If you don’t take a picture of your catch, did you even go fishing? All us anglers love a little brag. That’s why brag mats are called as such. But the key to a good social media fish pic is to make the fish look as good (and big) as possible. So after taking A LOT of photos for Scotty out on the road, I thought I’d share a couple of tips I’ve found help in taking the perfect fishy photo.
Light is your friend
We should all be sun-safe out on the water, but when it comes to photography, the sun is your friend. When you’re taking the photo, position your mate and fish facing towards the sun. That way, you’ve got the largest source of natural light in the world, illuminating your prized catch. You often can get really soft, pretty light at “golden hours” of the day (i.e. sunrise and sunset).
Here’s something you can try: To get a cool silhouette, try positioning the subject directly in front of the sun, then turn on your flash. That way you’ll get the golden light of the sun behind him, while still having enough light from your flash to show the fish from the front.
It’s all about the angle
Bigger is ALWAYS better when it comes to trophy fish, so you want to take a photo that makes yours look as big as possible. A couple of tips I’ve found is to shoot from a low angle (i.e. looking up at the subject). You can also get your mate to hold the fish further away from his body–this also makes it look a little larger. For larger-headed fish like your snapper or trevally, or even a big barra, try angling the head of the fish toward the lens more.
Branding branding branding
Everyone loves an insta shout-out. So remember to show off the gear you used in your photo. Leave a lure hanging in the fish’s mouth or get your setup in shot to show off how you caught the fish. Remember to tag the manufacturer, too! A note on this, please remember to handle the fish carefully if you are planning on leaving the lure in situ. We all know how unpredictable fish can be – one little headshake can mean a lure pinned in your thumb. So again, be cautious.
Look around
You could have the biggest and best fish in the world on camera, but it’s no good if there’s a dirty bin in the background of the shot. If you’re out on the water, make sure your background is clean and tidy. No dead fish/blood and guts in frame! And keep any pesky photobombing mates at bay. At the same time, you could be fishing in a pretty bloody cool spot, so show it off! Make your mates jealous!
Tidy up the fish
I like a good fish haul shot as much as the next guy. Makes me very jealous and hungry at the same time. But the appetite drops away quickly if there are blood and guts still on the fish. A quick wipe over with a towel can make all the difference. Also – if it’s a particularly pretty fish, a tidy up will show off those colours.
So next time you’re taking that award-winning brag photo, remember a couple of these tips.
Whether it’s going up on your insta, or in the pool room, you’ll appreciate the photo even more if you’ve made the effort to get the perfect shot!
Written by Nick Biggs
