I’ve come to the conclusion that I very rarely take a fish photo of the entire fish. I like head shots. The jaws, eyes, big spots and color. Now, a confession; I have been doing most of these head shots with my iPhone 11. It’s a great tool. I can net a fish, gently cradle it at the surface, shoot a shot with my iPhone, low to the water, and boom, that’s it.
No fish torture, and only a few seconds taken away from fishing. But wait! I can also switch to Portrait Mode and get those soft backgrounds and the ‘pro look’. Nothing wrong with being fast, being conscientious of a live, beautiful creature and getting nice results. And I can immediately brag to my buddies who are working in a cubicle.
“Now, a confession; I have been doing most of these head shots with my iPhone 11.”
Contributed By
Brian O’Keefe
1970. The year I published my first fly fishing photo. I was 16, and the shot was of a brown trout. Forty nine years later, and I’m still shooting brown trout. It might sound corny, but I rarely catch a trout without commenting on how pretty it is, or its spots, color, etc. Nearly every day since that first published photo, I have been involved with something that includes trout and a little feather and fur and a hook. I’ve learned that the time spent actually catching trout is only about 1% of the time, living the trout fisher’s lifestyle. That 1% is a lot better than almost any other endeavor, occupation or hobby, in my humble opinion. I’ll keep loving every trout’s face and swear when I miss a giant that slurps in my elk hair caddis.
