I hate it when..

[A9]

Pictures make fish look smaller then they seemed like they were when you just caught em.

I mean there is that one way to make a fish look bigger (long arming it) but that's just so cheesy and it's darn obvious when you are stretching your hands out there....

Anyone got any tactics to make a fish appear "bigger" in a picture?
Someones gotta have some...

EDIT: I guess I should say, what are some good tips for making "better" fish pictures? I mean only a few are the type you wanna frame and hang on your wall, and I'd like a few more to be of this quality...

[kuttkilla]

[bassmasterderek]

I'm always trying to take the picture by myself, not easy if your trying to hold it up. And I don't wanna set it down on the boat...I usually wanna release it!

[A9]

Anyone got any tactics to make a fish appear "bigger" in a picture?
Someones gotta have some...

Not sure why you'd want to do this...as the fish should "speak for itself," but with that said, sometimes you can put a little weight under the belly of the fish and it will bulge out a bit and look fatter and larger...it works...

Well some of the pictures I took of fish that were caught this afternoon show the rainbow to be much smaller then they are. I'm not saying I'm trying to get my fish to look twice as big to showboat them off as being some trophy they really aren't, it's just that in some of my pictures, the fish don't seem to be as big as they taped out to be.
Take this for an example: Would you say this fish hits the 20" mark? Based on the picture, I wouldn't believe it was, but it was a quarter inch ahead of 20 inches...Obviously it is misleading because my hands are huge and can easily palm a basketball, but the fish doesn't appear to be anything more then 16 inches...


I guess what I'm more looking for is a way to take better fishing pictures. A few come out fantastic, but not as many as I'd like. Whether it's the camera, lighting, the way the fish is held, the fish moving itself, etc., are all variable that are factored in when having a photo opp with a fish...

[kzoo]

If you don't want to long are it, then you're gonna have to use something with a reference, maybe put a dollar bill on it.

A couple years ago you weighed a smallie at Lake Washington, a private dock in maydenbrauer. You used my digital scale, (I was the guy in the bass boat, you might have forgot about this), but you used a power bait jar to use a reference for a picture.

[A9]

A couple years ago you weighed a smallie at Lake Washington, a private dock in maydenbrauer. You used my digital scale, (I was the guy in the bass boat, you might have forgot about this), but you used a power bait jar to use a reference for a picture.

NO WAY! That was you!
Amazing at how we accidentally cross paths with other members sometimes...
I ran into ChrisB at Coulon and didn't know he was a member until we came back onto the forums...

[kuttkilla]

[kuttkilla]

[A9]

Well some of the pictures I took of fish that were caught this afternoon show the rainbow to be much smaller then they are. I'm not saying I'm trying to get my fish to look twice as big to showboat them off as being some trophy they really aren't, it's just that in some of my pictures, the fish don't seem to be as big as they taped out to be.
Take this for an example: Would you say this fish hits the 20" mark?

Ahh...I see your point now...so the dollar bill idea is O.K. but we gotta come up with some better ideas...people chime in...that fish is gorgeous and I'd say around 17" and it was larger...so I can see your point/frustration. Have you tried laying the fish flat on a towel and taking a picture with a tape measure alongside it...? That works a lot, too, and I've had some good success with this...I know what you mean though, cause some of the fish I catch at Margaret are much larger than they appear in the picture(s)...

I'm not a huge fan of laying a fish down when I intend to release it. I try and delicately pick it up out of my net, hold it horizontally and get a few quick pics in before letting it loose. When I keep a fish, yes I do like to use this method. But in the past few years I've began to be more careful with fish I intend to put back...

[Anonymous]

I think one of the best techniques is a sideways shot with the belly pushed out and always keep yourself low. What I mean by this is crouching, sitting or on one knee. You will see this with hunting photos where the hunter is posed behind the animal either sitting or kneeling.

Here are some examples:











Just to get an idea of what I am talking about.

A reference object is always good if you are taking the pic by yourself. And please no long arming. I admit I have done it and really, it turns out to be a horrible picture.
If you look at the pics in my photobucket (link below) I like to crouch down or sit for pics, of course if I remember to do it.
You will find this with a lot of pictures of trophy fish.



fishnislife

[A9]

Looking good there Jeremiah...Thanks for those tips..

I agree, long arming can ruin a great photo.

[Anonymous]

One other thing I think looks killer, if you can get the fish to cooperate, is making sure the fins are flared out. Creates a bigger profile of the fish as well. And they look livelier.



fishnislife

[kzoo]

A couple years ago you weighed a smallie at Lake Washington, a private dock in maydenbrauer. You used my digital scale, (I was the guy in the bass boat, you might have forgot about this), but you used a power bait jar to use a reference for a picture.

NO WAY! That was you!
Amazing at how we accidentally cross paths with other members sometimes...
I ran into ChrisB at Coulon and didn't know he was a member until we came back onto the forums...

Yeah man that was me, I was pretty surprised when you posted the report. That was a nice smallie.

[kuttkilla]

[A9]

A couple years ago you weighed a smallie at Lake Washington, a private dock in maydenbrauer. You used my digital scale, (I was the guy in the bass boat, you might have forgot about this), but you used a power bait jar to use a reference for a picture.

NO WAY! That was you!
Amazing at how we accidentally cross paths with other members sometimes...
I ran into ChrisB at Coulon and didn't know he was a member until we came back onto the forums...

Yeah man that was me, I was pretty surprised when you posted the report. That was a nice smallie.

Put it this way, back then I was a much different fishermen. Hardly remembered that someone else was there to even weigh her for me, but now I remember it quite well..

[Derrick-k]

Use smaller lighter tackle, bring a kid with you and have them hole the fish, take the picture next to a trick tape measure, turns a 10in fish into a 20in fish, keep a really small spinner in your tackle box that you can put next to it, a small undersized net can also make the fish appear bigger.

[Anonymous]

I don't know that Sam is looking to make the fish appear larger than it actually is, I think he is trying to get an idea as to how to photo the fish for what it is worth. Making it appear "to size", without taking away from it by doing something in the picture to ruin that effect. Like long arming.
But I do like your suggestions on how to make a fish look bigger than it actually is.



fishnislife

[kuttkilla]

[eustace]

Yeah, catch giant fish like that trip above (wow).

[kuttkilla]