The thrill of the hunt and all the emotions tide into taking a trophy of a lifetime, last only seconds. Memories of that event will fade with time, leaving your photos however, to capture the memories for a lifetime!

As ethical hunters, we first need to be aware of the images we communicate to the public. Despite all the talk of hunter ethics, I still often times see photos of animals in the back of vehicles, lying in a heap with little thought given to composition, and hanging on meat poles or in garages.

After recently taking a photo 1 class as an elective in college, combined with the ability to practice/take several trophy quality photos a week throughout the fall, I’ve come up with a quick list of suggestions and recommendations on taking a quality shot:

•     Always shoot photographs in the field, not at camp or your home. Look for a natural background, and make it your goal to shoot photographs worthy of publication even if you never intend to show them outside your own home.
•     Make sure the animal is clean by wiping off the antlers, face and body. Make sure the hunter doesn’t have blood on his/her hands or clothing. I carry a product called the “EZ Towel” (eztowel.com) for this step. The EZ Towel is simple, effective, and takes up no space what so ever in my pack.
•     Close the animals’ mouth so the tongue is not protruding. This detracts from the photo and turns viewers off.
•     Place the animal in front of the hunter and never sit on it while taking a picture. Try shooting from low angles to help enhance animal body and horn size.
•     Make sure you still have your camouflage or hunter orange on when taking the photograph.
•     Take several photos. Digital cameras now offer the ability to take dozens of pictures and the ability to delete the unwanted ones later.
•     With antlered game, take the picture from an angle to allow all tines to show. When you take a picture from straight on you often times loose the main beams or hides other tines. With this I also try my hardest to keep the antlers sky lined, allowing them to stand out in a picture.
•     Keep the hunters body to one side or the other of the horns, as this helps keep the animal separate from its background.
•     If you are putting your firearm or bow in front, point it in a SAFE direction.
•     Be creative and last but not least SMILE ☺

I have seen far too many pictures of great animals that were handed to me with a small stipulation – It’s not a very good picture but…

 

Avoid this situation by having a great photo to show friends and family and to remind you of the memories that were made in the field that day!  

The first photo is a poorly taken Trophy Photo and the Second Photo is absolutely excellent

•     Always shoot photographs in the field, not at camp or your home. Look for a natural background, and make it your goal to shoot photographs worthy of publication even if you never intend to show them outside your own home.
•     Make sure the animal is clean by wiping off the antlers, face and body. Make sure the hunter doesn’t have blood on his/her hands or clothing. I carry a product called the “EZ Towel” (eztowel.com) for this step. The EZ Towel is simple, effective, and takes up no space what so ever in my pack.
•     Close the animals’ mouth so the tongue is not protruding. This detracts from the photo and turns viewers off.
•     Place the animal in front of the hunter and never sit on it while taking a picture. Try shooting from low angles to help enhance animal body and horn size.
•     Make sure you still have your camouflage or hunter orange on when taking the photograph.
•     Take several photos. Digital cameras now offer the ability to take dozens of pictures and the ability to delete the unwanted ones later.
•     With antlered game, take the picture from an angle to allow all tines to show. When you take a picture from straight on you often times loose the main beams or hides other tines. With this I also try my hardest to keep the antlers sky lined, allowing them to stand out in a picture.
•     Keep the hunters body to one side or the other of the horns, as this helps keep the animal separate from its background.
•     If you are putting your firearm or bow in front, point it in a SAFE direction.
•     Be creative and last but not least SMILE ☺

I have seen far too many pictures of great animals that were handed to me with a small stipulation – It’s not a very good picture but…
Avoid this situation by having a great photo to show friends and family and to remind you of the memories that were made in the field that day!