How To Take Fishing Photos You Can Publish Or Sell

While walking along a busy dock, I saw a teenage deckhand carrying a huge fish head in a bucket. The red head with its blue eyes and deadly-looking rows of dagger-like teeth made a stunning sight. I just had to take the shot. Waiting around a bit netted me a story about the unusual catch an elderly fisherman had made and the plans he had for the monster-sized Red Snapper head in the bucket. I sold the story and the photo. But the editor paid more for the photos than the story.

Dogs bark, birds fly, and fishermen fish. It's what we do, right? So why should a dedicated salt water of fresh water fisherman now become a serious shutterbug? Well, how about to increase your exposure, boost your pride, improve your credibility and get a little extra income? Not to mention bragging rights for having your photo in a local, regional or national publication. Are any of those reasons that might interest you? Then read on Bunky, here's the scoop.

Offer a complete package

Overworked editors will often jump at the chance for a complete package of text plus art. It means they don't have to search for photos and graphics to accompany their articles, saving them time, costs and stress. If you can write up a short blurb of text to go along with your photos of Bass, Trout, catfish or shark, all the better. Most magazines also pay extra for photography as well giving what might be a mediocre rate for an article alone a stiff boost when the photo fees are added in. Again padding the pay envelope ? and you don't mind THAT now do you?

What kinds of photos to take

To learn about composition and types of photos look at examples of what your target publications are using. Take a short photography course. Many community colleges offer them. You could also check at local photo shops or try one of the several good ones online. Take photos of signs, nearby historic points, close-ups of your finny friends and good, tight shots of the day's catch and the fishermen who got them. Be sure to get names and contact information for everyone in your photos. Okay, so go ahead and get the ?usual? type of photos to have that out of your system, but then think and go for a few ?extra? shots that will help round out your photos submissions.

Digital or film?

In today's market there are a wide variety of choices for shooting your article photos. Films differ in format, speed and sensitivity. There are choices of from less than 100 ISA up to 1600 ISA or even faster for specialty films in 35mm format. Color, B/W, sepia tone and infrared films are also available for adding special effects. You needn't chain your brain with these options if you're not interested. Just stick with 100 to 400 ISA film in 35mm format. Shoot prints or slides depending on what the publication photography guidelines say. Another thing, use one of those 'disposable? camera models or a special ?all weather? or sports model camera if you're worried about damaging your expensive 35mm out on the water.

Have it BOTH ways

Another point: film pictures can be scanned and digitized. Many photo shops offer to burn film negative photos onto a CD for a small additional fee, so you can have it both ways. Take them up on it. Find out from two or three different photo shops, what cross-media services they offer. Selling one good photograph can pay for months of photography.

The debate over digital vs. film cameras rages on. Call me a wimp, call me a cop out, call me whatever you want: I use both when shooting on location. So whether I find a market that asks for prints, negatives, slides or high resolution digital images, I'm covered. So go ahead and snicker at me all you ?purists?; you can follow me all the way to the bank.

On Location: what to shoot?

On location, a range of images from close ups to scenic overviews are useful. Try different angles and different heights. Take portraits, group and individual shots of unposed people. Photograph the food, facilities, products and people. Keep an eye out for splashes of color, interesting scenes, unusual clothing or situations. Remember the fish head in a bucket I mentioned earlier? Look for stuff that ?grabs? your eye like that.

Inquiring minds want to know

In your enquiries to editors, if you offer a selection of photos and graphics, you're going to start getting much more of the editor's attention. Don't send any photos, just say that they're available. You'll know what format the publication uses from reading the guidelines. Usually six or eight photos should do it. That means if you have around a dozen items available to send in for review and approval, you have an excellent chance of making the pitch sell. My first few months doing this more than tripled my success rate without changing anything else.

How, what and where

A web search for ?fishing magazines? will yield dozens of titles. Go to their websites and look under photographer guidelines for more info on how and where to submit your pictures. Stop by a local newsstand or two for copies of fishing, outdoor and sports magazines you can contact for your area. Don't forget the local and regional newspapers either. If you need a virtual kick-in-the-pants to get you going or have an additional question, please feel free to e-mail me.

So get out there and take a few shots with your next fishing trip already in mind. Dogs bark, birds fly, and fishermen fish ? and offer their photos to their local newspapers and favorite fishing magazines for extra income. It's what we do, right?