Monday Top 5 - Photography Tips

This entry was posted on 22nd October, 2018

We all know how hard it can be sometimes to finally get that bite and land a fish, there’s nothing worse then having a poor picture of your prize catch. In this age of social media and digital photo albums here are our tips to help you take a good catch picture…

Background

Always check and select the best background where possible. By this I mean something whereby you don’t have something ‘uncarpy’ in shot such as a dustbin or portable toilet which, let's face it, doesn’t do your hard work any justice. Look for some foliage or something such as a leafy autumnal backdrop at this time of year. Also be aware of things like branches and ensure they aren’t encroaching on your picture making it look like you’ve been impaled through the head of something similar. Another thought is, when taking water shots with you and your quarry, ensure once again the background is clear so the main focus is on your prize and you as the capture.

Frame & Focal Point

Make your prize the focal point/central point of your picture. Ensure you or whoever is taking the picture has the fish dead centre of shot and that the fish doesn’t have its tail, fins or anything else out of the shot. The horizon behind also being level is another key consideration once the focal point of the shot is set. Don’t be afraid to take multiple, shots and make adjustments/take advice from the camera man to ensure the shot is framed correctly and the fish is the focal point of the image.

Holding

How you hold your fish can make a massive bearing on how the picture looks. Try and ensure that you don’t have your hands all over the picture and that you aren’t holding the fish either too close to your body or far away. I find the easiest way to lift a fish is to slide your hand under the fish and have the fingers of one hand under the fish’s pectoral fin joint and the other hand under its anal fin, and balance the fish with your elbows on your knees. Remain steady throughout the picture and always have a mat and water under/near the fish to ensure fish care is of the highest order through. Remember the safety of the fish is more important, and the minimum amount of time should be spent with the fish out the water, so try to have everything organised and to hand before the fish is lifted out the water.

Light

A basic one but you don’t need Photoshop or Light Room; just ensure you reflect the colours of your catch by photographing the fish with the light/sunlight on it, not with the sun behind it. This way you will effectively have natural light, rather then having a dark image in which you can't see details. Always access this whilst the fish is in the net recovering, then you can pick the perfect, well lit spot with the correct background before you have the fish on the bank.

Self Takes

Whether you use a timer or a remote control there's a point at which you may be on the bank alone and need to do some self takes. Firstly especially if you’ve caught a PB, make sure you ring all your trusted mates to see if they can come down and take the picture for you whilst of course the fish is safe. If you have to do a self take, always perform a series of test shots (better to have done this well before the capture whilst waiting) and mark the shot in which you are happy with the framing etc with a bank stick, therefore when it's time to shoot your pic you can ensure you are in the correct position and click away.

I hope the following tips help you take epic pictures of your hard earned prizes in the future. Just remember; fish safety at all times. Now, get out there, and get catching them!