What are some photo taking tips? Trophy shots? Scenery shots? What do you do when you are solo for picture taking?
Maybe I need to get a better camera. I use my point and shoot and also my IPhone. But I know the phone is mediocre, but it is handy. I have the Clip Shot for self timer and it works. But I rarely take self shots unless it is with a dead critter.
Although I have been guilty, especially earlier in my hunting life, I dislike truck bed and hanging pole shots. I prefer something in a natural setting.
I know BB posted that he will cut the tongue out to prevent that look. Also stuff some cloth in nose/mouth to keep blood from running down.
Post up you pointers.
Have a great bow hunt. BB
The view from low looking upward at animal and hunter is SO much better than when the cameraman is standing upright looking down.
And when BB speaks...listen.
Carl
Slow down. Seems I'm always in a hurry once the critter is dead. I don't know why. I enjoy it more if I slow down and soak it in
Take lots of shots.
Check the shots for lighting and for background obstructions (learned this the hard way, recent muley photos have a dead tree growing out of the rack from 20 feet in the background)
Carry some small clippers to clip brush back
Just a few I try to think about
Bake
A picture taken in the shade can always be easily enhanced for brightness/ contrast...it's a lot tougher to preserve detail when you have glare in the picture and you have to try to edit it out.
That being said...not much you can do sometimes when hunting solo. A large animal like an elk pretty much dies where it dies, and you have to make the best of it.
Best of Luck, Jeff
Shoot at least half of the shots with a flash. In fact, shots taken after dark, with the flash, usually highlight the animal and the hunter.
Yes, Iphones have great flashes and great quality. I've run half-page photos in a newspaper and magazine shot with my Iphone 5.
Have the photographer get down at the same level as the animal and the hunter and shoot from several angles.
If the hunter is holding the antlers or horns, have him do it down at the base.
Pay attention to the background. It's tough to see deer tines, especially the ones I shoot, if there are a lot of small branches in the back ground. A solid background works bests, like the sky, darkness, cedar trees, a lake...
If possible, shoot the shots during the first or last hour of daylight when the sunshine is angled, and the shadows throw in a nice contrast.
During turkey season, check what the Cali guys are doing, and do that as best you can.
Oh, and start cutting up to get the hunter laughing and smiling. Far too many lifeless faces look like the guys at a tax audit!
A very common mistake is standing too far from the animal when taking the pic.
The biggest mistake is not having some sort of camera with you. You never know when something good might come along.
Instead of grabbing the antlers with a full death grip try to just use your fingers on the back of them to position the head properly or even just support the head with a hand hidden under the jaw line. You want to show the antlers, not your fat fingers. Also take some shots with the animal resting naturally on the ground and the hunter standing behind or kneeling in admiration. Get creative!
Like others have said take a BUNCH and one or two will definitely stand out.
Often the ones I throw in at the end just to try a different angle or pose end up being the best.
A quality trophy photo captures the hunt forever and I treasure it as much as antlers on the wall.
I also carry my camera on my hip in a Badlands bino case for quick access on the fly.
Have gotten tons of great photos of critters over the years by having camera handy. Plus scenery and other memories that would be missed with a camera in the bottom of my pack.
Carl
My girl friend will go if I do this hunt.. She's a photography teacher in Stroudsburg Pa and often comes with me on my blind sit hunts and takes pixs. One time I watched her sit motionless for well over a hour trying to get that one pix of a blue heron fishing. She's the kinda girl that would lay in a swamp with just her head and camera out of the water. eD
glacial21's Link
A sample of photos from a few of my trips can be seen at the link. Returning with a good set of pictures has become as much of a goal as returning with antlers for me over the years. I know which would mean more to me 30 years from now when I am sitting in a rocking chair!
1. I have watched guides, Phs and trackers spend much time setting up a trophy photo session clearing weeds out of the view of an intended photo shot.
2. The angle of a shot can increase or decrease the appearance of the size of an animal.
3. If a trophy photography includes both the trophy and the hunter the distance the hunter is from the trophy can greatly increase or decrease the appearance of the size of the animal.
4. When taking a photograph of an animal always seek to get the eye of the animal focused very clearly.
5. Depth of field can be a photographer's friend or enemy- decide what you want to photograph to feature before the photograph is taken then use depth of field accordingly.
6. Don't be afraid to take multiple photographs if possible. Chips are cheap- good photographs are priceless.
7. Always factor the sun position/shadows into a photograph.
8. Clouds can really add a lot to sunrise or sunset photo. Don't just look for clear sky shots opportunities. Think like Ansel Adams !!!
9. Never delete a photo from a chip unless it is obviously blurred. Delete photos only after reviewing on a computer screen- then delete a photo if blurred.
10. Always take a lot of photos of everything on hunting trips and save the photos. You may find what initially appears as a worthless photo as very useable in later times. Every picture tells a story and can make a valuable point.
Just my 2 cents
#1 I keep my camera where it's very easy to grab #2 I make a conscious effort to grab my camera and take photos #3 I take LOTS of photos because of the odds of random probability #4 I don't delete any until I'm home, unless it's an obvious garbage photo #5 I look for unique things, cliffs, springs, sunrises, sunsets, cloud formations, lost Sikta shirts, etc. #6 Listen to everything BB tells you
Have a great bow hunt. BB
A couple things I try to do.
Keep the sun at your back
Take pics with a flash and without a flash
Take more pics than you think you should take. Once at home you can delete. But you might have a great one
Smile! I often am trying to take self timer pics and all by myself and forget to smile. But I try to remember to smile because it is a great time!
1. Quarter the animal towards the camera. Broadside can be ok, quartering away is no good.
2. Get the antler/horns into the sky. Not always possible, but always best. Definitely not in front of a complicated background (i.e., camo clothing, hardwood thicket, etc).
3. Keep the camera level with or preferably below the animal/hunter. If you're on a steep slope it is possible to get too low, so watch out for that. (And always be sure to clear any vegetation out of the way).
And all tips/tricks aside, take a photo YOU like. It's your animal and your picture.
I think head on the ground works best for elk, even if it means no antlers in the sky.
Legoman says to always use the Macro function on your camera, but I believe he may quietly suffer from Napolean Complex.....
Of course blood ruins a picture....use to really worry about it use all my water and be dying of thirst.... but a super easy fix on Photoshop... I carry some detal floss for tying the motuh close and again asy to photoshop that out...There is a guy on bowsite that will fix messy pictures for free...
Take LOTS of pictures...slight animal head changes can bring out a point or prong...
Always be ready for the shot of lifetime and have your camera in a place you can get it...when that shot presents itself
Cheers...happy shooting
It is good to know you are still alive and still posting.
Best of hunting this year.
Buffalo1
I'm still learning a lot, but I care more about the trophy photo than the horns/antlers/mounts themselves. After all, that's what you share with family and friends far more than a pile of antlers in the garage or room full of mounts in your private house.
Here is a pic that turned out decent from this weekend in Wyoming. Wish I'd have changed a few things, but for an unadultered photograph, it turned out great I think.
Some tips here as well would be much appreciated!!!
So far 2014 has been a good season, I've put tags on a muley buck, a bull elk, and a cow elk. One more elk tag in my pocket as well.
Hope you are having or will have a great year!
So when I'm taking a wildlife shit, do you mean like I'm shitting in the woods like a bear? Sorry, I couldn't resist!
I keep my camera in a cargo pocket or a waistbelt pouch on my backpack. From a treestand you could just hang it from your neck, or a cargo pocket I would think.
In cold weather, make sure you don't put it inside of your coat. It'll fog up and possibly freeze. My Jetstream has a chest pocket that I put my camera in.
Thanks for the responses, sounds like guys are commonly keeping their camera in their belt pouch. Is that true with a DSLR as well? I've got a mirrorless SLR which is as small as they come, but I'm thinking it's a little large for a belt pouch. And experienced guys haven't had any issues hanging their cameras from the tree several degrees below freezing?
It's often 10 - 20 maybe even 30 degrees below zero in the rut here, and just wondering if having a camera out exposed to those elements is a good idea. Then again in your pack it's just as cold, and inside your jacket you'll have humidity issues so is it OK to bring it out in that weather?
Other than stay home - I'm not sure what I would do in that 10-30 below zero weather you mention. That's going to be hard on electronics.
So be ready literally the shot of a lifetime can come at any time
Don't be afraid to get closer to your subject.
Try several different angles.
Be aware of how the background looks with your subject. Does it contrast enough?
Don't try to make the animal look bigger by sitting far away or sticking your arms out.
Landscape:
Try to have subjects in the fore ground, middle and background.
Rule of thirds.
Level horizon.
Just a few thoughts...
