Photographing trophies Originally posted 02/06

May 26, 2006

With less then two months before the opening of turkey season if your like me its time to look over equipment and start scouting for that elusive boss gobbler. An important part of the hunt is capturing the memories on film to relive the hunt and share the memories with family and friends. NWTF has put out on their website a handy guide to capturing photos and some great tips.
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Composition
• Get close to your subject.
• Use the golden rule of “thirds.” Look through the viewfinder, then divide the scene into thirds horizontally and vertically. Place the subject’s eye or other focal point where these lines intersect.
• Clean up the clutter. Make sure trash and other visual clutter is removed from the scene.
• Watch the background and avoid power lines, telephone poles, etc. Make sure foreign objects do not look like they’re growing out of your subject’s head.
• Take photos that show action and illustrate a point (putting a tag on your animal, walking toward the downed game).
• When people are in photos, focus on their eyes or face and try to avoid taking photos where people have their backs to the camera.
• Encourage your subjects to show pleasant facial expressions. Smiles are great!
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Action photos are taken at the time so you got to be quick to capture them. Here is where practice comes in so that when it counts you can get the shot. Another thing you can always do is to stage the shot to make sure you get it. I didn’t have my camera with me the day last year when I killed this gobbler so we staged me carrying it out after we got back to my truck.

It is one of my favorite photos of a hunter coming out of the woods with a turkey slung over his shoulder.

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Lighting
• Shoot with the sun at your back.
• Shoot in the early morning or late afternoon for softer, warmer light.
• Use fill flash to eliminate shadows.
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Lighting is very important and can not be under estimated. Take many shots and from a variety of angles as you can and then take a few more so hopefully you’ll have a good photograph. I found that shooting turkeys and bears in particular that they can appear as just dark objects and not show up very good. Adding the flash can help and be mindful of shadows you may cast or other objects may cast that will show up in the photograph.

Most of the time we hunt wearing caps and they tend to screen the face and shadow it so it’s helpful to tip the bill of the cap upward.

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Film
• Shoot 100 ASA print or slide film.
• Brace yourself, so you’re steady when you take the picture.
• Shoot a camera like a rifle; use a rest, watch your breathing and squeeze the trigger.
• If you don’t have anything else to rest the camera on, brace your elbows against your stomach.
• Squeeze the shutter release; camera shake causes blurred images.
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Digital
• Use a camera with at least 3 megapixels of resolution
• Avoid using digital zoom. Choose a camera that has a higher optical zoom.
• Always set the camera to the highest resolution possible.
• Set the camera at the lowest compression available.
• If available, shoot Raw or Tiff formats for the highest quality photos.
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I currently shoot both film and digital but I suspect in a few more years film will be like 8 track tapes. I use disposable film cameras a lot they are easy to carry and if I take a dunking in a stream I don’t have to replace a more expensive digital camera. I don’t remember when I last shot slide film but I have a friend that does because he writes for an outdoor magazine and they use slides for the photos in the magazine. We spent a few hours one day looking for some slide film, which we never found, when he traveled with me to do a hunting story a few years back. They recommend 100 speed film, I often use 400 speed film with good results and I think works better in low light conditions which happens a lot on hunting trips. Animals move best at first light and last light and the 400 gives you a little more options under those conditions to get the shot.
Any shake you have especially in low light conditions will show up in the photograph. Use some type of rest, I have a tripod I carry in my truck that I can use, I have a monopod shooting stick that also has a camera attachment that I use in the field. Like shooting a gun use the rest when you can to improve your accuracy.

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Hunting photography
• Search for an exciting background (gnarled tree trunks, rocks, flowering trees, etc.).
• Keep the animal in good shape after the kill. If you’re going to photograph your trophy turkey, for instance, make sure the feathers are in good shape.
• Try to avoid posing the hunter behind the animal. Use the exciting background to pose the animal and hunter.
• Clean blood off the animal and subject. Place an animal’s tongue in its mouth or remove it all together.
• Keep firearm muzzles and arrows in a safe direction and the action open.
• Don’t be afraid to turn your camera on a vertical axis. A scene may look better vertically than it does horizontally. Shoot both ways.
• Centered is not always better. Sometimes the focus of an image looks better when it is not centered in the frame.
• Vary your shooting angle. Shoot a scene from as many angles as you feasibly can. This not only means from all sides, but also at different heights.
• Experiment with different exposure settings. Shooting at different exposure settings above and below the camera’s meter reading is called bracketing. Sometimes your camera’s meter can be fooled by extremes in light and shadow.
• Shoot at different focal lengths. Zoom in and out on a subject. Get close-ups as well as wide shots.
By following these helpful hints, you’ll be on your way to taking photos and videos like the pros. Plus, you’ll capture memories to share for years to come.
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I shoot a lot of photographs from a variety of distances and angles. In my book you can never take to many photos but those hunting with you may tell you different. Try to take some photos when the hunt is going on so that when you get to the end of the season you don’t have just the photos with the trophies and nothing to remind you of the hard work it took to get you or your buddies in the position to take that trophy.