Bass CPR: Catch, Pic and Release
By Alan Clemons For The PAAYou’re excited about the big bass you just caught, and your fishing buddy whips out his cell phone to take a photo.
A couple of quick keypad touches, the fish goes back in the lake and then you take a look. Part of your buddy’s finger was over the phone’s small lens but he didn’t notice. The sun was high overhead and your shadowed face is dark. Or maybe the sun was glaring off the water, blowing out the photo with bright light.
In any case, your trophy catch is not preserved for history.
It’s not difficult to take better photos. Instead of crooked shots, sun problems, a dopey expression on your face or the “Hold ‘er up, Bubba!” photo, all it takes is a little thinking and time to get things right. If it truly is a great fish, 10 minutes of work will pay off for a quality photo.
Great photos combine multiple elements to capture the scene and provide a lasting memory. (Photo: Doug Cox)
Professional photographers for outdoors magazines, websites and organizations are like those for any other business. They’re serious about getting good photos because solid photography makes people take notice. Photographers always are looking around, scanning backgrounds, thinking about angles and sunlight or what cool vantage point might offer a unique perspective.
Just like you plan ahead for a fishing trip, you can plan ahead to take good photos.
Don’t rush
Hawgzilla finally bit your bait and it’s in the boat as you go bonkers high-fiving your buddy. A photo is suggested but your shirt is untucked, there’s tobacco dribbling down your chin and the background is a busy marina gas dock.
Put the fish in the livewell and relax for a moment. Clear the front deck of any rods that are a’kilter. Tuck in your shirt, make sure your fly is zipped and look for a nice background where you don’t have telephone poles growing out of your head or vehicles on a highway behind you.
If you have a Power Pole and are in shallow water, use it to hold the boat.
Find the sun
Bright, overhead sun ruins many photos because it blows out the colors, or the deep shadow of your cap’s bill makes your face too dark.
Anything between about 10 a.m. and 3 or 4 p.m. when the sun’s highest in the sky can cause problems. Take off your sunglasses and tip your cap back a bit, or remove it completely for the photo. If the sun’s too bright and you’re squinting, put on the sunglasses but leave the cap off.
The sun should be behind the photographer if you’re out in the morning or afternoon. Position yourself so it’s shining from behind the photographer on you holding the fish. That way you get the light on your face and the fish instead of your back, which creates shadows.
Professional photographers love about 90 minutes after sunrise and 90 before sunset, which is called “golden light.” The light isn’t as harsh and everything is pretty. There’s not as much, if any, glare.
Fill the frame
You’ve seen the bad fishing photos where a guy on the back deck snaps the shot and gets half the boat, the front deck, the rods and lots of water. Joe Angler with the fish is somewhere in the middle, like he was dropped into the scene as an extra instead of being the featured player.
Avoid that by filling the frame with the angler and fish. There should only be a little band of background around you. Even with that little band, though, you don’t want it to be a sign with the barbecue special at the highway snack bar or marina slips. Remember to check your background.
If you’re at a scenic location or seasonal colors are nice – dogwoods in spring, or changing leaves in autumn – use those to your advantage. Sometimes a hint of color looks good in photos as borders or backgrounds.
Support the fish
Lip the fish and, if it’s a big bass, support the tail with your other hand for a horizontal or near-horizontal pose.
If you’re doing it this way, have the photographer shoot closer to fill the frame with your upper body and the fish. A vertical photo would look silly if you were holding the fish horizontally. If you’re holding it vertically, the photographer should shoot vertically.
Please smile … please?
There are countless photos of big fish and a guy holding it who looks like he just came from the proctologist’s office.
Smile! You just caught a fish worthy of taking photos, so you don’t need to look like Bobo the Stone Man on some deserted island.
A good tip is to talk with the photographer while he’s shooting. That sounds goofy, but as you’re talking your facial expressions change. Excitedly say, “Man, what a big fish! This sucker hit that jig like a freight train! We need to catch some more!” Show off your molars and get a smile on your face.
If you notice your buddy doing something wrong, let him know. Turn the camera … it won’t break if you do something different with it.
Another tip is after a few shots, securely hold the fish and dip it in the water. This adds some “shine” to it, water dripping and often the dorsal fin will pop up. Tell your camera operator to be ready to shoot when you lift the fish from the water and get positioned.
When you’re done
After taking some photos for a couple of minutes, put the fish back in the livewell so it can rest. Keeping a fish out for long periods of time isn’t good.
Check the photos. Look at your face, the colors, the backgrounds … if there is anything terribly wrong, re-position and shoot some more. If you’re satisfied with the photos, release the fish when it’s able to swim away.
Then go catch another photo fish.
