With over 25 years of full-time work in the sport fishing industry, I have seen my share of photos taken by anglers who are eager to show off their catch. In my experience, most fish photos do not show off the size, Osteo biflex excitement and pride the angler felt when he made his catch. Below are fifteen helpful photo tips for taking better fish photos. Follow these suggestions to avoid potential trouble spots. Be watching for them and take action before they become part of your big fish photos. You will amaze your friends with your photographic talents!
The best photos are taken from boat to boat or kayak to kayak. Have someone else who understands how to operate the camera be prepared for your yell or radio call that you have hooked something big! For best results, the sun must be at the photographers back. This assures that the subject and fish will receive full illumination from the sun.
ALWAYS use a fill-in-flash even on bright sunny days. The flash will fill in dark, shadow areas especially on the face of the subject which may be shaded by the bill of their hat, and the water on the fish will tend to glisten and the fish will look fresh and alive. Take off your sun glasses too!
Keep the fish in the water by keeping it in a landing net, or carefully gaff the fish through the thin jaw tissue or if the fish is well hooked, just keep him on the line. Remember, you should release the fish in healthy condition after the photo. Take the fish out of the water just before the cameraman is ready to focus and shoot.
Do not keep the fish out of the water longer than 60 seconds.
Hold large fish in a natural horizontal position, not hanging vertically, as this position could damage internal organs because of the pull of gravity. Experiment with different fish positions while the photographer looks through the view finder to evaluate the results of each pose. Expose more of the belly of the fish. How does that look? Now roll the fish to expose more of the back of the fish. Is this position better yet? With a little experimentation, you will discover a position which brings out the best position for size and coloration of the fish which is better than any other pose.
Fly anglers like to display their fly rod and reel so everyone understands it was caught with fly fishing equipment. Do nor hold the cork handle between your teeth. Practice photo position ahead of time. Try pointing the rod tip backwards with the rod and reel balanced on top of your shoulder. The fly reel will be visible in front of your cheek on either side which frees up your hands to hold the fish.
Use a UV Haze filter to enhance the color of the sky and us(e Polaroid filter on your camera if you have one. This will reduce shine and glare. Make sure you know how to use these filters before you begin fishing.) How to hold the fish: Hold fish horizontal with front of the fish held slightly in front of the tail and slightly higher than the tail.
* Do not look at the camera. Look at your prize catch with a big smile.
* Do not be smoking in the photograph or have empty beer cans in the background.
When ready to shoot, take 5 or 10 photos, not just one. If you have an advanced digital camera, in the camera menu, set the shutter to automatically keep shooting as long as the button is pushed. Take 40 - 50 very rapid shots in about 10 seconds. This will guarantee there will be a shot with the eyes open and you can take your best pick and delete the remaining photos to keep the SD storage card empty and ready for the next opportunity.
Purchase a 2nd camera battery fully charged and in your pocket as a back up to the one in your camera. The photographer should stop and look at the background behind the subject. It is very easy to miss a tree or light pole or another boat in the background which will detract from the final result.
Make sure your SD card has room for more photos before you head out for the day. At the end of each day, review your photos on the camera's hard drive and save them to your laptop computer.
Follow these suggestions to avoid potential trouble spots. Be watching for them and take action when necessary. You will amaze your friends with the size of your fish as well as your photographic talents!
Bill Rakozy, President of 4x4Kayak Fishing Adventures, has worked full time in the sport fishing industry for over twenty years. He holds a Masters Degree from Michigan State University and is a (Federation of Fly Fishers) FFF Certified Casting Instructor. He has been kayak fishing for the past six years and now offers guided kayak fishing trips to Baja Sur, Mexico, Costa Rica and the Bahamas. http://www.4x4kayakfishing.com
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