Part 3

The walleye his partner netted for him was the largest he ’d ever caught.

“Want me to take a couple of pictures?” his companion said.

“Naw, not now,” the lucky angler replied, “there might be another one that size out there. Just slide it in the live well and we’ll shoot a couple of pictures after we take out.”

The guy’s fishing partner did as he was told.  When the fishing trip ended that afternoon they got the boat on the trailer and drove up the ramp to the parking area.  “Get your camera,” the fellow who caught the big walleye said.  “I’ll get the fish out of the live well while you’re getting your camera ready.”

Chances are you’ve seen fishing pictures very much like those with which those two guys wound up.  They were lousy.  The background they had used to shoot the photos of that beautiful trophy walleye was flat out awful.

Want to shoot a close up of a lure that has particularly effective?  Then move in close and show it against a proper background.  The Mack's Lure Stan's Spin the cameraman wanted to feature is lost in this photo.

For starters, the guy shooting the photo had backed off so he could get his companion’s entire body in the photo.  In the process he also got the boat, a portion of the engine, two trees that appeared to be growing out of his subject’s ears, a telephone pole and an overfilled trash can that was off to one side.  It couldn’t have been much worse had they been trying to screw things up.

To top that off the man being photographed was wearing a jacket that was much the same color of the fish.  The big walleye had been dead for some time.  In the picture its tail was bent off to one side and it looked like it had been dead for a week.

Ever had this kind of experience with picture taking? I know a lot of guy who have.  It isn’t necessary.  If you want to come up with pictures that match your memories then take the little bit of time and thought required to get the job done.

To begin with, get in close.  All you really need in your photo is the subject and his fish.  Forget about his feet.  Make sure he isn’t wearing a shirt or jacket that blends in with his catch.

Check on the location of the sun.  Swing the boat around so the sun is coming from behind the person doing the shooting.  Check for any shadows the cameraman may be throwing on the subject.

Now look at the background before you depress the shutter.  This is one of the reasons I recommend shooting your pictures while you’re still on the water.  Almost always it’s possible to swing the boat one way or the other so the background is free and clear.  If it’s nothing but clear sky, all the better.

The caption for this photo should read "Nice bass, lousy photo" for that's exactly what it is.  Pay attention to what your background looks like before shooting the picture.

It’s this background thing that messes up so many otherwise acceptable fish photos.  And it’s just not necessary.

In winding this up this series on picture taking I want to return to what I had to say in the beginning about getting pictures to match the memories of the fishing adventures they support.  It’s not just in your hands.  If you’re the one who is being pictured it’s equally important that whoever is handling the camera knows what to do.

Take five minutes before the trip starts to show a companion how your camera operates.  Here again is the beauty of digital photography.  Have him or her shoot a couple of pictures of you.  Now view the results.  It’s easy to point out what’s wrong and what’s right.  And you won’t have that hassle when you’ve caught a good one and you want to get a quick photo and get it back into the water.

I have a valued friend who runs a cracking good fishing resort.  He has a fairly large crew of guides.  Some of them speak little English.
Years ago I saw some of the pictures these guides had taken.  They had to have been a disappointment to the anglers involved.

I suggested to my friend that he get his guides together and give them a few of the basics on taking pictures.  I made most of the same suggestions I’ve made in these past three columns.
My friend is a sharp operator.  He doesn’t miss a bet when it comes to sending his clients home happy.  I’ve seen other pictures his guides have taken since we talked about the need for good photos.  Most of them have been pretty darn good.

Like you, I’d rather fish than take pictures.  But I want to be happy with the results when I do.  Follow the few simple steps I’ve outlined in these last three columns and odds are you’ll get good results of your own.

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