by Jason Brooks, July 04, 2016

We all like to hear our buddies fishing stories but without pictures no words can do justice in relating the experiences. After hearing about the “20 pound steelhead” or “50 pound Chinook” our first reply is “Let’s see the pictures” and of course when our fishing partner starts back peddling about not having a camera or the batteries were dead we dismiss the exaggeration as nothing more than a tall tale. The fact that we have access to extremely small, lightweight cameras including those that are built into our phones we have reason to have doubt when there are no pictures of such a trophy and really there are few excuses anymore to not having at least one field photo.



I have been taking pictures of my fishing trips for about as long as I have been fishing. I remember getting a disk film camera when I was about 8 years old and taking pictures of trout on opening day. That little camera took horrible photos and I cringe when I look through my old photo album but at least I have some photos to compliment my memories. In that same album is a photo of my grandfather with a stringer of rainbows. Even though the photo is small and void of color it is a memory of him that I can envision though it was taken twenty years before I was born. Photos of our outdoor adventures are part of our memories and bring back parts of the trips that we either forgot about or can’t describe in words. So with putting the significance on taking photos during our fishing trips here are some tips to taking better photos to share with our friends and bring back our forgotten memories.

First I want to stress that this article will not be about how a camera operates as in reality there are books written on the subject and classes offered at your community colleges for such a thing and even basic photography cannot be condensed down to one article. So the only advice I can give if you’re a novice and get lost in this article is to realize that you need to become familiar with your camera and learn to use it by first reading the user’s manual and playing with the camera. Luckily I have yet to find a digital camera that doesn’t offer several preset modes that will do the basic and even most advanced settings for you (that’s why you need to read the manual, to learn what these setting actually can do for you).

Next let’s just briefly discuss cell phone cameras. Sure they take great photos to text with, show on their miniature screens at parties and even post on a social media site but try and download them and then print them out and you will find their quality is limited. Of course hardly anybody prints pictures anymore, but just in case you do get that trophy of a lifetime do you really want to rely on a cell phone to take that field photo of you grinning while grabbing the fish? Cell phone cameras are not meant to do more than just basic photography so do yourself a favor and carry an actual camera.

So which camera should you carry? With today’s digital cameras it would again take a book or at least a lot of boring paragraphs trying to explain why you should carry one camera over another but what I suggest is one that you are very familiar with that’s small and light, and you can keep handy. There are even several models that are waterproof just in case you drop it in the river or like to fish in the pouring down rain. You don’t have to have the best or most expensive mirror-less or full frame camera with expensive lenses to take great photos. Just a camera you are familiar with and can keep handy enough to take a lot of photos while fishing. I often use a point and shoot type camera that has a built in lens. There are various models of these cameras including most of the waterproof ones that work great for fishing.

The reason why I use a point and shoot style camera is simple. It’s light and much smaller than a DSLR (those big cameras with interchangeable lenses) and the model I use is a Canon G1x that has a lot of the same internal components that the advanced DSLR cameras have. Though light and small there is a huge trade-off and that is I am limited to the camera’s only lens. I think for fishing the trade-off makes it worth it. If you only take one thing away from this article it is to carry a camera that you can easily access during the entire trip.

On a recent trip one of my fishing partners brought along his DSLR camera, stowing it away in his backpack. I put my point and shoot camera inside my waders and kept it handy. As we drifted down the river I took several pictures of our journey. During the day I continued to take photos, candid shots of the shoreline, vista’s, boulders with running water over them, the jigs tied to my line and other things that I wanted to remember once I got home basically documenting the entire days fishing. My fishing partner got a few great shots when we stopped the boat. At the end of the day he had taken a few dozen photos specific to when it was easy for him to stop and take his camera out of his backpack. I took over 200 photos and told the story of our float trip from start to finish. My point is there is a photographers saying, “Film is cheap (and digital is even cheaper)” so if you have your camera handy you have no excuses to not take tons of photos. That is the first lesson in taking better photos; just take a lot of them.

The most important photo you will take of course is the “grip and grin” photo of your trophy. If it’s a fish you bonked wipe as much of the blood off as you can. There are several different poses that you can use to highlight the fish but some of those “tricks” will cause you to get a bad name such as “long arming” to make it look bigger or grabbing it through the gills if it is to be released like a wild steelhead. There is no need to do either one of those poses. To highlight the fish and you, simply act natural and hold the fish in a way that is respectful and use a few of these tips.

Bokeh, a photographer’s term that means the main subject of the photo is in focus and the rest is out of focus.




This is the “soft” or out of focus background that shows there are trees or a river back there but you cannot distinguish them as only you and the fish is in focus. To do this you need to open your aperture to its lowest number setting which causes the aperture or “eye” of the camera to open to its widest point making the area of focus very shallow. Keep in mind this also allows in a lot of light so you might need to increase the speed of the photo and lower the ISO to a lower setting. The simplest way to do this is to set the camera to its portrait setting which is designed to give the Bokeh effect. The other technique I use is to lie on the ground to take the photo looking up at the fish and the person holding it. This puts the fish as the main focus with the person behind it secondary and fades out the background. I try and use “fill flash” which is the aid of a flash even if it is very sunny out. The flash fills in the shadows caused by hats and such, which is why it’s called a fill flash. The downside to using a flash is that the sides of the fish reflect. To keep this from happening you can have the person face directly at the sunlight, have them tilt their hats back a bit, and take the photo. Unfortunately this usually causes your subject to squint so the trade-off sometimes isn’t worth it. When the fish’s side is reflecting the light like a mirror, causing it to be overexposed have the person tilt the fish so the reflection is cast away from the camera. Also, make sure you have your subject take off any glasses they are wearing, including ones they put up on their hats. Glasses tend to reflect light and can cause spots in photos and even if the person isn’t smiling in the photo we can see their excitement in their eyes which is the memory we are trying to capture.





When it comes to kill photos like the “grip and grin” take your time and take a lot of photos with different setting and poses. A quick bonk on the fish will cause it to go still and make it easier to hold for photos. Unfortunately it also causes their eyes to relax and it is pretty obvious that the fish is dead. Personally I really like the photos of the fish showing their upturned eyes but in reality I like to eat fish too. For fish that are going to be killed or have already received the “wood shampoo” make sure to take the photos right away as color will leave the fish very quickly. If you toss it in the fish box and pull it out at the end of the trip the fish will have discoloration, this is known as Livor Mortis.


When I bonk a fish a good pose is the one where you hold it up vertically. Keep the fish close to your body and hold it up as high and as close to your face as you can. Since a camera takes a 3 dimensional object and records it as an image the further things are away from the focal point the smaller they become. An example is the “long arm technique” I mentioned before where a person holds a small fish way out to make it look bigger. By holding the fish higher and closer to your face you keep the focal point relative to what we naturally look at which is the fish and the face of the person holding it. Taking this photo vertically with the camera also helps keep from the “shrinking affect” as I like to call it and highlights the catch and angler.

The other “grip and grin” pose I like to use is where you hold the fish with two hands and hold it horizontally. One problem that occurs is when the fish is gripped too tight by the belly. Instead I will either rest the fish on my hand or grab the fish just above the tail. This pose also works great if the photographer kneels or put the camera on a rock looking up at the person holding the fish. You can also have the person kneel and hold the fish in the water, either turn it on its side or gently lift the fish with it partially submerged.

It’s all about perspective and storytelling photos document the trip and are equally as significant as the grip and grin of the trophy. We hike along the trail to the river with our heads hanging down looking at our feet and suddenly look up and see the sun poking through the trees. Or while taking a break and resting on a rock we look to our left and see a late blooming wildflower. That’s when I take out my camera because it is within easy reach and snap a few shots. This has taken me to a whole new level when it comes to taking photos. Instead of just clicking the button I look around and try and find a way to tell a part of the story.



The idea about perspective is to realize that you need to find ways to take that one photo that catches your eye and tells the story.
Action shots like a fish jumping out of the water or the spray of water off of a fly line as it’s lifted from the river catch the excitement of fishing and what draws us to our angling addiction. If your camera has a “sports” setting this is the quickest way to set up the camera to capture these photos. Once you have mastered the basics then I like to put my camera on manual and use a fast exposure around 1/1000 or faster and the lowest ISO I can get away with. Again, if that last sentence was confusing just put the camera to “sports” mode. When you hook a fish, or better yet, if your buddy is playing a fish grab the camera and start taking a lot of photos.



I have a few lucky shots where the fish is breaking the water and thrashing about where you can see the fly or jig in its mouth with the upturned eye and water splashing about. How I got those photos was to get close to the water and continually take pictures while my fishing buddies fought the fish to the boat. This photo session usually ends with a few swear words from my buddies letting me know it’s time to put down the camera and grab the net.



I always critique my photos and try and take better ones. This is another valuable lesson; learn from your mistakes even if you are the only one that notices them. The more you do this the easier it is to find those mistakes as you take the shot and make the adjustment while photographing the subject.

I leave with one last tip and it is one of my favorites that most people don’t even think of. It is the macro shot, where you take the time to set up a photo of something small but important for the days fishing. If I am fly fishing I take one’s of the flies I use or if I fished jigs then I put some on some rocks with a fish in the background and take a couple of close up shots. The macro shot tells a part of the story that all of us ask, “What did you catch it on?” as a close up shot of a lure or fly in the fish’s mouth is a great shot.




It goes without saying that once you start taking photos you will be glad you did as you look back over the years and remember the memories through your digital archive. Sharing photos can be like giving up your best secrets so be careful how you share them and who you share them with. First, for social media sites I use either compressed photos or I watermark them with one of the many software programs. This is because in today’s world it doesn’t take long for someone or some company to steal your photo and glory. Also, and most importantly, if you don’t want anyone to know where you were fishing or what you were using then don’t share photos giving that information away. Stick with close up shots and no gear, not even a rod, as this can give away what you were using that day. Most of all take a lot of photos and make sure to download them and save them on a hard drive. Someday you will look back at all of the memories and remember details that would have been otherwise forgotten if it wasn’t for that one photo.