I have long been a believer that photos are the perfect souvenirs of fishing trips. I also believe that when done the right way, you can document fish without the risk of hurting them. You need to always prioritize the health of the fish and remember, no photo of a fish is worth the life of a fish. That being said, here are some pointers to help take great fly fishing photos.
- Get level with the target. So often I see someone standing in the water with a nice fish just to have the person taking the photo up higher, shooting from the drift boat. Or the person holding the fish is on their knees (keeping the fish in the water like a responsible angler) but the photographer is still standing straight up. As a photographer, you want to be level with the fish.
- Think outside the grip n grin. I love a hero shot with a large fish. But you can get other interesting shots as well. Consider holding the fish in the water and getting a close up of its head or even a shot of just a colorful fin or interesting kyped jaw.
- Document more than just the fish. Get shots of the journey to the river, a cool scenic backdrop or your buddy casting. Fishing is about the entire experience, not just the fish. Have your trip photos represent that.
- Rule of 3rds. A point covered in Photography 101 classes worldwide. It encourages photographers to not simply put their subject in the center of the photo. To see a break down of this rule click here.
- Memory is free. My style of photography is take as many photos as possible, you can always delete them later
- If you are shooting a grip in grin and want to show more of the emotion the angler is feeling, have them remove their sunglasses.
Leave a Reply