark "Truck Style" When in need of bugs!

North West Fly Fishing Magazine May/June 2011

2011-05-21T23:29:00.000-07:00

North West Exposure Photo Spread. I have been trying hard to get in this magazine and after a number of query's and emails it finally happened. Hard work does pay off. Super stoked!

Published Photo Essay In North West Fly Fishing Magazine

2011-05-06T00:16:00.000-07:00

Now I know I have said this before but I am more than super stoked to have 12 of my images published in the May/June issue of North West Fly Fishing Magazine as the Exposure, fly fishing photo essay! For me this is a huge achievement, NWFF is not easy to get in to and after a year and about 100 submitted photos it finally happened. The mag is top quality and they did a great job in picking and displaying the images. If your interested in seeing this work in print pick up the current issue, North West Fly Fishing May/June 2011

(The above image of a Skeena River Steelhead is one of the feature images.)

Go Vancouver!

2011-04-27T12:21:00.000-07:00

I think this double rainbow may have been some kind of sine last night. Van wins in over time, moving forward in the play offs and this crazy light show happens right at the start of the first period. I was late racing to a friends house so I managed to see the rainbow on the way their, and I even had a camera this time. I'm not superstitious but this kinda makes you think!

Finally Seeing Silver

2011-04-20T16:34:00.000-07:00

Here are a few fun shots from fishing the other day. I decided to get all artistic with it and add a painterly look to these photos. Bottom two shots are of Tim casting and the top shot - I finally got lucky and caught one!

Check out this interview about AGP at www.2handedtrout.com

2011-04-14T15:18:00.000-07:00

Check out this interview about me (Aaron Goodis) at 2handedtrout.com. It just went up today. Thanks Dave for showing so much interest in my work!! http://www.2handedtrout.com/ click the link to see the interview. AA

International Fly Fishing Film Festival

2011-03-29T13:04:00.000-07:00

On March 26 Fly Fusion and a host of other sponsors presented the IFFF to Vancouver, the fest was awesome! A large crowd arrived to watch the movies at the Vancity Theater witch was a great venue for the show. Cold beer, great camaraderie and awesome fly fishing footage all on the big screen, need I say more! I of course was there to help document the show through stills and partake in a little after show pub gathering. A great night was had by all who came!

2011-02-22T12:00:00.000-08:00

Back country creek flowing in to Harrison Lake.
Harrison Lake sunset.

Harrison Hot Springs offers such a diverse range of photographic opportunity as long as you get out there and explorer.

Olympic Fever

2011-02-08T13:04:00.000-08:00

Canadian Paralympic Curling team shows off their medals.

Canadian team aims the rock.

Canadian Paralympic Curling team Practicing before the big game.

The Rocks, the business end of Curling.

The Olympic village shines late night in Vancouver.

As we approach mid February I am starting to feel that post Olympic with drawl. At this time last year we were all preparing for the start of the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic games. I was super busy, running around and preparing for my role as the Photo Supervisor at the Hill crest Curling venue. This would be a paid position so with this in mind I knew that I would miss most of the cool events around Vancouver. How ever I'm not complaining, I would have a first hand role in organizing all still photography for this venue as well as all access to the best viewing locations ie. photo positions. Even though this job would not allow for much time to actually take pictures I still managed to take advantage of any legit opportunity. I thought I would share just a couple high light shots. The Olympics were far to busy for me to take out the camera but luckily the Paralynpics and my photo manager allowed for a little more free time and a chance to snap a few of my own. It was an amazing experience and one I would do again in a heart beat.

2011-02-05T01:23:00.000-08:00

White Death, tied by Aaron. A great fly for Steelhead and Bull Trout. Shot with Nikon cool pix s8000.

Steelhead Society Of British Columbia

2011-02-05T00:55:00.000-08:00

Super excited about the SSBC new web site, looks great thanks to Dave, and they have used my photography to feature the site. Also if you care about wild Steelhead than check out the SSBC site and become a member to support conservation efforts to save this great fish!

www.steelheadsociety.org

2011-01-22T12:53:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer - I apologize for my poor spelling and grammar on this blog! Please bare with me as I am learning as I go. I am a Photographer first, Fly Fisherman second but usually first, LOL and writer last. Thank you to all who have visited and taken an interest in my work, I very much appreciate it!!

AA

Better Photo Techniques Part #2 - Understanding ISO

2011-01-21T15:34:00.000-08:00

2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. A high ISO of 1600 was used to increase my shutter speed allowing me to shoot hand held in a dimly lit location.
Sun Set, North Vancouver. shot with an ISO of 100. The image is nice and smooth, no grain.
Sun Set at Coho Creek, North Vancouver, shot with an ISO of 100. to aid in a long exposure and help with low grain. Nice and smooth, great for printing!

Better Photo Techniques Part 2 - Understanding ISO

All of our digital cameras have an ISO setting, most point and shoot small cameras will decide this for you in automatic mode. If we are using cameras that will allow us to set the ISO to a desired number than we need to understand what ISO is in order to take full advantage of this feature. So what is ISO. ISO stands for International Standards Organization but more importantly what does it mean and how does it benefit us with our photography. For those of us who have shot film we may remember ASA, this was labeled on the film canister and it refers to the speed of the film, so ASA 100 film was a slow film and that meant longer exposure time and also cleaner smoother images. As the ASA of the film increased the film becomes faster and there for allows for faster shutter speeds especially in low light. This is beneficial for those shooting fast action sports or trying to shoot hand held in dimly lit environments such as concerts. So back to ISO on digital cameras, ISO is digital ASA and is by definition the film or in this case the camera sensor's sensitivity to light as it enters through the lens. Most digital cameras offer a wide ISO range usually from 100-6400. Like film the lower the ISO is set, the slower the shutter speed will be and vice versa, the higher the ISO is set the faster the shutter speed.

There are advantages to using your ISO correctly for instance if you are shooting a land scape and a slow shutter is required than a low ISO of 100 will help you with two critical things, the first is a slow shutter and second is silky smooth grain free images, great for print! On the other hand if you need a faster shutter speed for shooting hand held in low light or you may need to speed up your exposure to stop an action shot than you can increase your ISO but be warned on any camera with exception to the highest level pro body's you will start to see visible grain, usable yes but weak when it comes to printing. The Tip here is to shoot at the lowest ISO possible unless the situation demands an increase of shutter speed. ISO from 100 to 400 is recommended!

I know I said that Part 2 would be Depth of Field but this topic was on my mind, so the D.O.F.

will be covered in part 3. Hope you enjoy and can use the tips when out shooting your own photos!

2011-01-13T22:00:00.000-08:00

Snow in Vancouver, sweet! Looking west towards the sea wall and Granville Island.

Epic Sky, a beautiful evening with a little fresh snow along the sea wall.

2011-01-09T23:45:00.000-08:00

It's cold out there! Frozen back channel, Squamish River.

Better Photo Techniques Part #1 - Shutter Speed

2011-01-05T21:49:00.000-08:00

Secret Creek near Harrison Hot Springs, BC. shot with a tri pod and a slow shutter speed to show movement in the water. That silky look.

Grizzly Bear, small river near Hagensborg, BC . shot hand held using a fast shutter speed.
Steelhead Burst, Thompson River, BC. shot hand held using a fast shutter speed to stop the action.

As part of a quest to make this blog more educational I am going to write a a number of short articles to help try and take some of the guess work out of our photography. If we understand some pure fundamentals than in theory we should all be able to become better photographers. For some this all may seem second nature and repetitive but I believe we can all use reminders and for those who are looking for some tips than please read on. Topics will include, shutter speed, Depth of field and ISO, to choosing the right camera and camera pack.

Better Photo Techniques Part #1 - Shutter Speed.

Shutter speed simply is the amount of time the shutter is open and light is allowed through the lens and on to the film plane or digital sensor. Shutter speed determines a few critical things for us as photographers, first a fast shutter speed allows us to stop action and freeze the moment, verse a slow shutter speed witch would show movement such as a river looking all silky. Also a fast shutter allows us to hand hold the camera with out visible hand shake were as a slow shutter speed would likely need to be stabilized from a tri pod to eliminate the blur caused from camera shake. When we have lots of available light during the day the shutter can be set very fast but when the light gets low it takes more time to expose there for the shutter will be set much slower.

When using a camera in a manual mode we can set the shutter speed our selves giving us complete creative control, cameras with auto setting such as sport mode or land scape set the speed for us. Sport mode being fast to stop the action, landscape is slower to allow more depth of field ( more on this later ). Ultimately the amount of light we have when shooting will determine how long the shutter will need to remain open however understanding a little more about how the shutter speed effects our photographs should help us take better photos. Generally hand holding a camera with a shutter speed slower than 1/30th of a second will show blur from shaky hands and the use of a tri pod would be help full.

Photo 1 shows lots of movement, a slow shutter speed of 1/15th of a second or slower will be needed.

Photo 2 and 3 show the action stopped in a split second, a fast shutter speed of 1/40th of a second or faster will be needed.

The next article will be understanding your F-stop and how this relates to your shutter speed and depth of field.

Aaron

2011-01-01T19:57:00.000-08:00

Tonight I saw one of the most epic sun sets of my life. The coulor was intense and amazing! Right now I am short editing software (it crashed, time for an upgrade) so this photo is straight out of the camera. Some times light just happens and tonight was one of those, the sky just lit up a few minutes after the sun went down. All though cold it was well worth the wait. Jan 1 2011, so far the new year is shaping up nicely. Happy New Year.

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T17:41:00.001-08:00

I was asked by a friend if I would post the photo from the Jan/Feb 2011 BCO cover as it was shot. When I reviewed the image I liked it in B&W. It just so happens that BCO wanted the shot in colour, one more reason to shoot in raw and give your self the flexibility to re edit the file if needed. Here is my final edit soon to be hanging some were in my place.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T16:28:00.000-08:00

Phil Goodis fishing through the swing on the Fraser River near Harrison Hot Springs, BC.

All the best over the holidays!

BCO Jan/Feb 2011 Cover

2010-12-23T21:36:00.000-08:00

Super stoked to start the new year (soon) with another cover of BCO! This shot is special to me because it is a self portrait of my own release, yes that is my hand and the other invisible hand is holding the camera! In 15 seconds I landed this Steelhead, took out the fly and snapped 6 frames a second, courtesy of the Canon 40D and yes I got very lucky! The fish was released un harmed in that 15sec or so. Thank you BCO for another great cover published. The mag should be on shelves soon so go and check it out!

2010-12-17T10:31:00.000-08:00

Rainbow Falls , Harrison Lake east.
One of my special places .
Fraser River near Hope. All photos shot with Canon 40D 17-85mm lens.

Mountain Love

2010-12-08T15:18:00.000-08:00

What can I say, I love winter and I love these mountains! All images shot with Canon 40D and 75-300mm usm lens and Sigma 150-500mm lens.

Better Late Than Never- Numbered and Signed Prints

2010-12-06T15:42:00.000-08:00

Spanish Banks, Vancouver. Shot with Canon 40D & 17-85mm usm lens. 3-stop hard ND Grad.
Bloedel Floral Conservatory, Vancouver. Shot with Canon 40D, 17-85mm usm lens, 3-stop hard ND Grad.

All though a little late I am now offering numbered and signed fine art photographs. Framed and matted custom by me. Sizing is 8-12 print or 13-19 print beautifully framed in either black or silver exhibition frames with white bevel cut matt. A GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT!

If you are interested please contact me directly for a personal viewing of my collection and for pricing. Email at squaretail@hotmail.com

Snow Day

2010-11-27T16:54:00.000-08:00

2010-11-24T11:27:00.000-08:00

Squamish Valley, Road to the Mamquam. Canon 40d 17-85 usm
Fresh snow in the Squamish Valley. Canon 40d 17-85 usm.
Tree in my back yard. Nikon coolpix s8000

2010-11-24T11:20:00.000-08:00

Just a quick shout out to thank Steve Hanson and all the Osprey Fly fishers who braved the cold on Saturday. With 20 or so people showing up including Tim , Yee and David even with 80 km northerly outflow winds and what felt like about minus 20 I managed to pull of a spey casting demo and even helped with a little casting instruction. I look forward to the next one and I hope the weather will be a little warmer!

Aaron

2010-11-17T14:29:00.001-08:00

Nikon Coolpix s8000.

Cards for sale at M&Y Vancouver

2010-11-15T18:37:00.001-08:00

See post below for details.

New Fly Fishing Photo Cards

2010-11-12T16:29:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone , I have made an assortment of great new fly fishing photo cards ! They are all custom made by me and feature some of my past years work . Fish up close, fly boxes and flies and some new beautifully land scape shots all custom made by me. These cards would make a great add on to any Christmas gift for the angler in your life. Currently these cards are on display and for sale at Micheal & Young Fly Shop in Vancouver however I would be happy to drop one in the mail for those who can't make it to the shop.
All cards are made and photographed by Aaron Goodis
Priced at $5.00 each.
If interested drop by the shop or send me an email at squaretail@hotmail.com

Recently Published

2010-10-30T18:45:00.000-07:00

Super stoked on getting my fourth cover for BC Outdoors! Nov/Dec 2010 issue of BC Sportfishing Magazine used this shot from a recent trip up north. They also published an article by Scott Baker, a special feature on Steelhead Spey Fishing using my photographs to support the article.
Nov. BC Outdoors media package, Steven Oie about to release a beutiful Dean river hen. Aaron Goodis photo.

2010-10-22T21:54:00.000-07:00

Taking photos just to take photos. Above photographs taken at Spanish Banks. When I arrived the low fog was amazing almost hiding this lone kyaker , like me he was out enjoying an epic evening on the beach. Relaxing and taking in the light show.

2010-10-19T13:08:00.000-07:00

Two very different images from a stroll to Granville Island the other other day . With out having any reel free time to head far away from home I find the reel challenge is to see something new and beautiful in the back yard. This becomes a true exercise for your eye as everything can seem very familiar.
Top: Glass bottles , Granville Island , BC

Bottom : Fall patterns , Granville Island , BC

SSBC Calendar Shoot

2010-10-06T11:22:00.000-07:00

With out giving away to much here are a couple shots taken yesterday for the finished Steelhead Society of BC calendar. Classic Center Pins Of BC is a fund raiser hoping to raise awareness about Steelhead conservation needs. All Proceeds will be donated direct to SSBC. Look out for the finished Calendar by mid to late next week. Approximately $15. each . You will be able to pick one up at Sea Run Fly & Tackle. I am very excited to be the photographer and with much help from Bill Lealess and all of our sponsors I believe this will be a great calendar . I will keep everyone posted on the exact finished dates and were to get one.

Back In The Creek

2010-10-02T21:14:00.000-07:00

Some times a short walk is all it takes . above: The Sea Wall . False Creek.
In an attempt to get out side after a long drive home from Northern BC and a week straight in the shop I forced my self out for a short walk around my old stomping grounds. Yes I find my self back in False Creek, to make a long story short, I grew up here and there is allot of history. One of the great reasons for living in False Creek is the size of the park and sea wall, an oasis in the middle of the city. The second shot is False Creek flowing in to a small duck pond just around the corner from the co-op that I live in. The point is no matter were you may live I am sure there is a good shot just out side the door.

2010-08-21T16:44:00.000-07:00

Well I am back from the Dean River and what can I say , WOW !! This turned out to be a trip of a life time . Great fishing , Great company and Great BC Land scape ! With only ten days on the river I tried my hardest to make the most of it . Lots of photos and of course tons of fishing oh ya the eating and drinking was good to. The Trip started in Hagansberg , a small town just out side of Bella Coola , with a short chopper ride we were landed on the Dean . Time to set up camp and hunt for Steelhead and like usual snap photo after photo. I will be writing and submitting images and story's from this trip to magazine such as North West Fly Fishing and BC Outdoors so stay posted and I will give you the updates . For now I will let the images do the talking. After finishing the edit ( and yes I went through over 16 gigs of memory ) I ended up with 135 photos that I kept to document the trip so I though that I would post only the high lites . Check em out ! And a new quote I came up with is " Be there and bring a camera ! "Scroll down through the next posts to see high light images from the trip . Enjoy ! All Photographs By Aaron Goodis unless noted otherwise.

2010-08-21T16:33:00.000-07:00

Angling Epicness !!! On the Dean .

2010-08-21T16:17:00.000-07:00

Pink Sky at night sailors delight !

2010-08-21T16:11:00.000-07:00

Aaron with a nice Steelhead . photo Steve Oie
Art Lingren with a nice Fish.
Steve with his Dean Steelhead.
Vic and one of the largest from the trip.
Up close and personal with Dean River Buck.

2010-08-21T15:23:00.000-07:00

The Landscape on the Dean is Spectacular ! And yes the only way in is by chopper ! All shots above were taken on the Dean River in British Columbia !

2010-07-13T13:49:00.000-07:00

To night was a challenge , extreme wind , super high tide and people every were not mention boring sky's . Perfect time to make photographs and practice opening up your eyes !

2010-07-10T10:21:00.000-07:00

These shots were taken last night at one of my favorite local spots. Great Light made for an interesting shoot. Again I can't emphasize enough " Be There ! " and bring a camera ! As I merge in to this photographic adventure I realize how little I know . This can be very humbling but also very rewarding when you learn some thing new. Composition is the key , matched with great light and and a good subject the results can be stunning . When one element is missing it shows right away to the trained eye. I am tying to train my eye , not so easy when your self taught. A good friend and professional photographer Nick Didlick spoke to me briefly about my photos and he gave me some great pointers as far as composition . I look forward to practicing the tips he shared in up coming photos . To make these shots I am shooting at low ISO and a very slow shutter speed @ F16 . To tame the contrast in one photo I use the 4 stop hard edge Grad ND filter teamed up with a Polarizor . A sturdy tripod is a must have ! Also a cable release is essential to keep your fingers off of the camera for tack sharp shots. Shots taken with Canon 40D , 17-85 mm lens @ 17 mm , Manfroto Tripod. Lots of patience !

2010-07-06T22:42:00.000-07:00

Queen Elizabeth Park . Extreme Back light on these trees made for great light and great contrast in this B&W image.
Yesterday was a great day . Amazing late evening light at Cypress beach made for great new compositions. The challenge seems to be finding some thing new , remote looking in these easy to get to familiar places. These shots were not possible with out the ND Grad 4 stop hard edge filter. and a polarizer.
Cypress Beach.
Taken at the same time as the B&W above . Finding that key foreground anchor to lead the eyes around the image. Queen Elizabeth Park.

2010-07-03T22:59:00.000-07:00

This shot was taken in the back yard . F16 @0.6 sec. iso 100.
I have shot this location a few times now , a very beautiful spot for sun sets and amazingly easy to get to. Finding a different view becomes the challenge . F16 @ 1.5 sec iso 100. ND Grad hard edge 4 stop filter.
In an attempt to clear my mind I went out to take some photos. Unsure were to go and struggling with time I ended up back at a very familiar location. Long story short you don't get shots sitting on the couch. f16 @ 4 sec iso 100. Grad ND Hard edge 4 stop filter.

High Lights " Bull Trout In B.C. "

2010-06-29T15:24:00.000-07:00

Even I got lucky , Aaron with a nice Bull Trout . Thanks for a great photo Dim. ! Beautiful remote environments , great friends and bitey fish . What more can you ask for! The next fifteen shots are high lights of what happens when Dimitri , Matt and I go fishing for a day , consisting of a jet boat , lots of rods and a 30 lb pack of camera gear . Even though we had almost nothing but heavy rain and we never did land Walter we still managed to get a couple keepers ( pictures! ) Dim supplied beautiful flies I brought the camera and Matt got us home safe and showed us were the fish would be! Thank you guys for a great day !!
Dimitri knee deep in a back channel .
The weather was saked in for most the day .
A sh-t tone of gear !
Lush green forests.

2010-06-29T15:07:00.000-07:00

Running from the weather in remote British Columbia.

Dimitri and Matt asses the situation.
Dimitri hooks up on a nice Bull Trout.
Matt fishing a tight spot in amongst the wood.
What fly ? That is the question . Dimitri and Matt caught in the moment.

2010-06-29T14:59:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Sea run Bull Trout and Dolly's . Another Epic day on the water with friends Dimitri and Matt. Thanks guys !

2010-06-19T00:58:00.000-07:00

To night was perfect, awesome sky and a killer sun set! I love it when every thing comes together. shot with Canon 40d 17-85mm , f16 @ 6sec. iso 200 , 4 stop hard ND filter and a tripod with remote trigger.
Spanish Banks Happy Hour .

Magic Moments

2010-06-15T15:12:00.000-07:00

Magic moments happen when your out there, when you least expect it! Catching those moments on film or in this case on a cameras sensor is always a rewarding feeling. This shot came at Spanish Banks , I was shooting these Herons , trying to get them flying in a small flock silouted against the Sun set with no such luck . All of a sudden these two landed right in front of me, with only seconds to react I clicked the shutter, than they were gone . I used a ND Grad 2 stop soft filter and a polarizor. In the end it came down to a 10 second moment in time.
Another shot with a similar story to the above but here the Herons were feeding for a fairly long time. Long enough for the sun to set behind them. For about 2 to 3 minutes I had the most amazing light. No filters needed. I was able to compress this shot with a 500mm lens . shooting at f 5.6 allowed enough light for a faster shutter , 30th of a second, fast for this time of night. Again it all came down to being there and having that magic moment.
English Bay towards Stanly Park offers some amazing Urban Vistas. With a view looking West this is a perfect place for sun sets. I like to explorer when the weather is turning knowing that it becomes a fifty-fifty chance usually ending in rain and no photos ! But those few time when every thing goes as planed the light can be amazing . Finding a composition is usually easy in this beautiful spot however the light does not usually co-operate. This is one of my favorites knowing that this light lasted for a split second . The only way to get this shot was being there set up and ready. This big boat was heading out west when the clouds opened and sent this crazy beam of light towards the boat , I frantically clicked away and in no time the clouds closed up and the rain came back.
These two shots were taken just the other day in one of my favorite hidden little spots. I love the moss and the all green in the forest here , combined that with a beautiful little creek flow and we have a winner. If you wait long enough the sun may break through the clouds and trees and send an amazing soft golden glow through out the forest floor. I absolutely love it when this happens , it seems to bring out color that my eye cant see. I spent a number of hours and over 100 frames later the sun broke through . I quickly tried to capture the light and the composition.
Amazing Moments are any moment in time when you can't believe whats happening, in a good way ! For me it might be the pull from a large Steelhead or the feeling I get from making a good fly cast but more and more I am finding that is is capturing these magic moments from behind the lens . Moments that only last a few seconds to maybe a few minutes , very special moments when the light is just right and the subject matter works and every thing goes as planned . If you spend the time in search of these moments you will always walk away rewarded !

2010-06-01T13:12:00.000-07:00

Olympus point & shoot water proof camera.
Ross R 3.5 reel with Airflo slow glass fly line.
G-Loomis Logo on camo hat.
LowePro filter case.
Loop 2w " The Original Large Arbour fly reel.
G-Loomis Roaring River Spey Rods.
G-Loomis Dredger 6/7 Reel seat logo.

As an avid Fly Fisherman and out door photographer it's not to often that I work in doors with un-natural light. An up coming shoot for Gibbs Fishing tackle gave me the perfect opportunity to set up a mini indoor studio and practice. I found it to be very challenging ! Here are a few shots that I think worked . Enjoy.

2010-05-25T16:02:00.000-07:00

Stanley Park Walk way , ND 2 stop soft edge Grad . F22 @ o.8 sec. iso 100.
Rock Out cropping , English Bay , ND 2 stop soft edge Grad . F22 @ 60 sec. iso 100.
Rock Out Cropping, English Bay. ND 2 stop soft edge Grad. F22 @ 30 th of a sec. iso 100.
Spanish Banks , ND 4 stop hard edge Grad. F22 @ 4 sec. iso 100.
Spanish Banks . ND 4 stop hard edge Grad . F22 @ 6 sec. iso 100. ND Grad Filters help you achieve better balanced exposures for great land Scape Photography. See Article below.

Control Dynamic Range With ND Grad Filters

2010-05-25T15:01:00.000-07:00

Control Dynamic Range With ND Grad Filters ( Pictured above , Cokin Neutral Density Graduated Filters plus Polarizing Filter a must have for any landscape Photographer)From left to right. Circular Polarizer, ND 8(4 stop) hard edge , ND 8(4 stop) soft edge, ND 4(2 stop) soft edge, ND 2(1 stop) soft edge.
This shot was taken at Spanish Banks , above without any filters and you can see all detail is lost in the sky. Below I tamed the contrast with a ND 8(4 stop) Hard edge Grad Filter plus Polarizer. F22 @ 3.5 sec . iso 100
One of the questions I get asked the most is how do you get such dramatic Sky's with out losing color and detail in the for ground ? The answer , Graduated Neutral Density Filters . The problem we face as Photographers is controlling the dynamic range of light from your brightest highlights to your darkest shadows in one exposure. Unfortunately our camera sensors will not record a drastic Raing of light as our eye sees. what happens is you see a great sunset seen and you take the shot only to review and see nothing as you remember it . Either your sky is bright and washed out or you are left with a nice sky but a black dark colorless for ground . If only there was a way to control this, and there is !

Graduated Neutral Density filter are filters which we hold in front of the lens , they are dark with a neutral grey color on the top half and clear on the bottom half. When I take a shot I can review and see were I have lost detail ( usually in the sky ) I can use the cameras light meter to calculate the difference in stops between the Highlights and shadowes . Once I have done this I will be left with a for ground full of color and detail , The sky will be washed out , now I place the filter in front of the lens using the darker side on top . You will be able to see the change immediately through the view finder. The sky will be brought back to life in all its glory and color!

These filters come in a range from very dark 4 stop to slightly dark 1 stop . The edge of the dark tint will be made with a soft edge ( more gradual change from dark to clear ) or a hard edge ( a very sharp change from dark to clear) . Both have advantages , a straight horizon line with out many obstructions would work well with a hard edge , on the other hand shooting a mountain seen would work great with the soft edge in order not to darken the mountains to much. Cokin and Sing Ray are two company's that specialize in these types of filters , they both make a wide range. Also note that a good circular polarizing filter is also a must to cut glare and saturate color . I also use a stable tripod and a remote release ( the remote release fires the shutter with out me touching the camera) to ensure tack sharp shots especially at slow shutter speeds.

I hope this is a tip that we can all use to help us achieve better Land Scape Photographs , Now just get out there and shoot !!

Herons Of Spanish Banks

2010-05-23T12:44:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been going out to Spanish Banks in the evening , fallowing a flock of Herons . Getting the fighting shot can be a huge challenge ! Check these shots out .

Shot with Canon 40D and Sigma 150-500mm (The Bigma) all I can say is shoot fast and fill cards ! Enjoy.

The New Blog

2010-05-19T19:38:00.000-07:00

Well it's finally starting to happen , I am building a blog to help clear my mind , more importantly share my images and write helpful short tips about how they are created . Lately I have been pressed for time there for shooting has had to take place close to home. Living in Vancouver I tend to take the beauty of this city for granted . Over the past few weeks I discovered a new appreciation for the city and it's surrounding sea line. Here are a few images that were made in (I hate to say it) cliche spots , however using skill full technique and a few little tricks I feel I came away with some keepers . The shot above was taken right at sun set from the Burrard St. Bridge . The Sunburst is no accident , using a high F-stop (F-22) creates this effect and the balanced exposure came from the use of a Graduated Neutral Density Filter held in front of the lens . More on these tips to come in the next posts.