For this image of a Tarpon, I shot with a shallow depth of field and a blue fishing shirt to add more depth and texture to the image.
I'm a photographer who was born and raised fishing on the Texas coast. Since I can remember, my family would drive down to the coast for a weekend full of fishing, boats, and salty water. You could say saltwater runs in my veins.
When my brother began mastering fly fishing in college, I began to see the true art behind the perfect catch! There's nothing better than witnessing the pride and excitement of reeling in a beautiful fish. You don't even have to be into fishing to appreciate how beautiful these creatures are. Having the tools to capture that once in a lifetime moment can turn a quick flick of the tail into a framable moment captured forever.
Still taken from video on a Canon 5D Mark IV with a Canon 24-70 f/2.8 Lens.
Tip 1: Make a Plan
You may be thinking... what do you mean "make a plan!?" Hear me out. I'm a big fan of catch and release fishing. The opportunity to release the fish back into its environment unharmed makes the photographs captured so special in my opinion. If you are practicing catch and release fishing, be prepared before your fisher reels in their catch and decide what kind of content you want to capture beforehand. Knowing what you want to capture while the fish is still in the water will streamline the process, which is healthier for the fish. The photo above is a still taken from a short video clip. Since I knew I had about 30 seconds to capture this moment, I decided to take a video and pull photographs from the footage so the fish spent as little time out of the water as possible.
Tip 2: Get Close
Many people opt for the classic "hold the fish and smile" photo opportunity when they bring in a good catch. I challenge you to focus on the details of your catch instead. Sure, you could snap a quick pic of yourself for your Instagram, but why don't you try getting close up and personal with your catch? Some of my favorite shots are those that hone in on the fish's unique details. They also tend to look a lot like paintings, which really tends to impress! Capture the fish's eyes, scales, tale, etc. Think outside of the box!
f/2.8, ISO 500, 1/145th of a second. Shot with a Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS II USM lens.
Tip 3: Fast Fish = Fast Shutter Speed
The key to capturing epic action shots falls on using a fast lens. I feel comfortable calling any lens with an aperture of f/2.8 or lower as a fast lens. Being able to open your aperture and let in lots of light will help you capture a fast-moving fish. Trying to focus on a quick freshwater trout will test your patience like nothing else- so it helps to know that your photograph won't be blurry when you finally score the perfectly composed shot! I just love using my Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8 lens to capture little bitty trout. You can really capture their fine details even if they are thrashing about in the water. When in doubt, go for a fast lens!
f/16, ISO 250, 1/50th of a second. Shot with a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM Lens.
Tip 4: Get on Their Level
One of my favorite practices for fly fishing photography is to meet the fish where it's at. Getting down on the fish's level helps bring the viewer into the moment. Instead of looking down on the fish, we feel like we are there with the fly fisher as they bring in their catch. For this specific instance, we were fishing from a boat on some shallow, grassy flats on the Laguna Madre. I jumped out of the boat to capture the moment from the opposite direction. If you can pull this shot off without falling into the water, then you will have a unique photograph that looks very professional and tricky to capture! Maybe invest in a waterproof camera or case if you want to tempt fate and attempt this shot frequently!
Shot on a Canon EOS 7D Mark II and a Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens.
Tip 5: Go for a Fixed Lens
When I first started fly fishing photography, I was looking for a really fast lens that was easy to use and had a quick autofocus. I went with a little fixed portrait/macro lens for a majority of the action shots I ended up getting on this trip to the Florida Keys. This specific lens was nothing special, in fact, I had bought it used for about $50 a few years ago. Because it lacks zoom capabilities, this lens forces you to work with a restricted field of view (which is a great lesson in composition anyways). Being able to shoot wide open at f/1.4 lets you shoot sharp photos even on a cloudy day. Regardless of the bargain a fixed lens can provide, going for a lens like the Canon 50mm f/1.4 will allow you to capture pure saltwater magic!
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