What makes for a good fish pic?

I've taken some pretty good fish pictures over the years...my general theory is take as many pics as you can and eventually one of them will turn out decent. I guess I've started to get better at it by trial and error, I'd be the last one to write any sort of tech article on the subject...but I know 'good' when I see it and I'm sure you do too.

Sometimes it's the fish that makes the pic as in the case of fishng1's avatar...

Sometimes the fisherman as in the case of Piper's...

To me, the best pics are the ones that made me ask myself 'how many sick days do i have left?' when i was still working...damn you, Bob!!

I have always preferred pictures that are taken right when the fish was caught, rather than a later in the day pic when the fish is a a permanent "J" shape
When you are looking at one right when the fish was caught thw viewer get's a better sense of the fishermans surroundings and environment that the fish was taken in......the blood is still wet, the grin is fresh...the moment can be captured much better than at the dock or car or at home.

This is true not only for river caught fish, but out in the salt as well. I like to see the water behind the fisherman, be it a bay, the ocean, or a riffle. It's fun to see what was used, or to guess.

I would like to see more pictures up here of everyones fish they catch. It isn't a bragging thing, it is a sharing thing. We all have the same passion, let's do some more show and tell.

I guess my best tip for good pictures it to use a flash
or orient the boat to take advantage of the natural sunlight.

The first is a picture of my dad and a silver he picked up on the canal.
The second is a chum photo I think I posted once before.
In both of them I had to turn the boat before taking the photo.

http://www.ifish.net/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=031455

Click on the link above and check the photos in this thread. All good photos, but the third pic is really good. With just a slightly slower shutter speed, it would have been perfect.

Take lots of pics.......it's really hard to tell which ones will be good when you're clicking the photos.

A good background for the pic is also a great this to have. A sunset, shoreline, river, mountain/mountains, skyline, etc. The fish also makes the pic, sometimes. Even a small one can be the best, say a brook trout in spawning colors. Also taking the pic right away is better than taking the pic hours latter. In all, take pics when ever posible and imply these steps and you will get great pics.

I think more fish photos could be improved by having the angler look at his fish or whatever he is doing, rather than grinning at the camera. Staring at the camera, smiling or not, holding a dead fish is why these are referred to as "hero shots" instead of photos.

Next, as Piper mentioned, get the lighting right, using fill flash if necessary. If the angler's face is all shadow, what's the point in taking a picture of it?

Last, try to choose interesting background, something that adds to the interest of the photo instead of detracting from it. A tree or boat oar sticking out of your partner's head probably isn't showing him at his best. Or maybe . . .

Another comment, Piper's avitar is a hero shot, but it works, in large part because the subject is a kid. Hero shots of adults are seldom interesting in my opinion. An exception: attractive bikini-clad woman holding or posing with any fish, but then, it's not really a fish pic, is it?

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

I'd have to know the lady first in order to answer that question.

Okay, here are some tricks of the trade from one who has sold hundreds of fish photos.

1. ALWAYS use a fill flash. The sunnier the day the more need to use fill.

2. Shoot vertically. People are vertical. Look at a lot of cover shots. What % were shot horizontal. Damn few!

3. Get closer! Fill the frame with your subject. Most of the time we don't want to see much background and often it clutters the photo.

4. Clean up the background. Look at the background before shooting. If you see garbage, beer cans, piles of clothes it will be a poor photo.

5. Wash the blood off.

6. Shoot live fish.

7. Get Yvonne to hold the fish. (Inside joke - some of you will get it.)

#7 for sure

Dunno. I've never taken one!

Speaking of ugly photos, check out this one!

Big, ugly, nasty, spawned out, weighed, and released *alive and well* to die naturally in the river.

Anyone care to take a guess on the weight? To date, I hate to say this, but this boot is the largest King I've landed and had weighed on an accurate scale.





Ya know, as tules go, I kinda like the red/black color thing. Kinda cool, ugly, and booty all at the same time!

Than again, not every fish in the river is a boot. I like late November kings!



Properly handled *GASP* out of the water, and released to do her thing.

46 .7oz

ok...I'll post a good one I've taken and a not so good one for humor value....

good one...
[img]http://car-nutz.com/forum/album_pic.php?pic_id=66[/img]


not so good one...
[img]http://car-nutz.com/forum/album_pic.php?pic_id=75[/img]

okay, so i didn't take the last one but in the context of this thread i thought it was funny...

ahhhh.... Yvonne, where did she go?

Nice photo H20! is that you in the photo above??? just trying to put a face to the name...

If it is I can see why you use the skull avatar... J/K :p

no, that's my girlfriend's dad....I, uhhh, don't photograph well...

I'm still mostly anonymous because my buddies suck at taking pics. Okay, maybe anyone who gets a camera tossed at them at the last minute with instructions like 'point and shoot' is a little under the gun...

I'll dig through the archives and if there's a decent one I'll post it.....didn't Rich G post a pic of me back in the mohawk days??

Close CFM. 44 pounds, give or take, as the fish wasn't on the scale too long.

The largest (legit) before that was 42 pounds up on the Kasilof.

I accidently snagged a 50+ pounder in the dorsal fin (with a Crocodile flutter jig) that I let go, but snagged fishes don't count!

Piper you way to funny!

Now this is a real and true picture of H20

The Most Important thing you can do to improve the quality of your fish pictures is...

Dont photograph Boots! :p :p


So is this you H20????
http://www.piscatorialpursuits.com/uploads/UP2160.jpg

nope...

A great fish pic depicts the life-force of the fish.... the sheen from its skin and scales, capturing its vibrant yet sometimes subtle color detail before it becomes dull and lifeless. Fins erect, gill plates flared, eyeball rolled down, no blood except perhaps for a dribble from the hook site.... these attributes all help to convey a magnificent living creature. Zoom in to capture the details of a perfect headshot. Water and a little greenery in the background is a perfect complement to chrome. A human face need not always be present... it's a fish pic, remember. The coho in winterun's avatar is a stunning example of a great fish pic IMHO.

you know fshnphysn... you are absolutely 100% correct! That photo will get you in the magazines anytime.

But, The best fishing photos are the ones with the big smiles and the memories that last a lifetime...

Having a digital makes it much easier.

You can look through the view finder and see whats a good photo before you take it.

If your using a digital no is no excuse for bad fish pics.

heres a few Id call good fish pics.
[img]http://www.piscatorialpursuits.com/uploads/UP2137[/img]

Has the way you upload pics changed? I cant get them to work the way I yousto do it from the Upload center.

you've got to put in the .jpg

Lose the hats in those photos. Notice how the hat casts a shadow over your face? I agree with Dave that the vertical shots seem better. Zoom in close too.And by the way....hero shots as some are calling them are what most photos of fish are all about. Not because I want to be a "hero" but for lots of other people to share the moment.

Here it is Rich.......you don't look too happy for holding such a pretty fish. Say "Cheeeese" next time.

C'mon Dan....

...that thing loooks pretty heavy...

Dan S and Rich

WOW! Gorgeous wild hen, boys! Platinum bright, every scale visible, and translucent fins all intact. That fish is exuding life... looks ready to jump out of your hands and onto my desk. Natural background also helps to tell the story of what conditions were like on that day. Great picture!

You nailed it!

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a smile is worth a million pounds of fish.

FishN,

I agree with you about Rich's fish........so flawless, so chrome.

Hey, you're killin' me Rich.

If THAT photo doesn't gear you up to go catch some fish, you'd better check your pulse.

Dan,

I am dyin to catch some steel. I will be out to Forks for Christmas and Im im still east I might head to the snake of clearwater soon if some one will show me the ropes.

That fish came from the Clawah last year in mid January. That was the only fish we got about half way through the drift.

We had five boats that were ahead of us, one of them being Bob. And atleast his boat cooned em.

Rich,

I feel for you. man. A Forks guy on the eastside is like a fish out of water.

I'd sure like to hook up with you for a day fishing around Forks. If you're interested, drop me an email when you're in town for the holidays and maybe we can get out for a day.

Have a great holiday.......hopefully you can get a line wet around your old stomping grounds soon.

Rule #1. Get close. I mean closer.

Rule #2. Use the rule of thirds. Do not bullseye the subject. Have the fish or fisherman, or both, lined up somewhere along any third of the photo, either vertcally or horizontally.

Rule #3. Use fill flash. It will show off the scales and fill in the shadows.

Rule #4. Try to include some diagonal lines. The shoreline, trees, dock boards, or even the flow of the objects in the photo.

Rule #5. Don't post something controversial on the internet. You will get flamed. Example? How about this wild silver we caught at Sekiu this year, hooked in the gills and it bled out after a long fight on light line attached to a SpongeBob Squarepants rod.



Just kidding, it was a nice humpy and we had 30lb power pro on the SpongeBob rod.

I think this photo shows a number of them, even though the fish is dead.

Here's two of my favorites. They're both of my brother who was up from Arizona fishing for salmon and steel for the first time. The first one is a steelhead and the second is a pink. If you look close, you can see the jig in both the pictures.




Surecatch - I'm sure you noticed both fish were caught on bobbers...err...floats
Thanks for the great book - he read it before we went out

Heres a few of my favorites.


Sol Duc Bucks just dont get any prettier.

just like the photo and the fish was a tough *******
Not the biggest Kings but a great photo

Where did you borrow that kid from Dogfish? He's to good look'n to be related to you.

RichG, I see Bob did his thing for you, check under your name.

Nice, I like Yours too!!!