Give me your input on fishing photos

[Jon Schwartz]

Hi this is Jon Schwartz. I am donating fishing photography to the Billfish Foundation (TBF) and I can't decide which photo to donate. I will be mounting it on canvas and it will be sold at an auction they're putting on. The proceeds will go towards TBF, which works to advance the conservation of billfish. Here is their site BTW http://www.billfish.org/new/index.asp

Anyway, I figured you guys could help me pick one. My choices are very subjective and I want to make sure I give them something that is popular with the bidders. I will show some here (5), and I'll give them a number, and put a little caption detailing the fish and any notable information about the circumstances surrounding the shot. Some are shot from underwater, from boats, and even one from a helicopter (!).

Thanks for the input in advance guys!
Jon Schwartz, Bluewaterjon.com
http://www.bluewaterjon.com/index.htm

#1. Nicaragua Sailfish
Story: I was on assignment for Marlin Mag in Nicaragua. Info on where to fish was hard to come by; few places had websites advertising charter services. I was worried I could get enough material. Well, I did a little more digging and found a great charter company setup, and in addition to that, I spent several days aboard an ultra tricked-out yacht owned by the owner of Flor de Cana Rum Company, who also happens to be an IGFA trustee. When I told the guys back at the mag that I met him, they were like, "How did you hook up with that guy?!"
Turns out the place was red hot for sails (think 13 for 16 on day one). This model chilled out while I took his pic, and was then sent on his way. First time with my new lens, and it turned out really clear results.

#2. Cabo Striped Marlin (below)
Story: My first time writing an article about the crazy striped marlin fishing in Cabo that goes from approx. Nov-Jan. To be more precise the bite is fished most commonly at Finger Bank and Golden Gate Bank, which are to the best of my recollection 2.5 and 1.5 hours out of the harbor.
The bite is consistently nuts, and by that I mean, easy double-digit striped marlin taken on live bait on 20-30# test. If you know what you're doing and don't let the fish sulk you can get 20 or more (the record is many times 20 but I hesitate to quote it because it's so ridiculous!).
This bad boy was one of many I caught on camera that trip. Can't wait to go back for my 3rd season in a row- I'll be there Nov 21-29.

#3. Nicaragua Sunrise (below)
Story:
I woke up in Nicaragua on the first morning to this site- the Rum Runner (that famous yacht) in the foreground, and that volcano puffing lazily in the background. Volcanoes that I have seen in Guatemala and Nicaragua are way cooler than the ones I have seen elsewhere, because they are pointy like the ones I remember seeing on Fred Flinstone's TV show, and they puff out smoke. The ones in Hawaii are great but they aren't pointy and they rise so gradually that they seem less like volcanoes and more like, uh, big, mounds. I like 'em pointy, and Nicaragua and Guatemala deliver the goods. It was an incredible feeling, knowing we'd be one of the very few people sportfishing in those waters that day. Truly one of the last unexplored fishing frontiers in the Americas.

#4 Kona, Hawaii: Billfish from Helicopter shot (below)
Story: I was in Hawaii covering the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament (HIBT). Right before the start of the first day, I was put in a helicopter so the start of the 50th anniversary could be captured for posterity. When you think about it, that's pretty incredible, 50 years. I had the good fortune of interviewing the founder of the event, Peter Fithian, who put it together in the 50's, and learned a lot about the evolution of the sport.
Anyway, I get up in the helicopter and we get shots of the boats streaming out. We're about to head back when I saw a boat backing down. I had thought that there might be a 1 in 1000 chance of a hookup occurring while I was in the air, but surely wasn't counting on it. Since the chopper was rented for less than an hour, it would have to occur almost immediately, close to shore, before the boats had spread out.
Still, Kona happens to be one of the few places that offer a real chance at hooking into a blue marlin within a mile from shore. When I saw that boat backing down, I screamed at the helicopter pilot to "FOLLOW THAT BOAT!" just like they do on cop shows when they take over a car or cab driven by someone who just happens to be passing by.
Of course, even if the boat was hooked up (and it turns out it was), there was no guaranty that I'd see a fish jump. There's also triple digit YFT that close to shore as well, and although they're occasionally seem jumping by boats trailing porpoise schools, YFT don't typically jump once hooked on the troll(!!!).
So we hover over the boat and I am hoping that the fish doesn't pull the hook. That happens all the time and the odds were that it would either pull the hook or come up to the boat's transom tired with no jump shot. Miraculously, as soon as the fish gets within 50 yards, it jumps repeatedly around the boat in an arc, trailing the line and lure which make for a cool effect from above.
With some major luck, I managed to get the shot and within 45 minutes I'm on the press boat showing the other writers the pics. It occurred to us that the photos I got are possibly the only ones ever taken of a billfish jumping from a helicopter!
Funny thing is, within a week I was on charter boats, shooting billfish from above and below the waterline, and I got some great underwater shots of spearfish and blue marlin. Even if the helicopter shot isn't the only one in the world of a jumping bill, I am pretty sure I'm the only guy lucky enough to photograph billfish from helicopters and underwater, face to face, within a week's time!
Due to it's uniqueness, I was thinking that it might fetch a good price at auction, which would be cool for The Billfish Foundation. Please excuse the excessive amount of copyright notices on the shot- if it gets onto the net without them the shot will be worth next to nothing.

#5. Costa Rica Sailfish Silhouette (below)
Story: In Costa Rica I dove down below this sail. My goal was to get one of those cool silhouette shots. This one came out pretty well and I was stoked on it. The thing is, by the time they have been fought near the boat, they often do not have their sails extended. Often the dorsals are tucked down, or they've lost their color, and they look less impressive. By another stroke of luck, this one has it's dorsal raised.
This shot might be good for the bidder that wants something low key and mellow. If it was I that bought it, and I had a separate lounge area in my house where I was able to host guests, I'd have this above the bar.

I don't have this option, unfortunately; my three daughters have taken over and transformed the whole house into one big prepubescent barbie doll arena. I don't get to hang shots like this, but I bet there will be a few studly bidders at the auction who are still living that single life and need something to spruce up their grotto.
Ok guys that's it. If you have a second or two, if you wouldn't mind giving me your choices, I'll wait a couple of days and then pick the one that got the most votes. Hopefully there'll be a lot of input. Then I'll take the shot to the lab, have it done up and mounted, and send it off to TBF for a worthy cause.
Lord knows I owe billfish a lot, with all the fun I've had over the years with them!
Thanks and take care
Jon Schwartz, Bluewaterjon.com
Fishing Photography, Articles, and Travel
http://www.bluewaterjon.com/index.htm
Jon Schwartz's Fishing Travel Blog
http://bluewaterjon.blogspot.com/

[Wireman]

The helicopter shot of Marlin Magic is pretty sweet and gets my vote. I've only seen one other jumping shot of a blue from a helicopter during the Custom Boat Shootout with a blue jumping on the wire behind the Merritt "Black Out" a couple years back.

That's a hell of a shot you got there.

[Capt_John]

The owner of the "RUM RUNNER" had better have that pic on their wall. That's awesome to me.

BTW, how did you meet the Flor De Cana rum guy? I want your job.

[Jon Schwartz]

Guys, thanks very much for the input.
Wireman, I guess I stand corrected! I'd like to see that other shot, I wonder where I can see it. I wanted the chopper pilot to get lower so I could get a better perspective but he wasn't into it for safety reasons, which in hindsight was a good call. In another six months or so I will tell the whole tale of that short chopper flight, which in itself is a wild and crazy story...

Capt. John, I met the Flor de Cana fellow- a nice guy by the way- because he knew Capt. Lance Moss, the owner of Surfari Charters down in Nicaragua. Moss was the one fellow I managed to locate that did have a charter business, and I had a lot of fun with those guys. I actually wrote about it in the Marlin Magazine article a bit. Cool setup they have.

John, I actually have two jobs, and I'm not sure you'd want both of them. Maybe you'd want the one where I travel and get pictures and content for my fishing mag travel articles.My other job involves teaching third grade at a public school!! I have a lot of fun with it and spend a lot of time teaching my kids about fish and marine science, but it's quite a handful

If you have any interest, here are two articles I wrote about how I combine teaching and fishing. One, called "Mission Accomplished", is about how I was able to arrange a all expenses paid trip to Cabo for an Iraq War veteran and his family. The Vet's kid was my student (the one wearing the hat if you couldn't guess), and I happen to teach on Camp Pendleton.
Here's the article: http://www.bluewaterjon.com/missioncov.pdf


Thanks again guys and keep the votes coming!
Jon Schwartz
Fishing Articles, Photography, and Travel
http://www.bluewaterjon.com/index.htm

[tabasco]

first shot of the sailfish would be my pic for TBF. Others are nice just not as striking as the first. ? 10-24mm Nikor?

[SeaMent]

The helicopter shot of Marlin Magic is pretty sweet and gets my vote. I've only seen one other jumping shot of a blue from a helicopter during the Custom Boat Shootout with a blue jumping on the wire behind the Merritt "Black Out" a couple years back.

That's a hell of a shot you got there.

Ditto on #4

[alex n]

I like the last one . The silhouette of the sailfish.

[Jon Schwartz]

Thanks for the votes guys.
Tabasco, the lens is the mighty 14-24mm 2.8. I used to use a Tokina 11-16 2.8 and liked it, but when I switched over to FX, I got the 14-24. It's an amazing lens!
Jon Schwartz
Bluewaterjon.com: Fishing Articles, Photography, and Travel
http://www.bluewaterjon.com/

[floridadeckie]

I love #3 and #5. If I had to pick one to go up over my bar, I'd go with #3

[Jon Schwartz]

Floridadeckie and everyone,
This is all very interesting. I was totally convinced prior to posting this poll that the people would want the close up fish shots, like the ones that are on mag covers. I guess my judgement has been skewed because my audience has been magazine editors, and they usually want close up clear jump shots.

I am totally stoked that I am getting this input. I was very close to simply sending them a jump shot. Plus, this helps me in future shoots; I will be trying for more of these images for my catalog.
Jon