I have two major challenges in this contribution. First. I am a simple Dutchman who missed English lessons at school in the past. "Sorry teacher, the air pressure dropped, with a fresh southwesterly wind .." Complicated choices that have to be made at a young age, right? Writing a contribution in English with the stones on top of each other and a sweaty forehead is my consequence of all those missed school lessons. Second. My fellow writing fellow fishermen from Thinking Anglers are excellent fishing photographers with a magic eye for detail. And I? I am a real amateur. A layman in the field of photography. My contribution through this article is probably therefore somewhat different from the other contributions of my colleagues. However, I am interested in the themes of photography and art in general. I really enjoy the many beautiful photos on social media. Pictures that tell a story sometimes really hit me. Pictures that appeal to the imagination. There are also certain photos from the magazines of the past that have stuck in my memory. I can even say that some of the photos have shaped my own fishing. Photos that radiated passion, adventure and freedom have sometimes given me direction in my fishing. It is partly because of this that I have made choices which type of water to fish: a canal, a large wild lake or a river with its rugged banks. In short. Photography within our hobby is beautiful. Sharing our passion and adventure with like-minded fishermen has therefore become a valuable part of my fishing.

I have so often resolved to focus more on photography, because besides the eye for detail, there is also a theoretical side to it and that is precisely the side that does not interest me, or rather, for which I cannot find motivation. I have made many attempts whilst fishing, but as soon as a moment passes in which nature shows its most beautiful side, I lose myself in the moment and intensely enjoy everything around me. At such a moment I don't want to take out my camera but just look and experience how beautiful our hobby is. My fishing time is very limited, as with many anglers. A nice but busy job in combination with a happy family life, costs fishing time. When I have finally found that time that I can be on the waterfront, I want to enjoy and experience the silence and freedom. I take a picture in my mind at such moments. When I did try and look back at the photos. Then I miss something in this photo. And that is the feeling at the moment of taking it. What remains is just an image. Because of this I have a lot of respect for the fishermen who know how to capture the feeling in a photo. To be able to uncover details of a large whole. The result is an image that tells a story that I can really enjoy as a passionate carp angler and at that moment I realize why fishing and nature are such an important part of my life. I am proud of what we fishermen get to enjoy and that is also why I want to thank you for all the photos in which our passion for nature, the beautifully portrayed adventures and our beautiful carp on social media.

"I have become more and more immersed in taking pictures with the self-timer and doing it quickly as I want to get the carp back as soon as possible"

My angling is very solo. This is a conscious choice because I really like to be on my own without the presence of others. I can enjoy just a little more when I am alone. Partly because of this, I am also selective in choosing water type. The peace and quiet that I want to experience is often decisive here. Because I am alone and still want to keep a nice memory of a catch, I have become more and more immersed in taking pictures with the self-timer and doing it quickly as I want to get the carp back as soon as possible, back to where a carp belongs: in the water. With this requirement, my search started for the best way of taking self takes. Ultimately, a budget, was a factor and also the fact that I can not really use my material sparingly. Often this is also not possible due to the different water types that I fish. But also within the circumstances in terms of weather influences. My equipment chronically suffers from mud, moisture and even more misery and I think that's completely fine because that is part of the adventure but it is also asking for problems when making a large investment because a camera lens will in all probability be demolished quickly due to my own actions. Eventually I ended up with a perfect combination for me. This combination consists of a Canon Eos 600D body, a sigma art 1.4 lens, a sturdy tripod and a simple timer shutter release. A complete set that is solid, reliable and also affordable. I can shoot with these materials at a very fast pace with the self-timer. Due to the timer shutter release, the lens will refocus after every photo taken, so I am very satisfied with the results.

A tip to close my contribution, which I personally benefited from, is to watch tutorials on YouTube. Especially the tutorials of the sympathetic couple Willem Kwinten and his girlfriend Kenyon. Willem from the Netherlands is a fanatic carp angler who travels all over Europe with his girlfriend Kenyon to experience the most diverse fishing adventures. Willem and Kenyon are both professional photographers and videographers. They have made a number of videos specifically aimed at making man-fish photos and making a perfect Self-Portrait. Within these videos, the correct camera settings are discussed and explained, as well as the use of the timer shutter release. You can find the YouTube channel of Willem and Kenyon here: Kenyon & Willem Kwinten - YouTube