Shoot Better Underwater Photographs with Scott Anderson
By Scott Anderson

Posted: April 13, 2012

Over the past months, people have asked me how I get the underwater still photos of the fish that I catch. First off, you have to catch a photogenic trout in the middle of winter in Montana. It is not as hard as you may think. The hardest part is dealing with the snow and ice on the river banks.

Once you get that photogenic trout, you’ll need a underwater camera. I like the Fuji Finepix XP30. This camera cost around $120.00. Then maybe the hardest part, choosing the correct camera setting. One might think this is easy, but it takes lots of trial and error. I chose the underwater tropical setting. This setting gives great colors and truly shows the trout in its natural environment. Water clarity is a huge factor in the process of getting a good shot.

The next step, in this process is how to get a good shot. You don’t want to put your head in the water in the middle of winter. What I do is keep the fish hooked up and hold the line and position my camera underwater about two to three feet away from the fish.  Then shoot multiple shots of the fish at all different angles.

Note: when you do this take in to consideration the fishʼs condition. If the fish is exhausted from the fight it is better to release it back in to the water. So you may catch five fish and only get photos of one of them.

Then you have to look at the photos to see if they are the quality you and the fish desire. It takes many days on the water and many hours invested in trying to get that great shot of the trout in itʼs natural environment. I am on the water doing research year round so this is not that hard for me.

Remember to always be safe on the water and try not to lose your footing in the river or slip and fall on the rocks. Probably like me, you’re out on the river by yourself and no one to help, if you get into a bad situation.

If you have any questions please give me a call at (406) 210-0971. If you are interested in booking a trip with Montana Fishing Company go to our web site www.montanafishingcompany.com.

Outfitter

Scott Anderson

Montana Fishing Company

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