By: Capt. Rob Modys
I spent over thirteen years teaching beginning saltwater fishing classes and these classes covered everything from basic tackle to understanding tides, moon phases and weather’s effect on a day’s fishing. I also promoted my belief that there’s no luck in fishing, it’s all about science.
One of my classes covered fishing photography, because over the years I’d seen some photos of trophy fish gone dreadfully wrong. You probably know the ones I’m referring to, consisting of slanted horizons, fishing rods sticking out of anglers’ heads and a mix of interesting objects in the foreground along with missing tails of the fish, the central object of the photo.
I thought I’d offer some useful tips to improve the photos that might wind up on the refrigerator, the desk at work, or maybe even in a magazine!
Whether the subject of the photo is going to be released or kept for dinner, it’s important to keep the fish very much alive and wet. Use a net to retrieve it and then keep it in the water while setting up the photo. Move stray items out of the way and make sure the background looks good. You might also want to change the background, or choose a view without identifiable landmarks, so as not to give away a favorite fishing location.
Do your best to keep the sun at your back, not behind the subject, and if possible, have the person being photographed remove sunglasses and maybe even hats. Hat brims tend to put a shadow over the eyes and can sometimes make the person in the photo unidentifiable.
Take the fish out of the net and have the person hold it horizontally, not hanging vertically from a hook, gripper, or thumb. This is better for the health of the fish if it’s going to be released. And here’s a tip, horizontally held fish look bigger!
Center the photo and be sure to take lots of shots. This is the age of digital, so there’s no worries about running out of film. Also make sure to slightly change the angle of the photos. I personally like to position myself so that I’m looking upward toward the fish and angler. This helps to eliminate unwanted background noise and shows off Florida’s blue skies and puffy white clouds.
If the fish is going to be released, work quickly. A suggestion I learned from a professional is to hold your breath while photographing a fish, as it helps remind you that they can’t breathe out of water, so get the photo as quickly as possible.
It’s completely acceptable to do a little photo editing after the fishing outing. I like to check the horizon first and straighten it if possible. The only other edits I’ll make, if needed, are brightness and color saturation. Cellphones now have amazing camera systems that automatically adjust for lighting and exposure, so it’s possible the only adjustment needed will be fixing a crooked horizon caused by the photographer.