Taking Good Fish Photos

Michael Kerr holding a beast the right way.  Jeff Hickman photo.

Here a few tips for taking great fish pics.  Always remember, the safety and well being of wild fish is worth way more than a photo.  Keep the fish completely under the water until both the angler and photographer are ready.  My rule is to keep the fish out of the water for no longer than five seconds.

1.  Get close to your subject.  Most photos are taken way too far away.  Get close enough to capture the anglers expression and the details of the fish.

2.  Shoot with a flash on sunny days.  As anglers, we all wear hats that create a shadow on the anglers face.

3.  Have the angler kneel on one or both knees.  Get close to the water when you press the shutter and you'll get great contrast from the water and background.

4.  Have the angler hold the fish with their front hand under the fish... Keeping their fingers away from the gill plates.  Jeff Hickman's shot above is done perfectly.

5.  Keep the rod in the photo, it helps tell the story of the shot.

6.  Take the anglers sunglasses off.  Eyes are the window to the soul... The anglers soul should be beaming and you can't capture it with shades on.

7.  Keep the fly in the fish's mouth, especially if it's big and bright.  This will add more detail to the shot and only adds to the story.

8.  Turn the fish into the light.  Usually this means tilting it slightly until the sun lights up the chrome.

Happy shooting!
-TL