How To Take Fish Photos

My nephew sent me photos from a recent ice fishing trip. He said he’s terrible at taking fish pictures. You know what, he’s right.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

The following are a few tips, tricks, and techniques that I’ve learned for taking better fish photos.

*A photo my dad took of me and my son (1996).*

Before I reveal a few of the “trade secrets”, I should thank my dad for taking me fishing and teaching me how to take a decent fish photo. Even with marginal camera equipment, that man could make a 30lb king salmon look like a 60lb king salmon.

Let’s begin.

It seems simple enough, but make sure the sun is behind you when taking a photo. The sun behind the fish and the person holding it results in a dark photo. Not the best way to capture the moment.

Speaking of dark photos. Either take your hat off, or tilt it back for the photo. It’s important to capture the expression on a person’s face and not have a shadow covering it up.

Likewise with sunglasses. Although it is not always easy to do, take your sunglasses off for the photo. People want to see the excitement in your eyes.

One of the most important aspects of a great fish photos is how the fish is held. Sometimes a horizontally held fish is better than a vertically held fish. The key to both styles is to hide as much of your hand and fingers as possible. If your hand or fingers are on the front of the fish, it becomes a reference point and people can easily tell the size of it. The photo above is poor on many levels.

Here’s my friend Mike with a freshly caught silver salmon. He grabbed it for a photo without thinking about how he was holding it.

I suggested a vertical shot with his hand behind the head of the fish. A much better way to show off his catch (and impress his friends).

Angles and proximity are extremely important too. Not a bad photo of John and his fish. The hand is hidden, sunglasses are off, and there aren’t any shadows.

But look what a small tweak will do. By slightly changing the angle and proximity, the fish looks much larger.

Same with the silver salmon Brent is holding. The initial photo is not bad.

But getting a few inches closer makes it a better photo.

If you haven’t heard the term long arming, the photo above is a perfect example of it. The left arm is completely straight while the right arm has a small bend at the elbow. The key is to hold the fish as far away from your body as you can. Don’t get me wrong, this was a wonderful silver salmon that weighed around 15 lbs. But, when it’s long armed, it looks like it could easily be in the 20lb range. A word of caution, don’t overdue the long arm.

Please, please, please, make sure the entire fish is in the photo. This is the largest ling cod I’ve ever caught, and unfortunately, the person taking the photo cut the tail off. Grrrrrr.