6 tips to better photos of you and your deer . . . 1. TAKE THE PHOTOS OUTDOORS. If the deer was brought home before you found someone with a camera, take the deer outside for the photos. Nothing looks worse than a deer on the garage floor with cans, pails, lawn mowers and tires in the background. 2. TAKE THE DEER OFF THE CAR, OUT OF THE TRUNK OR OUT OF THE PICKUP TRUCK. ALSO, TAKE THE ANIMAL DOWN FROM THE TREE AND REMOVE THE ROPE. 3. SELECT A NEUTRAL BACKGROUND. In the excitement of taking trophy photos no one ever looks beyond the animal or hunter. Use an attractive background, like a evergreen tree, a screen of brush or hills and woods for the background. Find a color that will highlight the antlers - not hide them. Don’t let them blend into the background. 4. GET CLOSE - NOW GET CLOSER! All you need in the photo is the animal and the hunter. Make sure the subject fills the frame. Fill the viewfinder with the subject. Most photos used in the record book have at least 50% of the photo cropped off to remove empty background. 5. POSSIBLY TURN THE CAMERA SO THE PHOTO IS VERTICAL The hunter and the trophy will fill the frame and eliminate most of the empty background. It is also the format used for magazine covers and most framed pictures. 6. USE A FLASH IF THE SUN IS LOW OR NOT PRESENT Dramatic results often occur when subjects are highlighted and the background is totally black. All that you see is the desired subject. Be sure to stay far enough away from reflective objects so ghosts don’t start to appear in the background. Personally I carry a bottle of water with and some paper towels to clean the animal up a bit (wash off the blood). Also tuck in the toungue or cut it off so it doesn't hang out. Hope these tips help. I can't wait to see your pictures this year. Good Luck Pat
I've never been one for picture taking but I'm going to do it more now especially since I'm on one of the bow hunting teams. I'll try to use some of these tips. thank you.
Great post!!! I take a lot of pride in my pictures...here's some examples. All photos were taken using my camera's self timer function.
Good tips !! you forgot one... 7. Never smile... it's not cool !! Look mad. Gives others something to gripe about. Tim
In case you were wondering I am still smiling :D I do really like pictures with the camera slightly lower than the hunter and the deer.
Good stuff Pat. And Finch, those are great self pics! The one thing I didn't hear mentioned was DON'T sit waaay behind the animal so it looks as big as Godzilla
This gets my vote for best pose! If/when I kill one this big I might have my arms wrapped around it while giving it a kiss...... just sayin'!!
Great tips Pat! I too try and do everything you said. Clean up blood, get close pics, etc. I'm damn near laying on the ground when I take photo's of people and their animals. Great pics there Finch!! Here's an example of a buck my brother shot a couple years ago on how I take pics. This Isn't the better picture of the 3 I took. I can't find my other 2 pics but you get the Idea.
Great tips guys! Here's some that I wrote up quickly in addition to what has already been posted. Use your flash! Even during the day time it’s very helpful to use the flash on your camera. This helps to fill in the light on your face (because we’re always wearing hats) and brighten the entire image up. Make sure to take some photos with the flash, and some without. Clean up the blood/tongue. Please do your best to cut down on the gore factor. Wipe off excessive blood on the animal’s mouth and wound. And for the love of God, make sure you tuck his tongue back into his mouth. Position the animal. Try to position the animal in the bedded position. The means legs tucked underneath to prop up the chest. If you can get the back legs under do that too. Otherwise lay them out behind the animal. Try to stage him so you can no longer see any of the white under belly. Get low. When taking trophy shots try to make sure your butt is on the ground. This makes the animal look bigger and results in a higher quality photo. Don’t kneel or squat, SIT on the ground. This goes for your cameraman too. Make sure you get down at eye level with the hunter, don’t take your photos from way up high. Get in close. Don’t be afraid to get in close for some good shots. Don’t worry, the deer is dead. It won’t bite you. Get multiple angles. Shoot from the side, in front, head turned left, head turned right. Shoot just about every photo you can imagine. You never know what is going to look the best so it’s better to have everything you can think of just to be safe. Find a good background. The back of your truck or the front of your house is not a good background. Try to find something that looks nice. Trees turning colors, a lake, pond or any body of water. If possible try to get shots with the animal’s antlers in the skyline. This helps them stand out more than if they’re in front of brush. Get your bow in the photo. Enough said. Shoot a lot of photos You can never shoot too many trophy shots. 50-100 is not uncommon and 200 is better. You will be amazed even with shooting that many photos that you end up with 2 or 3 that you really like and the rest are only so-so. This takes some getting used to, but you must do it. You’re going to feel weird taking so many pictures, but it will be worth it in the end. Remember, these pictures will last you forever and you’ve only got one shot to get them right! Most importantly: Smile! Remember, this is fun! You just shot something! If you’re not smiling something is wrong with you.
