Submit Your Story: Part 2, Capturing Your Hunt

Poor photo quality, insufficient file size of the accompanying pictures or not submitting pictures at all, are the three most common reasons a good story doesn’t get published. Here are some tips to help you capture the quality photos necessary for publication. Here are some tips to help you take the best pictures possible to share your story with the hunting world!

1. Always make sure the sun is behind the photographer/camera.

2. Make sure the foreground in front of your trophy in clear of obstructions, twigs, blades of grass etc.

3. Backgrounds are very important. Try to get the best background scenery possible, even if it means moving the trophy. Take time to clear away obstacles; avoid obstructed or cluttered backgrounds.

4. Use a tripod or rest of some kind for as many of your pictures as practical, even if the lighting is good. It is hard to overstate the importance of pictures being sharp once they are enlarged. You can’t just go by the camera’s LED screen.

5. DO NOT frame the subject too tightly or cut off antler tines/horns etc. Leave us room to work with the photo in the design process.

6. Composition – see the hunter placement link below for Mike Eastman’s helpful tips.

7. Try to shoot different trophy pictures. Try more than one pose, shot angle, depth and composition.

8. The softer light of morning and evening is generally best for photos with midday being the worst.

9. Remember the photographer’s Rule of Thirds. Most photographs work best when at least one of the subjects is 1/3 of the way in from a side, top or bottom.

10. Think about hunting photography before your trip. Look at the pictures in Eastmans’ magazines and books as examples. Cover shots are often the best examples. Mike Eastman is an international award-winning wildlife photographer and in his book, Elk Hunting the West Revisited, he wrote a detailed chapter on photography.

Here are a few more tips from Mike Eastman oh how to properly set up your trophy photos.

Have a story to submit? Send it to [email protected] for consideration!