Fingers in the gut for photo

[setterguy]

Now I've noticed that when some people, guides especially hold a fish for a photo, most of them are pushing their fingers into the gut of the fish instead of supporting it from underneath with an open palm. I thought this was a coincidence until I started noticing it more and more with guides' photos. Anyone else see this? Is there a reason for this? The only thing I can think of is that it does make the belly of the fish appear a little bigger because it is being bulged out on both sides of the hand....If there is another reason please inform me. Or am I just nuts?

[cjac]

Quote:

Or am I just nuts?

Justin, you fish for muskies so right there that makes you 100% certifiably nuts!

I'd certainly like to think not, I'd rather classify it is a really big fish thats hard to handle, and it's being handled properly and as quickly as possible.

You were out with Ronnestrand recently if I recall. He's a big guy in comparison to others, he's simply got bigger hands. At the risk of sounding like a smart-alec, some of the guides are just not that big in stature!

[setterguy]

Well I'm watching Musky Hunter and Jim Saric just did it on back to back fish...I'm getting to the bottom of this.

[Scott M]

Setter, you're probably on to something in some cases, but if you get a big enough fish (like many of the hawgs caught in the fall), sometimes they are so girthy their bellies sort of spill over your hand. Granted this is only in large fish, but it might explain a little of what you are seeing, as well as the small hands like cjac pointed out.

[fishcast]

maybe its just the way they naturally hold them... or maybe its cause with an open palm there fingers would stick out in front of the fish making the fish look smaller in a picture than if there fingers are tucked in.

[setterguy]

maybe its just the way they naturally hold them... or maybe its cause with an open palm there fingers would stick out in front of the fish making the fish look smaller in a picture than if there fingers are tucked in.

That is kind of what I was thinking last night watching more video...that makes more sense.

[Fishin Dan]

I would have to agree with fishcast. It makes the picture of the fish look alot better if your hand isnt covering a section of the fish.

[setterguy]

That does make more sense. I always over analyze things.

[BoxMN]

That does make more sense. I always over analyze things.

Do you always over analyze things? Or just 93.5% of the time? Because if it is over 90% then yes, you do analyze too much. But if under 90% but over 75% then you are only in the upper range...

...doh... me too

[Tim_Anderson]

I am a guide, but also have owned a photo lab/camera store for about the past 20 years. I might be able to weigh in on this.

I think it's for photo and video purposes. Fingers and hands distract from the subject, which is really the fish.

The guys who are truly good at this can hide their hands completely, and it looks like the fish is just floating out there in front of them. I have one friend in particular who has mastered this technique through lots and lots of practice. You can see a bunch of his photos on my HSOforum. He holds the fish's right jawbone in his right hand, and then puts two or three of his fingers on his left hand in-between the bottom fins to support the middle (in the middle of the belly like you're talking about). Of course this gets harder and harder to handle a big heavy fish, but also those bottom fins get alot bigger and therefore hide the fingers better. The final strategy is to sort of roll the top of the fish forward just a little bit (toward the camera) so that you begin to see just a bit of the top of the back and less of the belly and bottom. Another little trick that hides hands.

This is much easier for young, strong guys! I've got a little more work to do on this myself. Been battling arthritis in my arms for close to 20 years now, and they are fairly weak. Seems the clock is always running in my head for how long the fish is out of the water, and my first priority is to always get the fish back in 30-45 seconds. Sometimes my pictures suffer because of it.

Hope this helps and makes sense.

[machohorn]

< makes note! if and when 1st fish is caught, show small fingers, makes fish look bigger.

[setterguy]

So I wasn't nuts, they are doing it. Just not for the reason I originally thought. Thanks for the insight Tim, it does make perfect sense now.