Brandon Barton is well known for his excellent videos. He’s also a star when it comes to photos. In this article, he shares the foundations of his knowledge.
Photos
Capturing an awesome photo of your catch can turn that fisherman’s fishing story into a reality. There are many different ways to get a good picture while fishing on a kayak. I personally use a mid-range DLSR camera (a Canon t4i) with an upgraded lens (18-55mm f2.8) to get those really high quality pictures. Having a dry case/bag is a must when carrying expensive camera equipment on a kayak.
There are a lot of high end point and shoot digital cameras that are waterproof out now. Using a point and shoot camera on a camera mount such as the Yakattack Panfish Portrait works awesome for those selfie shots. The newer GoPro Hero cameras also take some great quality pictures and even give you that wide angle shot to make your fish look even bigger!
Having a buddy with you on the water really helps to get the perfect fish picture. Good lighting and the right angle can make your picture magazine quality. Pro tip: Always keep an eye on what is going to be in the background of your picture to avoid giving away your honey hole. A good editing program can remove things from the background and fix lighting in the photos.
Videos
Capturing video of your epic catch can be tough but after a lot of practice it becomes second nature. There are a lot of action cameras on the market with great quality video but I have been loyal to the trusty GoPro cameras. A GoPro session is an awesome way to capture the first-person perspective of your catch especially when mounted to the ActionHat by LiveLiveGear. I currently use GoPro Hero 4 and 5 models to film video. I shoot in 1080p at 60 fps for most of my videos and edit all clips in Adobe Premiere.
Yakattack offers multiple cameras mounts that can pointed to any angle and mount pretty much anywhere on the kayak. The Yakattack Boom Stick and Dog Bone are just two of my favorite camera mounts. Having a variety of angles and different types of shots in your videos makes them more interesting. First person angles, over the shoulder angles and the front facing angles are the most common. Capturing extra clips to add in between fish fights gives your videos a professional touch. Footage of launching your kayak, paddling, scenery, release shots, and hook up shots will all help make your videos more interesting.
Advanced Video
With all the technology coming out today there are tons of advanced equipment that you can use to make your videos stand out. Flying a drone to capture aerial footage of your fishing or of the area you are fishing is something everyone loves to see and really makes a nice touch to a fishing video. Kayak angler friendly drones include the DJI Phantom, Mavic Pro and the Gopro Karma.
A handheld stabilizer such as the GoPro Karma grip works awesome when filming a buddy who has hooked up! The LumeCube is another new product. It is a waterproof LED light that can be attached next your to GoPro so that you can capture decent video while filming at night. If you want to capture that sweet-looking shot of half underwater and half above water check out the Knekt dome for the GoPros. Always remember to bring extra batteries and memory cards for all cameras to make sure you don’t miss that epic shot!
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