Bret Nelson, AKA Gatorbyte, is a director for North Georgia Trout Online (NGTO).  Like all of us, he has an interest in fly fishing photography.  I recently met Bret at the NGTO fall fling and as we were swapping fishing stories I noticed the pictures on his iPhone were good examples of how fun it is to capture the fishing tales on camera.  Even more exciting was the fact that he had been practicing with his Olympus Stylus 850 SW waterproof point-and-shoot camera and he mentioned that some of the lessons he reviewed were from this site, Fly Art Studio.  Since I believe the waterproof cameras should be considered a modern piece of gear in every fly fishers vest, I took the opportunity to invite Bret as the first guest photo-blogger to showcase some examples of how he uses his camera on the river.  In the future I hope to follow each of the point-and-shoot tutorials with a guest blog that showcases tips and tricks on how we can better use the point-and-shoot cameras on the water.

The following are Bret’s answers to a few questions I asked.

Q: How long have you been fishing, where do you fish, what do you fish for?

A: Since moving to GA I usually fish for trout, but during the summer I chase stripers and love to fish lakes and ponds for Bass and Bream. I’ve been fishing since I was old enough to cast.

Q: What is your interest in fishing photography?

A: I love to create photo essays for posting on message boards, specifically NGTO. I’m always looking for that great shot to frame and hang on the wall. When I attended UF I worked for the Biomed Photography Department at Shands Hospital and really honed my darkroom skills. I grew to love macro photography.

Q: Name three critiques to your old photos and how you overcame these by studying the basic principles of photography.

A: My old photo’s are poorly composed, over exposed, and often lack any journalistic value.

Q: What camera do you use and what are it’s advantages and limitations?

A: Currently I use an Olympus Stylus 850 SW. It’s biggest limitations are the power of the flash and limited focal length.

Q: Name a few photography goals you have for the next season of fishing.

A: I’m looking for that memorable photo to hang on the wall. I want to relax and take my time to compose my shots instead of just taking “clinical documentations”.

Bret says, “Hope to see you on the water.”

Bret “Gatorbyte” Nelson
NGTO Director

This photograph of a monster brook trout was taken by Bret while he held the camera in one hand and the fish in another.  It employs the critical principle of placing the fishes face toward the camera while composing on the stream.  Instead of employing what I call the “death grip [and grin]” where the fish in held tightly in the hand, he took the time to lower the fish and the camera to the water and then turn the fish to face the lens.  The result is  wonderful shot of this trophy brookie.

Here is another grip-and-grin photograph of a brook trout.  With Bret’s permission I would like to point out that the tail is obstructed by his back hand.  This is one of the most common shortcomings with grip-and-grin photographs.  We all do it!  In the excitement of landing the fish we often overlook the little details.  One way to overcome the missing tail syndrome is to keep the fish in the net (if you have one) until the photographer is ready to snap the shot.  That way you can calmly lift the fish out of the water with a grip that will expose the lateral side of the fish.  Keeping the fish in the net also allows the fish to stay calm and unharmed.  Otherwise, this is a great shot of GREAT brookie.  P.S., I need to find out were he catches these big hogs, ha.

A photograph of a classic North Georgia trout stream.

And finally, Bret provided me with a short underwater video of a brook trout.  Now that is classic waterproof camera benefits!  With the newer cameras, like the Olympus Stylus 850 SW, we have the ability to shoot just about anything, above or below water, during our day of fishing.  If this video doesn’t get you excited about the waterproof cameras, nothing will.