As fly fishermen we tend to pull out photos to prove our success rather than opening the door to the freezer. This is a great thing, the fish goes free to fight again and we still have a memento of the day and fish. These snapshots remind us of the places we have been and the fish we’ve caught. I have many of these pictures, as do most of you, I have seen hundreds of them at club meeting and while visiting other anglers. I have noticed that many of the pictures suffer from the same few flaws that turn a potentially great photo in to a simple snapshot. I’m not going to get overly technical and go into filters, f-stops or fancy lenses, the cameras in most fishing vests don’t have this flexibility. What I will cover are the things you have control over, your subject, background, and light.

    SUBJECT: What is the subject of the photo, the angler and a great fish or 80 odd feet of bleak brushy shoreline? Fill the frame with your subject. Most viewfinders have marked perimeters, so keep your subject inside the line, just not way inside. I have cropped the upper photo to the subject (lower right), same size photo very different effect. Use your camera and feet to crop the photo, get closer to your subject.

    BACKGROUND: Try to control what’s in the background. Nothing will ruin a photo more quickly than garbage or the dreaded porta potty behind your subject, likewise having a tree branch sticking out of your fishing partners ear or …well, you get the picture. If you don’t like the background change your angle or move.

    LIGHT: Lighting your subject properly can be the most challenging aspect of your photo. You are stuck with the ambient light of the moment, be that fog bound dawn or summers mid day sun. Try to light the front of your subject with natural light. When this is not possible use your flash to fill in shadows and light up the angler and fish. Partial shadowing caused by a hat can completely black out an anglers face in an otherwise well lit photo, lose the hat, shoot from a higher angle, or use a flash to keep the happy angler in the picture. Use your flash in lower light conditions; it doesn’t need to be dark. The light from the flash will replace color lost to an overcast day.

  When ever possible prepare for the photo before landing the fish. If this is not possible have the angler start reviving the fish while you get the camera ready. Set the angler up, frame and focus the shot before having the fish removed from the water. When you are set have the angler lift the fish, fine-tune the focus and trip the shutter. The fish will only be out of the water for 5-10 seconds and be back in for revival and release. HAPPY ANGLER, HAPPY FISH!

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