How do you take pics on a kayak?

So I finally got myself a digital camera (hey... this is what the 21st century is like... cool!).

and finally took some pics of the stripers and bluefish I caught... but it was pretty dang awkward. I just bought a Pentax Optio W10, which doesn't have the eye viewfinder (just the screen)... so it made it kind of tough to hold the fish and snap a pic.

I'm curious how people take pics of their bigger fish... lie it in the boat at your feet?

Here's a few pics from last night:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18..._060831001.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18..._060831003.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18..._060831004.jpg

Looks to me like you did pretty well. (thumbs up) I don't take my camera (Sony Mavica) out with me as it's not water-resistant. I should get me one of those waterproof camera bags but I haven't found one large enough yet.

:)

I hold the camera at arm's length and just try to aim towards myself without zooming (a wider field of view gives me a better chance of being in the frame).

Some times, I'm paying too much attention to aiming the camera in a hurry (for the fish's sake) and not paying attention to 'posing' so I get gofy facial expressions like this one:


http://thwack.smugmug.com/photos/67866670-L.jpg

Yeah, a real whopper of a bluegill there. :roll: :D

1. Never take your digital out of the bag for that fish picture; unless you could afford to replace it.

2. Disposable Fugi water resistant cameras are great for those fish shots.

3. Laying the reel along side your fish is a great size indicator.

4. Double bag your camera with Zip Lock :idea:

AquaPak is a sponsor here and quite reasonable in price, For waterproof protection....Just be sure that your home when it is delivered...I could have given you more info on the performance of em...but I lived in Syracuse at the time of ordering..and it was swiped from the mail box!!!

One thing I've recently tried which has made my shots much better is to use "Sports" mode on my Optio. It's a faster shutter speed and keeps my shots from being as blurry as they are when I just use plain "Green" mode. Now, about your actual question.. I do just what you do; hold the fishies out at arm's length and hope.

Oh.. get a strap for that Optio and attach it to yourself or your kayak.


My Optio takes some pretty good photos of flies if I put it in macro mode and use a tripod and good lighting.

Enjoy!

No bagging or ziplocks required for the Pentax camera I use for taking fish pictures...I'm using a camera that's water proof. I keep it on a retractable leash in case I drop it but I don't worry about water contact.

It's also a lot of fun to stuff it under the water to get some really interesting shots. That also causes a brief moment of panic amongst folks near you that haven't heard of water proof cameras. :D You can easily get shots like this:

http://thwack.smugmug.com/photos/61985212-S.jpg

http://thwack.smugmug.com/photos/69698458-S.jpg

I hadn't tried the 'sports' mode that Diane mentioned but certainlly will next time I'm out.

I have used the macro mode to take pictures of bugs I've pulled off the water. I use a minnow net from the local pet store (costs less than a dollar and works great):

http://thwack.smugmug.com/photos/66655945-S.jpg

The waterproof cameras are handy for more than just taking pics of your catch and not having to worry if they get splashed (everything in a kayak will get wet at some point).

I've used a waterproof bag for one of my other cameras and it made it very difficult to use the camera. Pentax's solution is far more practical in my experience.

I have a dry box I keep my camera in. when taking pictures, I like to have somebody close by that can get a good shot, but of course thats not always possible. when that happens, I try to get a good shot across my legs/feet with the rod set up to give a indicator of size. I wouldn't do that with bluefish though, especially larger ones :shock:

I use an inexpensive Polaroid 'Sport' 600 digital. It's not pro-quality, but it works. I also have an inexpensive Argus digital with a zoom function.

Semper Fi!

Here are some of mine! I use an older Sony 3.2 mp camera.

Norm

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...heRanch001.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...heRanch003.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...heRanch005.jpg