Pro Tips from Nick Benik on Fly Tying, Macro Photography, and Capturing the Perfect Shot
With: photographicflytyer
We caught up with Nick Benik—better known online as @photographicflytyer—a Denver-based creator who's blending razor-sharp fly tying with studio-level photography. I’ve always believed the best anglers are storytellers too, and Nick’s journey from Evergreen, Colorado to Florida, Nashville, and back again is proof that the current will always pull you back to where you belong. Between juggling fatherhood, a full-time gig, and growing his creative presence, Nick’s found a way to elevate the art of fly fishing with a lens and a vise. We sat down to talk about his roots, his fly tying evolution, and what’s next for him on the water and behind the camera.
Nick, how did you first get into fly fishing, and what sparked your interest in blending it with photography and videography?
I lived in Evergreen Colorado for a couple years when I was about 10 years old, and I saw someone casting down at the lake and thought it was the coolest thing ever. Fishing in general had interested me for some time and I tried the push-button reel/bobber/worm combo, but something about fly fishing really captivated me. I went to the library pretty much every weekend after that and rented countless books and videos on the subject. My Mom used to drop me off below the dam there at Evergreen lake for hours and hours where I taught myself to fly fish, and I quickly became interested in the entomology side of it as well. Eventually I got a cheap starter fly tying kit and didn't realize it at the time, but fly fishing had firmly implanted itself in my brain for the rest of my life.
My family moved to Florida soon after and I fell out of touch with it for many years as I grew more into surfing, music, and photography. I still had a passion for fishing, but I mainly used spin gear for bass and saltwater species. Music production eventually led me to Nashville, which is where I finally reconnected with fly fishing in a major way. I think what sparked my interest in blending fly fishing with camera work was when I went to my first Fly Fishing Film Tour in Nashville and saw all those incredible films created by combining my two biggest passions. However, it wasn't until years later and a move to Colorado that I finally connected the dots and started making fly fishing content.
Your fly tying content is incredibly detailed. Can you tell us about the evolution of your skills and how you developed your unique style over time?
After my first little starter kit I had as a kid, I didn't get back into tying seriously until the end of my time in Nashville when my girlfriend (now wife) got me my first legit vise. Once I started back up, I was horrible! Bad proportions, too much dubbing, every mistake in the book..but I kept at it, and this was also about the time I started following and drawing inspiration from some big tyers on Instagram like Juan Ramirez, Nick Vlahos, and Tyler Boroff (who eventually became a good friend and fishing/video partner, more on that later). After moving to Colorado I continued tying and fishing as much as I possibly could, and brought bugs home from the river to study and photograph. I really enjoy looking for different materials or ways to combine things to bridge the gap between realism and utility, as I intend to fish all the flies I tie and photograph. My interest in saltwater flies came into play a couple years ago and I began putting a lot of time into that, which really helped me expand my skill set and evolve as a tyer with new materials and techniques. Finally, I decided to start my Instagram page in 2023 as a creative outlet for my flies and photography, and over the past two years the support has been amazing. I've met so many awesome tyers and fishermen through social media.
Nick, what are your 3 best tips for shooting flies, and how do you make your fly tying photography look so amazing?
Something I realized in my work as a product and portrait photographer is that with the right lighting, you can make even simple things look really captivating. You'll notice on my Instagram page that not every fly is super complex or realistic, in fact most are simpler proven patterns that many other people tie and post as well. The difference is in how I'm lighting, photographing, and editing them. I use the same principles that I would in my normal studio photography work including a proper strobe flash for lighting (with diffusers and adjustable angles), white balance and color correction, and a clean white backdrop which was a style I decided on from day one to highlight the fly and its components, the same way I would with a product shoot.
Here are my three best tips for fly photography: 1) If you're using a macro lens for tiny flies like I do, shoot at a higher aperture (like f/9 or even f/11). You will still get some depth of field, but more of your fly will be in focus. When you are shooting something that close with a 100mm + lens, the plane of focus is razor thin at lower apertures, and unless that is a specific choice artistically, you'll probably like your images better with more of the fly in focus. 2) Utilize polarizer filters to cut glare and enhance colors. Just like with polarized glasses, a polarizer filter on your lens will remove glare that shows up on resin wingcases or anything on your fly that reflects light, and it also brings out the natural colors of your fly which usually removes the need for adding saturation back into the image while editing. I use a circular polarizer so I can adjust how much of the effect I want because I still like a little sheen from my materials. 3) Shoot in RAW format whenever possible (for flies or otherwise). Yes, the file sizes are large and it's a bit more work to go from a RAW image to a final edited JPG, but the latitude you have with adjustments to exposure, highlight/shadow recovery, and color is night and day vs starting with a JPG. Do I still edit and use JPG images on my page? For sure. You won't always be in the perfect situation with a professional camera, but I will always stand behind content being king. If you are witnessing an amazing sunset and all you have is your phone, shoot it!
**Bonus Tip: if you have an iPhone pro with the three lenses on the back, you have the ability to shoot "macro" without a fancy camera setup. I use this feature often when I'm out on the river and don't have access to my main camera. Just get really close to whatever you're shooting and it should automatically switch to macro mode. If you flip your phone upside down and shoot in this mode, you can get some really cool depth of field effects in the foreground. Lastly, there is also an option on these phones to shoot RAW, which definitely helps later if you want to edit your photo or zoom in and crop without losing as much resolution.
Given that you're based in Denver, CO, do you have a favorite local fishing spot or specific techniques you prefer when targeting fish in that area?
Funny timing on this question because I've made the decision to explore Denver as a fishing opportunity closer to home this year. As a Dad with a three year old daughter and full time job, it has become harder and harder to find those days out in the mountains, so I'm committed to finding some good options here in town! I will say that there are a few ponds near my house with some big carp, and I've caught a couple, but I really want to spend more time on the Denver stretch of the South Platte and try to dial in the carp and smallmouth found there. Carp fishing in shallow water is probably the closest thing you'll find to saltwater flats fishing from the standpoint of stealth, accuracy, and a chance to see your backing. Another cool area that holds a good number of midsize trout and has some great hatches is Waterton Canyon about 30 minutes from Denver. This is a great place to experiment with new fly patterns and scratch the trout itch if you can't get out into the mountains.
Fly fishing often involves patience and attention to detail, much like photography. How do you balance your passion for both, and do you find parallels between the two?
That's a great parallel and so true! Photography is all about capturing the right moment and being prepared when that moment arrives. I can't tell you how many times I've been messing with a lens or filter and before I know it, I've missed the moment. That is very similar to fishing dry flies during a hatch for example. I've been in situations when the trout start rising but I have an indicator rig on and only brought one rod, and by the time I switch everything to a dry fly rig and make a decision on a fly, something has changed with the wind or sun and for whatever reason the fish turn off. Then I switch back to nymphing and they start rising again...you know how it goes. So nowadays if I know I'm going to be shooting something where I need two different kinds of lenses but don't have a lot of time to swap, I'll bring two cameras with the lenses I know I'll need already set up and ready to go so I don't miss "that moment". Same with fishing. I almost always have two rods so I can capitalize on quickly changing conditions by just setting one rod down and picking up another. As far as balancing both passions? That's still a struggle for me! On days where I focus on shooting and don't fish much, I always get home feeling unfulfilled like I need to get right back out and fish again asap...major fishing FOMO. And when I leave the camera at home and just fish, something amazing always happens and I always regret it! I suppose with photography I can do that anywhere with anything as the subject, so I can get satisfaction from photograpy much more easily because it's not such a rare and treasured activity like fishing.
Nick, what’s next for you in the world of fly fishing and photography? Are there any upcoming projects or goals you're excited to share?
I'm mainly focused on tying and continued growth on social media these days, because the amount of doors it has opened for me and great people it has injected into my life is pretty incredible. I had zero expectations when I started my page two years ago. It really was just an outlet for my passions, but the support I've gotten and the friends I've made keeps me so fired up to keep tying and shooting and putting out better and better content. Which circles back to my unexpected connection with Tyler Boroff last year! We met up to fish and I brought my camera, and now a year later we have a young YouTube channel (RnDFlyFishing) and some videos under our belt, with our latest video on spring trout fishing being close to release. Our concept is combining exciting fishing footage with education and fly tying, and we've gotten some great feedback so far. I think my ultimate goal in the fly fishing world is to eventually have a film in the Fly Fishing Film Tour. That would bring everything full circle for me, and would easily be one of my proudest achievements.
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