May '01
So you want to take your photography one step beyond snap shots, great idea. That is not to say that snap shots are not of any value. Most photos you find in a personal album or web sites are “snap shots” and they are wonderful way of saving memories. But maybe you want something more, a work of art?
First off have a decent camera. I mentioned the Cannon Rebel 2000 last month as a good camera; there are other cameras from Nikon, Olympus or Minolta that will fit the bill too. Cameras are like cars, they all do the same things, just that some are better at certain things. For under $ 500.00 you can buy a camera that will serve you well from beginner to advanced photographer. Single Lens Reflex cameras or “SLR” are the way to go. Save the one-use cameras for birthday parties with the kids.
Don’t worry about all the extra gadgets just have a good lens, for fishing photos a 28 – 80 mm zoom will fit most situations. Having a wide-angle lens will come in handy, more on that later. The only add-on you may want to get is a polarized filter for your lens. This will reduce the glare from the water as well as bring the various shades of blue in the sky.
Now here are a few tips to make you photos standout from the crowd. For starters, take lots of photos and study them. Review each photo and see what you did correctly and what you did not. Learn from your photos and correct the flaws. It is just like fishing it takes practice.
When you look though the viewfinder; remember that what you see in the viewfinder is what will show up in the photo and not what you “think” you are seeing. I will try to explain this. The photographer’s eyes will focus in on the subject and block out images to the sides of the viewfinder. The cameras will not, it sees everything in the viewfinder and captures it.
Please “frame” your subject. Try to fill 75 % of the viewfinder with you and your fish. This is called framing the subject. You do not want lots of open space in your photo. A small portion of the rail or the deck is fine but it should not take up half of the photo. The sky and water can be used as a background but not the main focal point of the photo. Remember that you and your fish are the prime subject of the photo.
I mentioned that a wide-angle lens is best suited for fishing photos. With a wide-angle lens you can get very close to your subject and fill the frame. This works great also on small boats like pangas where you are going to be in close quarters. And a final tip about wide-angle lens, the images closer to the camera appear to be larger that background images. So if you have a small fish, hold it in front of you and when you see the print it will look huge. Just keep the fingers hidden and no one will know that the bass in the photo is only a 12” keeper.
You can also use digital camera as well as SLR cameras. One of the most important things to look for on a digital camera is image resolution. Look for a digital camera with at least 2 million pixels and a resolution of 1,600 by 1,200 if you want to make prints from your shots. If you are only using the images for web pages a lower resolution will work fine. The one problem with digital cameras is that their “technology changes so fast it is difficult to keep pace with all the new cameras. Check an on-line source like CNET for product reviews and recommendation for the latest and greatest digital camera.
The one thing that I love about digital cameras is you see your photo almost instantly after taking it. No waiting until you get home to find out that you left out the bottom half of the fish out of the photo. So if it is a bad shot just shot another. You can also use different image software to clean up you photos. With a little practice you can “make” photos that look so real your friends will not know the fish in the photo has been digital enlarged. Your 12” fish is now a 20” one and only you will know the truth. But then again when was the last time a fisherman ever stretched the truth?
I hope that more anglers will take an interest in photography. That would mean that there would be more anglers who can take a decent shot of someone’s trophy catch. It feels almost as good when your taking a quality picture as it is to be in the picture. Give it a try; I know you’ll make a few new buddies if you take the time out to take a few pictures.