“European Fly Reels, a Guide”

Following on from last years "D is for Dingley" book - published by Dr Todd Larson's Whitefish Press I'm now working on the provisionally entitled “European Fly Reels, a Guide”

The brief was as follows –

“Basic information would include a brief history of the maker, and then three reels per page showing the GENERAL design and style. No need to show every permutation (or reel). Footnote and reference for more reading.”

I anticipate the "brief history" will be around 500 words, dependant upon the maker; and in some cases, where not a lot of information is known, quite a bit less.
This will be followed by a few photos of that makers more collectable reels, with short descriptions.

The idea is to list only makers, not dealers. Covering a period of time from the late 19^th century to today. The reason for the start date is that prior to the end of the 19th C there were numerous makers of the ubiquitous brass reel and wooden star back. Whilst this is a specialist market, too much of the information is rather vague.

We are restricting the region to Northern European makers, for this edition, - UK, Scandinavia, Germany, Holland and possibly France. The book will be aimed primarily at the N American market; although I hope interest will be worldwide.

Part of the reason for this blog is to provide a place to send potential contributors to -

• a, to read about the concept
• b, to see how I'd like the photographs to look
• c, solicit information

PHOTOS

Below is the set up I use indoors for reel shots

I use small spots with 'Daylight' bulbs. These are not aimed directly at the subject but bounced off the walls and top of the box. The box is 3 artists white canvases. Background is a piece of white copier paper
Camera on tripod and use self-timer.
Outdoors, similar results can be achieved on a cloudy day.

Subject - Reels
I prefer to see reels about 3/4 view and slight elevation - see below -

These are just as shot, no Photoshopping. With a couple of small tweaks these are fine for publication