Taking the Perfect Photo of Your Prize Catch

You spent hours, perhaps days waiting for that ground-breaking catch and then something remarkable happens- you finally hit your new PB. You’re not sure if your word will cut it when you tell the rest of the crew. So, you need to get a clear picture to take home to prove your skill.

But it takes more than grabbing your fish, taking out your phone and posing. Here’s our top tips on taking that perfect picture of your prize fish.

Essential Fish Care

Before we get into the fun stuff, something that must always be the number one priority in any catch and release is that both you and the fish are comfortable. There are a few precautions to take that will limit your fish’ stress and will contribute to a flawless snapshot.

Check out our detailed advice on releasing fish unharmed and other fish care top tips in our expert fishing guide. Now, let's get going with how to capture that prized catch.

Make the Most of the Natural Backdrop

What makes fishing so special is how at one with nature you are, so make sure you get rid of anything that will draw attention away from the snap in the background. This could include bivvys, accessories and any other bits of tackle that could draw attention away from the fish and the surroundings.

One thing you can never control is the lighting; you can however use it to our advantage. Try your best to pose facing the sun for a beautiful shot. Afterall, you don’t want to be waiting all day for that immaculate catch, just for the picture to be ruined by the glare from the sun shining through the trees behind you.

Come on Anglers... Use those Angles!

It is no good taking a picture if you are not front and centre. You can help yourself with this by using the grid feature on your phone or camera. Open your camera settings/options and select grid- you should then see a white grid appear. Use this to centre the most important part of your image which in this case, is you and the fish. What you don’t want to do, is take it from too high up or low down. You won’t be able to see the intricate details of your catch!

What if you end up with your best catch yet and nobody is there to capture it? Purchasing a standard tripod and setting it up should be able to get you a decent picture, they usually come in at a pretty good price as well.

Once you have your camera set up accurately, you can think about how you are going to angle the fish itself. If you decide to hold the fish further away from your body then the camera is going to focus in on just the fish, leaving you as part of the blurry background. To avoid this, you should hold the fish level with your body so that you are both the focus of the shot.

Camera Settings

Most modern digital cameras have similar systems, meaning that if you play around with it, you should be able to apply some of our top camera settings tips.

Firstly, look for ‘face detection’ within your settings for sharp faces. Remember, both you and the fish are the focal point of the picture- so make sure you’re looking crisp! However, if your lens does not have enough depth to focus on both of you, prioritise your fish- you could always take a selfie later so that you don’t feel left out.

It’s also super important to consider the lens that you decide to use. If you are after beautiful carp shots with a blurred background, the best lens to invest in is a 50mm lens. This is also great for portraits as it will compress your face down, which although doesn’t sound it, is very flattering.

Using Your Phone

Not everybody is camera savvy, it can be difficult to keep up to date with lenses, settings, filters and so much more. Luckily, those handy devices that never leave our side can take some pretty decent pictures.

Self-timer is a great option if you are riding solo as you can set it up to take the picture after 3-10 seconds. However, if this rushes you and doesn’t leave you enough time to make sure you are handling the fish properly, you can buy a Bluetooth version of a shutter release button to take your pictures whenever you are ready.

If you still feel as if you are struggling to get a decent picture, video mode is a really good way to capture the perfect moment. Simply set up your tripod and take a 30 second video of yourself with your fish. After holding up your prize catch, scrub through the footage, pause at your proudest moment and simply screenshot! Press the power and either the volume button or home button down on an apple device (depending on the model) and for an android, it’s volume down and power.

Night Shots

Nobody knows when it could be the time that you catch your best fish, so you need to be prepared to snap a high-quality picture whether it be day or night. To do so, you should ensure that your flash is switched on, or if it is not built into your camera, you bring along an external unit. It also helps if you sit the angler close to some greenery, such as a bush. In doing so, the flash from the camera will have something to bounce back from, helping show the all-important detail in the fish.

For those who are familiar with camera settings, stick to manual at night. Automatic functions are built for daylight, when everything is crystal clear. Some basic setting changes such as setting your programme wheel to M, choosing 1/125 second for the shutter speed, an ISO value of 400 (light sensitivity) and an aperture between f4 and f5.6 (to lessen background sharpness) will help your night shot massively. Remember to keep your flash on of course, it’s no good taking a picture when you can’t see anything.

If you still feel as if you are struggling to get a decent picture, video mode is a really good way to capture the perfect moment. Simply set up your tripod and take a 30 second video of yourself with your fish. After holding up your prize catch, scrub through the footage, pause at your proudest moment and simply screenshot! Press the power and either the volume button or home button down on an apple device (depending on the model) and for an android, it’s volume down and power.