{"id":745,"date":"2006-03-13T20:37:53","date_gmt":"2006-03-13T20:37:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/2006\/03\/13\/article_ten_ways_to_improve_yo\/"},"modified":"2006-03-13T20:37:53","modified_gmt":"2006-03-13T20:37:53","slug":"article_ten_ways_to_improve_yo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/2006\/03\/13\/article_ten_ways_to_improve_yo\/","title":{"rendered":"Article: Ten Ways to Improve Your Pictures"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n<\/div>\n

THE TRUTH IS, anybody can take excellent fishing photos.<\/p>\n

With modern point and shoot technology, such arcane concepts as “reciprocity
\nof exposure” and the algebra behind camera stops have become unnecessary for
\nthe taking of good pictures. Most photographers starting out today can afford
\na point and shoot digital camera. With so many new photographers in the game,
\ndisplays of pictures and fish are becoming increasingly common. What is not
\nbecoming common, however, are good pictures.<\/p>\n

Think about it. How many pictures have you seen of fish so washed-out you
\ncan’t see the scales being held by a guy whose skin tone is “three days dead”
\nfor every shot that might have belonged in a magazine? The ratio may be 100
\nto 1.<\/p>\n

The following tips and tricks will help you improve your fishing pictures.\n<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n
<\/p>\n
This picture was shamelessly
\nlifted from Angie the Fishin’
\nGoddess’<\/a> “Darkest Fish Contest.” I particularly like the dogs circling
\nfor the kill.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Trick #1: A Picture is What You Make of It<\/big><\/strong><\/p>\n

Throw out the idea that a picture records reality. It isn’t true, and too
\nmany photographers object that photo editing “makes it not real.” Every time
\nyou select a subject, you create an unreality. You point the camera, you define
\nthe edges of the box your audience sees. Would you include an ugly automobile
\nin a shot of a pristine mountain valley when you could simply move the camera
\nan inch to the right? No! But the automobile was there. Is the mountain valley
\nany less real? Of course not.<\/p>\n

A fishing picture is exactly the same. Just because the light wasn’t favorable
\nat the time, or a power line crossed the shot, or an angler’s hat shaded her
\nface, that doesn’t mean you must portray these things in your picture. Remember
\nthat and keep an open mind about your options.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
This picture was originally
\nwashed out, fuzzy, and too far away. <\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Trick #2: Fill Flash<\/big><\/strong><\/p>\n

Fill flash is the most important trick an outdoor photographer can possess.
\nIf your subject is wearing a hat and the sun is directly overhead, how would
\nyou want her eyes to appear? Dark and shadowy, or bright and sharp? The only
\nway to get light up under that hat brim is to put it there yourself, and fortunately,
\nthat little flash on your camera is just the ticket. Too many snapshooters
\nmisuse flash, blowing out subjects at night and relying on available light
\nin the day. Flip this misconception on its head.<\/p>\n

For night subjects, use no flash and a tripod and a long exposure, or if
\nyou must use flash, select the “Slow” or “Rear Curtain” options on your camera’s
\nflash menu. Slow and Rear Curtain flash allow the camera to take in ambient
\nlight before flashing the subject, so your target is lit, but the background
\ndoesn’t look like a cave.<\/p>\n

In the daytime, use your flash full out. You won’t blow out a subject with
\nbright sunlight about. If you’re lucky enough to have one of the new digital
\nSLRs, trust the camera to meter the source and provide the correct amount
\nof flash. Review those pictures! If the shot didn’t turn out with a full flash,
\nturn it down, or if you can’t, cover part of the flash up with a finger.<\/p>\n

In the daytime, nothing makes an animal’s eye standout like a little glimmer
\nof reflected light. Can’t get a flash bright enough on the scene? Don’t be
\nafraid to add that glimmer later. Dodge tools in photo editing programs lighten
\nareas, and I have added the bird’s eye’s glimmer in the following shot.<\/p>\n


\nI couldn’t fill flash
\nthis goldfinch due to the distance I had to maintain, so I added a glimmer
\nof light in its eye later.<\/div>\n

Trick #3 Tic-Tac-Toe Composition<\/strong><\/big><\/p>\n

Composition is a tricky problem all in and of itself. The worst thing a
\nphotographer can do is to always center every subject. The ancient Greeks
\nunderstood that certain shapes are more appealing than others. Audiences haven’t
\nchanged much since then. One easy rule of thumb is the tic-tac-toe board.
\nImagine a tic-tac-toe grid across your image. The image is divided in thirds
\nboth horizontally and vertically. When shooting animals, its hard to go wrong
\nplacing a subject’s eye directly on one of the points of intersection. Horizons
\noften look better placed on either the upper or lower divider line. Some cameras
\neven include this grid as a display option.<\/p>\n

Don’t be afraid to break this rule if the subject interests you, however.
\nA horizon at the bottom of an image can make a breathtaking spectacle, while
\none right at the top of the frame can draw the eye to a line of mountains,
\nfor instance.<\/p>\n

Trick #4 Aperture and Shutter Speed<\/strong><\/big><\/p>\n

Aperture and Shutter speed are generally over-discussed, but it is interesting
\nhow many ordinary snapshooters still don’t understand the concept. I am not
\ngoing to try to do what has already been done better, but suffice it to say
\nthat larger apertures (and since aperture is a fraction, f\/2 is much larger
\nthan f\/22), let in more light, and small apertures (again, like f\/22) let
\nin less. One effect of this difference lies in depth of field, or the zone
\nat which your image goes foggy. Large apertures, like f\/2, leave you with
\na very shallow depth of field, which is great for zooming in on a subject
\nand leaving the rest of the picture blurry. Small apertures give a much deeper
\ndepth of field, meaning everything from the guy with the fish to the mountains
\nmiles off his shoulder will be in focus. Play around with these settings and
\npay attention to what you get.<\/p>\n


\nThis snail photo, photographed
\nby Lauren Holt Matthews with a Fuji FinePix40i on Macro setting, is a good
\nexample of the power of the point and shoot macro.<\/div>\n

Trick #5 Point and Shoots Make Great Macros<\/strong><\/big><\/p>\n

Digital point and shoot cameras are often fantastic for macro photography.
\nTechnically, “macro” used to mean that a lens was capable of producing a subject,
\nsay a mayfly, life-sized on the sheet of film. If you took a picture of a
\nmayfly at macro setting and 1:1 zoom, then held the slide up next to the mayfly,
\nthe bug and its picture would be the same size.<\/p>\n

Digital point and shoot cameras usually don’t come with enough lens to actually
\nmake a 1:1 ratio, but it doesn’t matter nearly as much, because the lenses
\non these cameras are so small anyway. My Fuji FinePix 40i has a lens size
\nof 8.3mm, or less than a third the size of your average 35mm lens. Because
\nthat lens is so small, even if the camera can only manage a 1:3 physical ratio,
\nwhere the reproduced image is 1\/3rd life-size, the small lens and the small
\nchip that corresponds to it makes the point and shoot a better macro outfit
\nthan some professional equipment costing many times more. Plus, those small
\nlenses can focus almost on top of a subject, meaning you can just about count
\nthe scales on a mayfly’s wings if it will only stand still long enough. Finally,
\nmacro-setting defaults to a very large aperture on every camera, so your subject
\nwill automatically be one of the only things in focus, making for some very
\ndramatic images.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
The increased saturation on this carp photo brought out the natural pinks and golds in the fish’s scales. They were always there, but the camera couldn’t cut enough glare to make it obvious. <\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Trick #6 Digital Saturation.<\/strong><\/big><\/p>\n

Modern Point and shoot cameras have a tendency to render a subject very
\nwashed-out and gray. With film, this would be a problem of underexposure,
\nbut with digital cameras, the likely culprit is your white balance. Try manipulating
\nthe white balance settings on your camera to create a warmer tone.<\/p>\n

However, even with the proper white balance, your camera will sometimes
\nturn out some gray shots. This is because digital cameras are calibrated to
\naverage the bright and dark elements of your shot to create a mythical 18%
\ngray curve. What that mumbo-jumbo means is the camera will cost you some color.
\nDon’t despair! For film-like effects, especially for film such as the excellent
\nFuji Velvia Professional slide films, try bringing your pictures into Picasa,
\nthe free Google editing program, and increasing saturation. Usually 15-20%
\nwill be enough, and don’t overdo it or your images may turn out looking like
\nthey were taken on Mars.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
The blacks in this image may well have been overdone, but it made
\nfor a dramatic photo and I frequently get requests for this image. <\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Trick #7 Darken the Blacks<\/strong><\/big><\/p>\n

Many new digital users complain that “digital doesn’t look like film.” This
\nis true. Digital pictures lack grain, are less contrasty, and may lack sharpness
\ndue to lower-quality lenses. These are NOT problems inherent in digital images
\nper se, but rather symptoms of the consumer-oriented design of these cameras.
\nTo make your digital images look more film-like and professional, adjust the
\ncolor balance. In Picasa, you can adjust general balances and sharpness. In
\nbetter programs like Paint Shop Pro and Photoshop, both of which are available
\nto consumers, you can adjust Selective Color. The most dramatic effect you
\ncan get with selective color is to darken your blacks. You will lose a lot
\nof detail in the shadows when you do this, but film usually did this anyway.
\nOne of the characteristics of Fuji Velvia is how quickly it drops off to black
\nat the low end of the spectrum. Are these pictures accurate representations
\nof reality? Hell no! But they sure look fine.<\/p>\n

Trick # 8 Know When to Sharpen<\/strong><\/big><\/p>\n

Knowing when, and when not to, sharpen is probably the most important skill
\nin photo editing. Sharpening ruins detail, significantly degrading the quality
\nof your image. Many times, it isn’t even sharpness you want to add, especially
\nnot over the whole image. Experiment with brightness and contrast and deepening
\nyour blacks or your shadow tones before you sharpen. In fact, make it a cardinal
\nrule to always sharpen last. This will do a lot for your images, because you
\nwill apply the other edits with the most available data.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
Don’t be afraid to bring your fish
\naway from your body entirely. No grip and grin was needed here. Although
\nthe fish was on the small side, his expression and beautiful color made
\nhim more than worth photographing. Why ruin the picture by sticking yourself
\nin it? <\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Trick # 9 How to Shoot A Fish<\/strong><\/big><\/p>\n

Fish pictures seem to just ruin photographers. You’ve all seen the classic
\nGrip N Grin, where the fish is held at arms length at the camera and there’s
\nno telling how big it really was. The other chief sin is the “lay it next
\nto the rod” shot. Nothing looks deader than a fish laid on the bank next to
\na rod. Add a bright fill flash and bingo: a dog’s dinner.<\/p>\n

Fish pictures deserve some special consideration, because fish are 1) a
\nlot smaller than you (unless you’re catching marlin, you lucky dog) and 2)
\nshiny. The average American man weighs somewhere between 180 and 200 pounds.
\nA trophy trout might weigh ten, or just five to eight percent of the man.
\nKeep this in mind. Don’t be afraid to hold the fish out away from your body
\nif you need a fish shot, but don’t stick it right up in the photographer’s
\ngrill either. But consider this: no matter how good the Grip N Grin, the fish
\nis always going to be smaller and less detailed if a person must also fit
\ninto the shot.<\/p>\n

Why not try macro shots right up against the fish instead? The chief rule
\nof photographing animals is to always leave their eyes in the picture. Stick
\nto this rule unless photographing tails, which have a certain beauty of their
\nown. Remember too that a fish is a water creature. The best trophy shots are
\nthe ones taken underwater, but if you don’t have an underwater camera handy,
\ndo the next best thing and place the camera at water level, with the fish
\njust under the surface or just out of the water.<\/p>\n

Because fish are shiny, you need to be careful with fill flash. The best
\nshots still require it, but turn the fish’s body slightly away from the camera
\nso as not to bounce all that flash back. Use a polarizing filter to cut the
\nnatural glare of scales (and skin!). Don’t be afraid to try crazy angles,
\nlike “sighting down the fish” or just the fishy mugshot. Keep the light behind
\nyou and pay attention to your aperture: ideally nothing but the fish should
\nbe in focus to help add depth and dimension (and to keep from giving the audience
\nan exact idea how small he was!)<\/p>\n

Trick # 10 Camera Protection<\/strong><\/big><\/p>\n

The last of these tricks is how to protect a camera in a wading environment.
\nThe number one rule is never take a risk that isn’t worth the result. If the
\nwater is falling but you’d rather be across now, consider waiting to give
\nyour gear a chance. Stow point and shoot cameras in watertight containers
\nlike a Ziploc baggie or a tight neoprene case. Consider investing in a water-resistant
\nmodel for the vest pocket.<\/p>\n

If the worst happens and your camera gets a dunking, DO NOT TURN IT ON.
\nYou have a chance to dry your sensitive electronics out so long as you don’t
\nfry them. If the camera was off when it went into the drink, immediately remove
\nthe batteries. Shake out as much water as possible and place the camera in
\nthe sun. Resist the urge to check the camera for two or three days of drying,
\nbeing careful to place it in the sun or a hot environment. My Fuji has been
\nsunk twice. I dried it out both times and it is still going steady.<\/p>\n

SLR cameras are harder to protect. My advice is to wear the camera around
\nyour neck, with an arm through the strap so it can slide around to the back.
\nAlso, purchase insurance! My camera and fishing gear policy costs me less
\nthan $20 a month, and it allows me to rest assured that my gear will always
\nbe safe, even if it isn’t. Most insurers offer flood, theft, accidental breakage,
\nand loss protection.<\/p>\n

I hope you’ve found these tips helpful and informative. I’ve enjoyed writing
\nthem, and now I just need to make sure I follow my own advice!<\/p>\n

For more information on improving your streamside photography,
\ncheck out the Episode
\nOne of The Itinerant Angler Podcast<\/a> or visit the Bulletin
\nBoard<\/a>.\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

THE TRUTH IS, anybody can take excellent fishing photos. With modern point and shoot technology, such arcane concepts as “reciprocity of exposure” and the algebra behind camera stops have become unnecessary for the taking of good pictures. Most photographers starting out today can afford a point and shoot digital camera. …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1347,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","column","onecol","has-thumbnail"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/files\/2013\/01\/pictures1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/745","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=745"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/745\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}