Fish Photography 101
You FINALLY landed that big ‘ole trophy fish, now it’s time to take a killer photo.
Nothing is worst than landing the fish of a lifetime, only to remember it by a brutal, low quality shot.
First off, we need to get things setup, so make sure your fish is doing well in the livewell or in the net alongside the boat until you’re ready for that perfect shot.
Now let’s think about lighting. Natural lighting early in the day or later in the evening is always best. Position the boat so the angler and the fish are facing into the sun. Since the sun will be at the photographer’s back, make sure they are at an angle that doesn’t cast a shadow on the fisherman and the fish.
If the angler is wearing a hat, make sure to tilt the bill up for a bit more lighting on the face or simply remove the hat altogether.
Next, try a test shot with the angler holding their hand out without the fish. Try that a few times at various angles until you find something you like.
You can turn on the “grid” function on your Android or iPhone to help with composition — keeping the angler and fish along the gridlines and intersection points. This is called the Rule of Thirds, and is a common practice among professional photographers.
In bright sunlight or dim lowlight, turn on the HDR function on your phone to help create a more well-lit image. You can also adjust the exposure on most smart phones. Using a flash can work extremely well in lowlight conditions, and you may even consider adding a headlamp or another light source to capture better night fishing shots.
Check your focus on the test shots. Although autofocus is good, you can also tap on the fish or the angler’s face to lock-in focus there.
Pushing the fish slightly towards the camera is a common technique, but not too far as to distort the size of the fish.
Now have the angler remove the fish from the livewell, being careful not to touch or damage the gills. Have them get in position, and take several shots at various angler, but don’t keep the fish out of water too long. When you’re done with the photos, just release the fish and share away on social media!
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