I am a fly fisherman who lives in Southwest Florida. I consider myself an angler who likes to take photos. Not so much a photographer who likes to fish.
I spent my life working in government and now I am retired. I use a small Dragonfly skiff and long Carbon Fiber pole to move myself and another angler along the shallows of the pristine waters of Southwest Florida targeting Tarpon, Snook, and Redfish.
Double vision trout. © Steve Hall
Once we land one of these trophy fish via fly fishing, I take photos of them by entering the water with the Ikelite. This can be dangerous as bull sharks are always nearby looking to eat the captured fish. Once the photo session is complete, we release the animal back to the wild.
A Boca Grande Tarpon is being revived prior to the release back into the Pristine Clear Waters after an epic battle on the fly. © Steve Hall
I focus my images on the animal not so much the person. I want to show the rawness of the environment and the animal without much editing. The images are flawed and real that is how I like them - different.
Gear: Nikon D500 inside an Ikelite Underwater Housing, Nikon 14mm 2.8. I purchased my first Ikelite Housing in 2010.
A trout is held near the fly rod that landed him for a quick snap of the lens prior to the release back into the beautiful underwater world. © Steve Hall
A Snook is released by an angler who back home to the shallow waters of Boca Grande. © Steve Hall
Angler admires redfish before releases it back into the shallow waters of Charlotte Harbor. © Steve Hall
Image © Steve Hall
Redfish held by Captain Paul. © Steve Hall
Redfish is released back into the grass flats. © Steve Hall
Image © Steve Hall
An Angler is all smiles as he holds a large sea trout for a quick photo op prior to release back to the shallow waters of Placida
Stephan "Steve" Hall is a retired government and current angler in Southwest Florida. The process of photographing these award winning fish isn't without risk as bull sharks roam the area where Steve and his fellow fisherman work. Steve's main goal with his underwater photography is to express the raw reality of his work. He shoots Nikon and has been an Ikelite customer for over a decade now. Check out more of his work on his YouTube channel @skiffmule1959. Visit Steve's website stevehallflorida.com to learn more.
Additional Reading
Trout and Salmon Underwater Photography Camera Settings and Technique
Swimming Upstream: The Challenges and Solutions to Salmon Run Photography
Freshwater Underwater Camera Settings and Technique
Photographing the Salmon Run Underwater in Canada
