Fly fishing is an amazing sport. In the pursuit of fish on a fly, you'll find yourself picking up other hobbies and sports as a catalyst to get yourself to the river, find new water or document your trips. One of those hobbies is photography. Most fly fisherman won't be caught dead on the water without a camera of some type. From the disposable 35mm waterproof cameras to the expensive Nikon DSLRs; every fisherman (most at least) has something to record his record-breaking catch with.

When taking photographs while fly fishing, there are a few simple guidelines you'll want to follow to ensure your memories are recorded successfully.

Rule of Thirds: The premise is simple: split your frame of view into thirds horizontally and vertically. You'll end up with two vertical lines and two horizontal lines that create four intersections. Maybe drawing it out would help. The idea is that you don't center the subject in the frame. Doing so makes the image feel uneasy and unnatural. Place the subject of the photograph on either one of the lines or better yet, where a horizontal and vertical line intersect and you'll be good to go. This rolls into the next guideline...

Camera Setup: A prudent fisherman either uses the Auto function on the camera or manually sets it up based on the light conditions before the first cast is made. I recommend using the Auto function. Anyone who has spent time on the water knows the weather can change in a heart beat and along with the weather the light will change. Capturing a great photo only to have it ruined because it was over or underexposed will leave you bummed.

Centering Subjects: Don't do it. UNLESS: you're filling the frame with the subject, even then try to keep the focal point out of the center of the image.

Focus: Every good photograph has a subject. The subject in this case will either be a person, a landscape shot, a fish or a person holding a fish (for the most part). If there is a set of eyeballs in the frame or a light/bright spot (sunset or sunrise...etc), that is what we focus on. So, make sure the eyes are in focus and make sure they're not in the center of the frame.

Flash & Light: Try to avoid using the flash, if possible. Using the flash can give the image a harsh feeling and make your subject appear brighter than it is. Most of the time this probably won't be avoidable. Not using the flash in a low-light condition will require a longer exposure time or a higher ISO setting. Most of these are not adjustable in the Auto mode. As well, keep in mind where your light source is coming from. If you take a shot with the sun directly behind your subject (a person for example), their entire body will be too dark to make the image comfortable to look at. It would be better to have the sun lighting up your subject. The best light for photographs is right around dawn, daybreak and during bright but cloudy weather. Sometimes it can't be avoided on where the light comes from, you'll just have to improvise and make do with what you've got.

Composition: This deals with how you frame a subject. Most point and shoot cameras do not have a Zoom Function (do not use the digital zoom, it degrades the image quality) worth mentioning. This means you'll have to move closer or further away depending on how you want to frame your photograph. Keep in mind, everything in the frame becomes your photograph. If you don't want it in there, get into a different position. If what is in the frame doesn't help tell the story you're trying to convey with your shot, get it out of there. Also, don't be afraid to change the point of view of the frame. Get eye-level with the fish, or get a close-in mouth shot, or an underwater shot of it swimming away. As humans we focus on eyes or the brightest spot in an image. Try new things!

Simplify: For the most part, a pleasing photograph is simple. Take, for instance, the image to the right of the Westslope Cutthroat. There are five things in the photograph: a hand, a trout, a fly, a rod and water. That's it. The subject is foremost, the trout. Second, the fly rod. The rod makes the image a bit more interesting and adds another layer to the story. If it were just a fish in the image a person could suppose it was caught in a net, by hand or with a spinning rod, etc. Maybe even found on the ground. Or they might think, "Oh, neat. A fish in a hand". The fly rod helps expound one step further. It tells the story of how the fish was caught. This is another interesting point about taking photographs. If there is more than one subject (sub-subjects?) then the photograph becomes infinitely more interesting. However, when you're framing your shot, think for a second on what you're trying to capture and make sure you're not getting anything that doesn't help tell the story of the photograph. For instance, if you're taking a sunset shot; avoid power lines, airplanes or anything else that might detract from making a great image of a sunset.

Weatherproof: There isn't much you can do to make a non-weatherproof camera weatherproof without at least voiding your warranty, however; you can take some precautions before heading out onto the river to make sure you don't turn your camera into a soaked paperweight. First; keep your camera in a pocket that is easily accessible yet out of the elements. I keep mine in the pocket of my chest waders. Not only will this keep it out of the rain, it's high on your body if you take a spill and less likely to get wet (unless you take a header into the drink); it's also easy to pull out when you have a fish in one hand and a fly rod in the other. Second; use the lanyard that comes with your camera (or improve on it and make your own). I tie my camera's extended lanyard to a clasp that came with my waders located in the chest pocket. If there isn't something convenient you can tie the lanyard to, customize the rig to fit your needs (leading to more hobbies, like sewing - born out of necessity, that can be your excuse). I often find myself using the lanyard to pull the camera out of my pocket when I'm short on hands. Makes a handy handle. Now, if you are in the market for an exclusive fishing camera, I would recommend a weatherproof camera. I currently have a waterproof, shockproof and dustproof camera and it's a miracle machine. I have beat it up and it still snaps away. They're also great for underwater shots.

Prepare: Lastly, before you hit the river have a fresh battery and empty memory card (or extra rolls of film) on hand. Last thing you want is the battery to die or to run out of room on your memory card right before you need it.