FLYLIFE^39Shot (4) wasn’t in the judges final
six but it demonstrates thoughtful
framing and composition, drawing
you in to the central focus where a
wild trout is being gently handled in
what has to be a pure little mountain
stream. Indeed, Trevor McDavid titled
his pic ‘Small Stream Gold’. The cap
and the net hint at a traditionalist; the
rain jacket adds colour and tells us it’s
been a wet day. But is enough of the
subject in focus? Line ball.
And the carp? Aaron Donaldson’s
‘Beauty and the Beast’ (3) wasn’t short-
listed by the judges, probably because
they assumed we would never run it in
FlyLife. But it is such a great example
of photographing a fish without lift-
ing it out of the water. The reel is
subtly placed, the rod and line nicely
arranged, the fish is clearly well alive
with its eye turned down. The lighting
shows off its scales, and the red back-
ing and inky black water set the gold
off to perfection. Hell, if it had been a
trout it would have been a full-pager!
53 4DO WE HAVE A GENUINE ACTION SHOT...