I got tired of always having to take pictures of fishing laying on floor of the boat, so I started looking for ways to take self portraits.
The major problem with self portraits is that they usually require a timer. In order to beat the timer, the fish usually had to be laying on the floor of the boat – ready to be scooped up once the shutter button was clicked. Obviously, this is not good for the fish. I have also tried leaving the fish in the net, but it was always a big rush to get in front of the camera in time. Multiple rounds of this was never good for the fish either.
When I started looking at new cell phones, I specifically searched for apps that would allow me to take self portraits while maintaining the health of the fish. I found a free app for Windows phones that fit the bill perfectly. The app is called ReadyClick. This app has 2 very key features.
First, this app has a voice activated shutter feature. This allows me to prop the phone up, and click the shutter button without it actually taking the picture. The app sits there waiting for my voice command of “Click” before taking the picture. Being able to get the phone ready for a picture while I have the fish swimming around in the net is huge!
Second, it has the ability to use either the rear or the front camera lens on the phone. This is super vital as it allows me to set the phone up with the screen facing me. Which, in turn, allows me to see how I am positioned before giving the voice command to take the picture.
These two features make it super easy to have the fish out of the water for a minimal amount of time, yet end up with great self portraits. No more fish sitting on the bottom of the boat for me! I decided to go with a Nokia Lumia as a phone. So far, I am impressed with the phone itself and the camera.
For those of you who fish alone quite often, features like this can really save the day when a PB comes knocking on the door. This is especially critical on bodies of water with slot limits or C&R restrictions.
-Drew
