TAKE YOUR BEST PICTURE
GOOD photographs of a big fish serve as great memories of your catch. Here are a few helpful tips…
GET READY
Rest the catch in a secured landing net or a retainer while preparing the camera. With fish in the water there is no need to rush, which is likely to result in mistakes.
COMPOSITION
Think about the backdrop to the photo – having lots of tackle, parked cars, bins, and other anglers behind you will detract from the fish. Try to ensure the camera will be at the same level as the fish, too.
That done, place your unhooking mat in front of where you are going to hold the fish. Ensure there’s space for you to kneel behind the mat and check there’s no vegetation in the way of the fish when you are holding it for the camera.
Think about your clothing too rather than wearing green, consider a brighter top, especially blue, which shows the fish off better.
LIGHT CONDITIONS
Generally, you want plenty of light but beware of taking photographs with lots of water or sky in, as this makes getting the correct exposure more difficult. Darker areas of the photo – you and the fish – will be under-exposed and look very dark.
While you can make some corrections, it is better to avoid the issue in the first place.
TRY IT FIRST
Before getting the fish out of the water, take a couple of photographs with your hands in the place you are going to hold the fish.
Aim to hold the fish close to you – don’t thrust it towards the camera to make it look bigger, as that just makes you look like you’ve got a tiny head and bananas for fingers!
Review them to check everything looks okay. If not, make adjustments until you are happy. Beware of shadows cast by the camera operator falling on to the fish.
Frame the pic so the whole of the fish and your head are included, with just a small border around them – remember, you’re not taking a scenic view.
THE REAL THING
Transfer the fish to the mat, and if it’s very lively, wait a few moments prior to lifting it for photographs – you won’t get good pics of a moving fish.
Get the person taking the photographs to check that everything looks good, as little things can detract from a good picture. Is the fish too high and in front of the angler’s face... is the tail bent too far back or forwards... is it tilted at the wrong angle?
Try and take a couple of different angles – sometimes they look better than face-on photographs.
My final piece of advice is to smile! It makes a picture look a million times better.