140 How To Make Fish Mounts 



admiring it. Make it appear as if this is a few minutes' break 

 in the fishing. And don't look at the camera! Think of the 

 composition. Is there another boulder which will balance the 

 other side of the photo? Move over a few feet; perhaps a 

 branch of a tree overhead will add interest. A few extra min- 

 utes required for a good shot will pay great dividends in pleas- 

 ing results. If you want the fish to be the point of interest— 

 and it should be in a trophy photo— have the camera close to 

 the angler and the fish. A profile shot of the angler, including 

 his head and chest, as he looks down on the prize is an excel- 

 lent way to portray both. 



However, for a good series of fish trophy photos, one which 

 will dignify any room from the casual or rustic to more formal 

 settings, I strongly recommend elimination of the angler from 

 the photo. Black and white photographs lend themselves better 

 to a line or grouped series of fish photos. Colored prints are 

 best for a single picture in one given area of wall space. 



Do not place your fish just anywhere on the ground for a 

 shot. If you want to indicate the size of the fish, place your 

 catch so that there is a natural object to compare the fish with. 

 Don't place a package of cigarettes or a tape measure alongside 

 the fish. Instead, arrange the fish on a log or over a creel. 

 Lay the rod beside it, or perhaps place your hat, a fly box, or 

 a plug alongside. An interesting shot consists of laying the 

 fish across a landing net; another example— set the fish in a 

 spot along the shore so that a portion of its body lies in 

 the water. Sometimes the fish looks best without accessories, 

 propped on an interesting piece of pebbly shore or sandy beach. 

 Do not take the shot from an unnecessary distance from the 

 fish; fill a good portion of the camera finder with the subject. 

 There are countless arrangements which will prove interesting 

 and artistic. Take a few minutes to look around; give it some 

 thought. 



Volumes have been written on cameras, their manipula- 

 tion, and the actual techniques of photography, so I won't 

 advise the angler on that score. All photography shops stock 

 manuals on photography. Because I have been photographing 



