Do you ever wonder how the pros take such great fishing photos? The ones that wind up on the covers of your favorite outdoor magazines. While there’s often an element of luck involved in catching a trophy-sized fish, veteran outdoor photographers leave little to chance when it comes to capturing such moments with their cameras. You don’t have to be a photo professional, however, to take great fishing pictures. The following pointers, courtesy of BoatersWorld.com and its sister site RitzCamera.com, will help you dramatically improve the quality of your on-the-water images. And while there’s no guarantee that your pictures will be cover shots, you’ll be able to create a fishing photo collection worth bragging about.

1. Avoid the “Dead Fish” view

A dead, lifeless colorless fish that’s been laying in your fish hold for hours makes a dull photo subject. If you want to take a shot of an angler holding his or her catch, do so soon after the fish is landed. This way, you’ll be assured of capturing the vivid colors and patterns characteristic of the species in the photo. Many game fish, especially dorado, wahoo, billfish, salmon and trout, lose their amazing color minutes after being caught. By taking your shot right away, you’ll end up with a much more brilliant and appealing image. You’ll also be able to capture the genuine expressions of joy and excitement on the face of the proud angler. If you are practicing catch-and-release, you’ll need to take your photos quickly anyway in order to get the fish back in the water in short order. But if your plan is to keep your fish for the frying pan or barbeque, don’t let your catch sit around in a box or cooler for hours and expect it to sport the same rainbow of color displayed when it was first landed.

2. Catch the Action

While a photo of an angler holding a freshly-caught fish often makes for a nice image, there’s nothing like an action shot to convey the true excitement of a catch. If an angler will be releasing a fish after landing it, take advantage of the opportunity to snap some shots of the fisherman leaning over the gunwale of the boat, setting the fish gently back in the water. When taking such a shot, be sure that there are no obstructions, and that you can clearly see the fish as it is being set free. It’s usually best to snap the shot just before the angler releases the fish. If you wait until the fish is below the surface, chances are the colors will be lost and the image will be distorted. In addition to catch-and-release scenarios, you can take advantage of other action scenes to produce great fishing photos. While it may be difficult to put down your own rod for a moment during a hot, “wide-open” bite to pick up a camera, the great pictures will make passing up a fish or two worthwhile. Take some candid shots of your fishing buddy with his rod doubled over under the weight of a powerful game fish. Try to capture the look of concentration and determination on the angler’s face during the heat of battle.

3. Make Sure the Subject is a Colorful Character

You can inject a blast of color into your shots featuring an angler by ensuring that the subject is wearing brightly colored clothing. This is especially important if the fish featured in the shot is not a colorful species, or if the day is overcast. Shirts, jackets or slickers in red or yellow or purple are best and will enhance any fishing photo. Avoid wearing blue, green or white, especially on the upper body, as colors like these tend to get lost against the predominantly blue and white backdrop of the water, sky and clouds. Additionally, many game fish species have blue and green or white coloration, which can make a fish hard to distinguish if the angler is wearing similarly colored clothing.

4. Don’t Look at the Camera!

When taking fishing photos, whatever you do, make sure the subject is NOT staring straight at the camera. If an angler poses for a shot with a “cheesy” grin, the image will look staged. Make your images look like they were captured on the spur of the moment (even if this isn’t actually the case). The best fishing shots appear as if they were taken by a “ghost” photographer during the course of the day — as if the subjects were not aware they were being photographed. Make sure the angler is focusing on the fish, instead of your lens. Have the fisherman look his adversary right in the eye, and flash a smile that reflects the happiness of winning a hard-fought contest. It’s fine to introduce other anglers into the shot, but make sure all of the subjects are looking at the fish instead of the camera.

5. Consider the Total Shot

Be conscious not only of your intended photo subject or subjects, but also of what may be “lurking” in the background of any fishing shot. An otherwise spectacular fishing photo can be ruined by objects that have no business being in your shot. When people look at your fishing photo, you want them to focus on the angler and the fish, not extra rods and reels, tackle boxes, trash cans or chum buckets in the background. Also be aware of objects that might cast shadows on the subjects and negatively affect the overall image.

6. Let There Be Light

Typically, you won’t need to use a flash on bright sunny days. However, if the skies are overcast or low-light conditions exist, it’s best to use a “fill flash” to ensure that your shots are not too dark. There are some unique natural lighting situations, however, create special photo opportunities. For example, you may want to take advantage of a scenic panorama of the sun rising above an offshore island, or the silhouette of fishing boats off your bow at sunset. You’ll need to use a flash, however, in these situations. You can also benefit from the use of a built-in or accessory flash – even in bright sunlight. Mid-day shadows, such as those cast by a hat or cap over an angler’s face, can often be reduced by using this “fill flash” technique.

7. Take a Different Point of View

When you look through the viewfinder, first decide whether the framed image lends itself better to a horizontal or vertical photo. Some scenes, like panoramic views are naturals as horizontal photos, whereas others, such as an angler standing up with rod and fish in hand are better taken as vertical shots. Then, think out of the box a little. By snapping your shots from different angles and/or levels, you can make your fishing photos more interesting. Try getting down low and shooting upwards to maximize the length of a fish. Take a few shots from up on the flybridge to mix things up a bit. Varying your position will add variety and creativity to your fishing pictures. One additional note on the subject of perspective. Having a subject hold a fish away from his or her body and toward the camera is a technique some photographers employ to make the fish seem larger. If you choose to create this illusion, be careful not to overdo the effect. Holding the fish too close can make a small flounder look like a 50-pound halibut. Remember, you want to use photo techniques to enhance your picture, not to distort it to unreal proportions.

8. Shooting a Fish Solo

Let’s face it, fishing pictures are usually more interesting when they feature both a fish and an angler. Afterall, most people like to look at other people, as well as impressive game fish. If you want to snap a few solo shots of your catch, however, focus the shot on a particular feature of section of the fish that characterizes this species or stands out as particularly striking. For instance, you may want to focus on the most colorful section of a “fluorescent” dorado, the distinguishing hooked jaw of a male salmon, or the massive head section of a blue marlin with its formidable bill.

9. Night Moves

If you will be taking fishing or boating photos at night, you’ll want to use a high-speed film, such as 400 or 800. The greater sensitivity to light that this film provides will enable you to capture greater detail during low-light conditions. Also be sure to use either an internal or external flash. If your camera has an internal flash, make sure your battery is fully charged, especially if you will be taking a lot of night photos. If you’ll be using an external flash, take along extra batteries. When taking pictures of people at night, you’ll want to guard against the “red eye” effect. Many cameras have built-in red-eye reduction features, so make sure this is turned on for your night photography.

10. If You Plan On “Going Digital”

Taking on-the-water photos with a digital camera offers several advantages over using a film SLR model, and thanks to technological advances, the quality of images taken with digital cameras are now as good or better than those taken with traditional film cameras. With a digital camera, you can view the images you take instantly – you can’t do this with a standard SLR or point-and-shoot model. When you get home, you can edit your digital images and file them without any processing costs or delays. You also have the option of storing your fishing or boating pictures online, and sharing these images with friends and family via the Internet. If you opt to “go digital” for your fishing and boating photos, there are a few things you should keep in mind. The “firing rate” of a digital camera is typically slower than that of a traditional camera, so when you press down the shutter button, there will be a slight delay in when the shot is actually captured. This could be a factor, especially if you are attempting to capture an action photo like a fish jumping. If you plan on taking a lot of shots, be sure to take extra memory cards with you, just as you would bring along extra rolls of film for a traditional camera. Also plan on taking some extra batteries with you, since the LCD features on digital models tend to eat up battery power. You won’t want your camera to run out of “juice” when you’re 20 miles offshore. If your digital camera offers the option of adding a creative filter to the lens, you should do so to cut down on sun glare. Such a filter will act like sunglasses for your camera and greatly diminish the negative effects of glare. If you anticipate that your camera will get wet or you will be taking underwater shots, consider purchasing one of the waterproof or underwater digital cameras that is available.