I struggle to get good catch pics of my carp. What is the best way to hold them and how close should the photographer be?

Tom Gibson:

Most of the time, if you’re holding the carp it’s down to the person you’ve put your trust in to take the shots, although there is some things you’ll be able to do to help the photographer that’s for sure, starting with the scene.

Choose a nice background with some colour ideally, with the sun behind the photographer. This will ensure there’s no unwanted shadows on the carp of captor.

Depending on the size, I like to go for either both knees on the ground or one knee up, which does give you a bit more strength when it’s the larger carp.

Grip wise, place your relative hand on the anal fin, whilst your other hand needs to slot in between the peck closest to camera. You’ll find a little gap behind the fin which your finger actually sits in making holding the carp more comfortable.

The main thing with catch shots is to look natural, don’t hold them out to make them look bigger as it really wont look great!

Distance wise, I’d advise the photographer to shoot further back that closer in as you can always crop the photo afterwards, but you can’t add what you’ve missed! Take those points on board and I’m sure you’ll be on your way to a better catch shot