Gone Digital
By Joel L. Evans

Upstream, a movement in the glassy pocket water catches your eye. A swirl says time to switch to a dry. A yellow humpy will handle the broken current. Nothing. Switch flies. Smaller tippet. Dry and dropper. Nothing. What about an emerger? Flash, slurp, lift, strip, reel, run, reel, pressure, head up, net!
Photo time! Not necessarily big, but special. Some experiences burn unforgettable in our memory, but a photo can be shared. Here are a few thoughts specific to digital cameras and fish photography.
Film is still superior in some ways, but digital is easy and cheap. Easy because digitals have automatic features and cheap because you have eliminated the film cost and reduced the processing cost.
Digital cameras follow the path of all electronics, available in a variety of price points and features that are ever changing. Quality is excellent from any name brand digital camera selling between $100 and $200, with standard features such as a 3 megapixel resolution, 3x optical zoom, flash, and a variety of automatic settings. Rechargable batteries are a must for cost’s sake.

Buy a larger capacity card and a camera bag. Experiment. The great thing about digital cameras is you can afford to take a lot of pictures and keep only the best.

The best photos require some help from your fishing buddy – one to handle the fish and one to take the shot. Take care of your fish first while your partner gets the digital camera ready. Digitals allow for presetting, so that when the camera is turned on, you are ready with the right resolution and settings. Choose the highest resolution. For most shots, the automatic setting works well.

Leave the fish in the water, in the net if necessary. Handle the fish and lift it out of the water only for a few moments to get the picture. Some of the best shots are holding the fish still partially in the water or with net and fish in the water.

While the fish is the focus, the fisherman should also be recognizable. Remove your sunglasses and maybe tilt your hat back. Solve a common problem of a shadow on the face created by the bill of the hat by using the flash in bright daylight.

Do the grin pose, but consider a shot where you are looking at the fish. You will be recognizable, but attention is drawn to the fish. Take one where you and the fish fill the frame. Then use the digital optical zoom feature for a close shot of the fish, even just your hands or the net. Digital cameras with a macro feature can get really close, for just the fishes head, emphasizing colors and spots and fins.
Zoom out, allowing the scenery or surroundings to capture the essence of the fishing situation with you to the side. Frame the shot with some prominent feature such as a waterfall, rock, mountain, log jam, or boat. Better digitals have a traditional eye viewfinder that exactly frames the lens rather than taking a chance with the display screen. Follow the rule of thirds.

For the sake of the fish, do this all quickly. Consider one kind of shot with one fish then another scene later with a different fish.

Some of my favorite shots are not even with a fish. Look for opportune moments such as your buddy sitting on a rock retying or kneeling in the grass. Take closeup shots of just the hands with a flybox or a hatched insect resting on the back of a cap. Capture the whole day with shots at the car putting on waders, hiking, boating, sunsets, flowers, animals – with a digital, why not?
Fishing is about more than fish. Have fun and think differently about your subject and how to frame it. The rest will happen naturally.

About the Author

Joel Evans has authored a regular fishing column for many years for the Montrose Daily Press and has had articles and photographs published in numerous magazines. As a member and board member of the Western Outdoor Writers and the Rocky Mountain Outdoor Writers and Photographers, he combines fly fishing, fly tying, instruction, writing, and digital photography. Joel is a guide and partner in “Fish On” Guides, a guide service featuring private water ponds. He is a fly tying instructor and is a pro staff member for Ross Reels, Scott Rods, Whiting Farms, and Patagonia.