Trophy Fish Photography: Part 2

Lighting is often overlooked in fish photography, because you often rely on sunlight. However, lighting does require some consideration because how you set up you’re photo changes your lighting, despite using natural light. Just keep these two rules in mind when setting up your next photograph.

Rule #1- Keep the sun at the photographers back

Matt 6.3 Smallie Washed Out

Kirk Spots Washed Out

Having the sun at the photographers back will help to prevent shadows on both the fish and the angler. Shadows on you’re face or the fish can ruin pictures, so remember to check you’re hat or anything else that could cast shadows before you get the fish out of the livewell.

Rule #2- Put more light on the fish’s back than its belly

If there is too much light on the fish’s belly, the color gets washed out like the pictures at the left and right, causing the fish to look pale. In order to get the best color in your photos make sure to get plenty of light on the fish’s back. Try to avoid taking pictures at high noon, as well, as that will wash out everything in the picture not just the fish.

A quick note on background selection:

Make sure your fish doesn’t blend into the background. In the picture at left, notice how the belly of the fish on the right blends into the light gray sky behind it.

Our Stance on Photoshop

We get a lot of questions about the use of photoshop in fish picture’s, and we believe that using photoshop only detracts from a picture. If you don’t want a landmark or any other identifying feature in a picture, don’t photograph fish in front of it. The best way to photograph fish so that your location isn’t obvious, is to select a solid background, such as a tulle wall of rock wall.

A Few Examples of Properly Taken Pics