Published Feb 1. 2014 - 10 years ago
Updated or edited Oct 28. 2021

Fishy photos: Nikola Novovic

The global scope of GFF is once again confirmed as we present Montenegrian fishy photographer Nikola Novovic

Watching the river -
Pristine settings -
Watching the river, fishing the river
Nikola Novovic

Nikola Novovic sent me a mail:
"Hello, I am from the small country Montenegro, at the Mediterranean in southern Europe. My country has become a very popular destination for fly fishing in the last few years, because we have a large number of very clear mountain rivers and lakes with only wild fish, just one hour from the sea and beaches.
Trout, grayling, marble trout, softmouth trout, hucho-hucho, endemic trouts... all are common spices in the Montenegrian rivers. I have been a fly fisherman for ten years, and also a photographer. I write articles for fly fishing magazine in our country and columns about fly fishing in a daily newspaper. I saw your page about photography and I wanted to share my photos with you and your readers. If you want I can send a link to my web site to see some of my work.
Regards."

Stylish angler -
A stylish fly angler
Nikola Novovic

I immediately returned to Nikola with the usual pitch for the Fishy Photographers, and he soon replied. Here's what he wrote back:

a) How did you start photographing - and what made you choose fishing related photos in particular?

When I was a little boy, my father bought a Polaroid Color camera for our family trips. I was playing around with it and now I know that the passion for taking photos was started there, in my young age.
I started fishing 20 years ago, when I was a teenager, and soon I bought my first digital camera, because I found it very important to show to my friends all the beautiful scenery that was in front of my eyes every time I was fishing.
For the last couple of years I have started to work as a guide through the Simms Fishing Guide program at the travel agency Montenegro Fishing Paradise (formerly Montenegro Outdoor & More), specializing in fishing, because for the last years my country has become a popular destination for fly fishing in Europe.
So I invested in some professional photo gear and took my passion for photography to another level, taking photos of my friends from all over the globe. Now I find myself mostly catching a moment through my lens, and fishing only when need to show some tips for inexperienced anglers. Of course, I do a lot of fly fishing just for myself, because I think it is a good recipe for a long life.

Getting ready -
Hooked! -
B/W details -
B/W - or close
Nikola Novovic

b) Do you have a particular subject, region or a style of pictures that you mainly shoot or are you more all-round?

I am in love with nature. I am a family man with a full time job, but for me it's very important to spend a lot of quality time outdoors.
My country has the mountains in its name. It's made of mountains and rivers and lakes, but still have a beautiful Mediterranean coast and sunny beaches. So I often find myself outdoors, looking at that beautiful landscapes through my lens. Of course the unique moments from my fly fishing trips are my main points of interest.

Releasing a grayling -
Selecting a fly -
Trout flank -
The selection -
Landing -
Spots! -
Subject variation
Nikola Novovic
Cool, clear water -
Fishing under a small waterfall -
Montenegrian landscape -
Under the canopy -
Impressions of Montenegro
Nikola Novovic

c) Where are your photos used? Books, magazines, brochures, ads, web sites, prints, gallery exhibits or other places?

I write articles about fly fishing for a daily newspaper and a local fly fishing magazine, and some of my photos are used for advertising for fly fishing in my country and by the travel agency I work for. I hope that my photos will catch some interest internationally, especially now that I work as a guide for people from other countries.

d) Is photography your main source of income - if at all a source of income - and do you do other jobs as a supplement?

No, I have a full time job that helps me enjoy my two passions: fly fishing and photography. So maybe the word "freelance" best describes me as a photographer.

e) Can people buy your pictures and if so, then in which form and where?

Yes, I have my photography web page, and my Facebook profile, so everyone can contact me. I have a lot of unpublished photos, so only a part of my work is in my online portfolios.

f) Where do you currently live and work?

I live and work in Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro in the central part of country. My country is very small, so from my town I only need to drive one hour to get to the north by the deepest canyon in the Europe below some of the highest mountains. If I drive about half an hour from my town to the south, I am at the sunny Mediterranean beach.

Man and dog -
See it? -
Watching -
In good company
Nikola Novovic

g) What's in your bag? Preferred cameras, bodies, lenses and other gear?

My gear list is short, because I find it hard to bring all the gear I wish to have. After some time I found that two or three lenses did the job for me.
So I am equipped with a Nikon D300s body, a Nikon 50mm prime lens, a Tamron 17-50 f2.8, and a Nikon 70-300mm zoom lens.
In my bag I also found room for a flash, triggers, ND Graduated filters, CPL filters, a light carbon travel tripod, spare memory cards, and extra batteries.
For great macro shots, especially in some hard angles, I found that a Canon G12 is an outstanding little camera with full manual controls and the capability to take a RAW files.

Nikola has time to fish too -
Nikola fishing in a Montenegrian stream -
The photographer at work -
Nikola in the flybox -
Nikola with rod and camera
Nikola Novovic
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