How to Take Fishing Photos You Can Publish or Sell: What kinds of photos to Take

What Kinds of Salt Water and Fresh Water Fishing Photos to Take

To learn about photographic composition and types of photos, look at examples of what your target fishing, outdoors, vacation and travel 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, black and white, 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 might rage on but the world is becoming an increasingly digital one. 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 photographic prints, film negatives, photographic slide formats 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.

In the next segment, we’ll look at exactly what kinds of scenes and images to shoot that will be saleable to potential fishing, outdoor, vacation and travel websites, blogs, e-zines, newsletters, and websites, to mention a few market possibilities. See you then.


Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. Need professional, original salt or fresh water fishing related content or articles for your blog, newsletter, e-zine or website? Have a question, request, or want to receive more information or to be added to his articles and information mailing list? Contact the author at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com/