One of the lesser known advantages of being an angler are the beautiful locations in which you can find yourself. I've been to some fabulous looking venues both here and abroad. So it's a double whammy for me as my second (often my first) hobby is photography and it's great to be able to combine the two.Keen semi-pro and amateur photographers like myself are likely to have a digital SLR camera, but that doesn't mean you can't get some great shots with a digital compact.And let's face it, if you only want to print up to A4 and for web or PC monitor use, you don't really need anything else.
Self-take Photography
Photography has long been a second hobby for many anglers, especially those who take an interest in the landscapes and wildlife they share their surroundings with. Many of those who have no interest in photography carry a camera, if only to have a record of the good fish they've caught. And in these days of fully automatic digital cameras and camera phones even more anglers are taking pictures of the fish they've caught. When you fish with other anglers nearby, whether they're companions or not, there is no problem getting a good shot as you just ask someone to bang off a few shots and usually at least one will be of decent quality.
The problems start when you fish on your own and there is no one nearby to take the shot for you. In that situation you have to have some means of taking the picture yourself that doesn't involve keeping the fish out of the water for too long. Most anglers choose to use a camera with a self-timer or, better still, a remote control and support the camera on a tripod or a bankstick fitted with a camera adaptor. They minimise the time the fish spends out of the water by setting up a space between two banksticks, switching off the autofocus and manually pre-focusing on the banksticks from a predetermined spot.
When a fish is caught it is then a simple job to place the fish on an unhooking mat between the banksticks, set the camera up on the predetermined spot, set the self-timer going, and nip smartly into position between the banksticks to hold the fish in time for the shutter to go off. If you have a camera that is capable of taking a burst of three or more shots then that's a distinct advantage if you bracket the exposures. And better still is if you have a remote controlled camera that will allow you to hold the fish comfortably and pose with eyes open and a smile on your face before you release the shutter. Even better is if you have a camera with a swivel screen so that you can see what the camera is seeing. The Canon G11 is excellent for this, but there are other makes and models that also have the facility.
Camera tripods have always been a problem for anglers as the most stable ones are too heavy to lug around when you have to walk any distance to your swim. A solid, screw-in bankstick with a camera adaptor, is a good idea but still not ideal when fishing on very hard ground or even rocks, and when you want to move the camera around a little.
What I use is the Joby Gorillapod which come in various sizes to the suit the type of camera you use. It is lighter than the lightest bankstick, can be used on the ground like a standard tripod, or attached to practically anything, such as trees, bushes, fences, pipes, even rocks. Used on the ground it's low down but that is easily solved by tilting the camera upwards. Most of the time though anglers will have a convenient fence or tree branch to attach it to. Combine the Gorillapod with the Gardner Camera Angle Adaptor, or similar, and you have a great, versatile, camera support that takes up hardly any room in your rucksack or box and weighs just a few ounces.
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