I am interested in what is considered proper etiquette when taking photos of your game after it has been shot.

I am guilty of having taken photos with me stradling the game an it just doesnt look good. But in my defense it was because it was only me and I had to hold the head up since it would have taken more than me to properly pose the animal.

I would appreciate hearing your input and experiences.

my PH was demanding that all photos be as shown below.....and I think he had it right.

I am not a professional, though I will play one in this response Alot of the comments may be impacted by location and size of game - i.e. easier to do with a smaller animal than elephant, hippo, buffalo, eland, etc.. My ideas/suggestions include
- clean up the blood, both on the game and on the ground so no distraction
- skyline game if possible to remove background clutter and show off horns/antlers
- center the game within picture
- beware of shadows falling across you/game
- tip the nose of game down to accentuate horns/antlers
- ensure the game tongue is tucked, not hanging out the side of mouth (what you do with yours....)
- Tuck the animals front legs and andjust back legs to the game "sits up"
- Brush down footprints in front of game (includes snow or dirt)

I've tried to consider these when in the field. The guys that do this as a profession like OutdoorWriter should be able to produce a more complete list of dos and don'ts.

Brad

I would add one thing: don't show space around the animal, and don't be afraid to crop the animal - you don't need the whole animal in the picture.

And most important: the photographer should be low to the ground. The sky should be in the background, not the vegetation.

I usually try to include the entire animal and take a variety of angles...... if you have the whole animal in the shot you can then edit it on photoshop or other programme - however, you can't edit something that's not in the original picture......

Skylining the horns also helps..........

It almost goes without saying but I think a "natural" environment is a necessity. This means no taking photos of the animal in the back of the pickup or in what is obviously a skinning shed or driveway. Anyone remember that guy a couple years back who posted the photos here on AR of a nice bear he took? Unfortunately the photos were taken with the animal in the back of a bloody truck bed and the critter was surrounded by beer cans and other bits of trash from the hunting trip.

JMHO,

John

I know that this might be a controversial opinion, but when I take a picture of a dead animal, I do not want to make it look alive by having its head lifted, or similar. The purpose of hunting is to kill an animal and a trophy photo is a photo of a dead animal. Let us not be ashamed of that, let us instead be proud of the fact that we have hunted and killed the animal. I know people with trophy pictures on the wall who get the question "why do you have a rifle in the picture of you with the zebra". I prefer to be clear what it is all about. Clear the blood and arrange a nice scene, but if there is an entry wound so why not. There are entry wounds on animals that have been shot. I think the most important thing with a trophy picture is that it shows respect to the animal and to hunting. In my opinion, propping up an animal to make it look alive does not show that respect, neither to the game nor the hunting.

I guess this largely is a cultural thing, here in Scandinavia we don't mind pictures with blood in them in hunting magazines but I have found it different in other countries. Nice to know that there at least is one area were we are not politically correct in Sweden.

Regards,
Martin

quote:

Originally posted by JohnTheGreek:
It almost goes without saying but I think a "natural" environment is a necessity. This means no taking photos of the animal in the back of the pickup or in what is obviously a skinning shed or driveway. Anyone remember that guy a couple years back who posted the photos here on AR of a nice bear he took? Unfortunately the photos were taken with the animal in the back of a bloody truck bed and the critter was surrounded by beer cans and other bits of trash from the hunting trip.

JMHO,

John

I remember it John, a very enlightening thread, that.

I'd add that a wide angle lens also works wonders....

I like to take both kinds - the natural, just after the kill shot that shows whatever, and then the "nice" photo. That way you can choose which picture to use based on where you will put it or who you show it to, etc. JMO.

quote:

Game photo etiquette

I don't mind seeing pictures where the animal is not perfectly posed, or where there is blood that can be seen etc. That's the way it is with hunting sometimes, and hunting is not a photography contest. However, I think it's a good idea to treat the dead animal with respect. Some guys fall into the trap of doing lurid actions, which at the moment might for some reason seem funny. Inevitably, the pictures just seem disrespectful, so such behaviour should be avoided IMO. I haven't seen this much here in Europe, but have seen some from deer hunters in the US for some reason.

Photowise, I think it's a good idea to take pictures from all angles, often with a wide lense and a bit from below.

See JJHACK's website. Go to "News & Articles," then "Hunting Photography 101."

Jaywalker

One thing that always irritates me are the folks that sit way behind the animal to make it look much larger than it is ....

Also if you place the rifle on the animal make sure its not pointing at you or you PH.

I take both types of picture, one for 'presentation purposes' and one purely for memories (i.e. parts of the animal, the group carrying it, gutting/skinning).

The only problem with 'presentation pics' is that they can get monotonous when you have a photo album full of exactly the same broadside pose with hunter kneeling behind.

Having some scenery behind the animal which is typical of the region can add to the picture too.

I think it's important to let the place, the time, and animal, the mood of the moment, etc., dictate the manner in which you take the photo. I like some variety. Photos are really an unwritten collection of stories, and each one is different and needs to take on it's own identity.

No matter what, though, the photo needs to be well-composed, balanced, and correctly lighted. Use fill-in flash as necessary, and don't be a bit afraid to take lots of photos. Especially in this wonderful age of digital photography, you can afford to experiment, so do take your time, and use your imagination. Read and re-read your camera's instruction manual until its every function is clearly understood.

You photos will also improve by carefully cleaning up the area around the animal before you start taking pictures. Cut tall grass, remove sticks and small rocks, animal droppings, stray equipment and camera bags, etc. Keep your working area natural, but also keep in clean and uncluttered.

AD

Before your safari, buy a couple of glass eyes specific to your animal from your taxidermist. Then, slip them in for the trophy photo. It looks a lot better that the "green eye" that is prevalent. This worked great on my fuffalo and I hope to do the same for lion next year.

Digging out the eyes in order to replace them with glass-eyes for the picture is perhaps not my idea of respect for the animal... But what do I know; I am just a barbarian from the north.

I think a point that many miss is how the hunter is posing in the picture. Why always sitting front to the camera? It can be a much better picture with the hunter's head slightly in profile, watching the animal. Or perhaps the hunter can do something in the picture, something like contemplating his animal while smoking a pipe. That makes it look like a genuine scene with the hunter relaxing after the hunt, instead of the traditional posing trophy picture which can sometimes look 'possessive'. The picture should in my opinion be about the animal, not the hunter.

For smaller game, I don't think the hunter should be in the picture at all; let the animal fill the picture. Arrange your gun and perhaps a bag or similar to make nice scene, use stones or flowers or a branch.

Regards,
Martin

I agree that you should strive for a respectful photo. That said I had a photo of myself astride my eland bull, my PH was not happy until I explained that being from Montana, most of my friends have rodeo experience either as riders and certainly as spectators. This was a good way for my friends to get an idea of how large an animal the eland is from their frame of reference. The "classic" broadside doesn't give you any gauge of size, the classic eland shot makes the animal look like it's the size of a Volkswagon bus.

Do I show that photo to everyone? Not unless they seem unable to grasp the size aspect from the other shots. The other thing I should point out is that I live in a "hunting culture area", Montana is not California and all of my personal friends are hunters or at the very least come from hunting families. Who you are showing the photos to makes a difference.

The most commor errors I see are with the subject in partial shade and sun (under tree branches) and with the subject in the shade with a bright background. Since most of us (amateur photographers) use the "AUTO" setting the camera samples the sunlit areas and leaves the dark areas underexposed (black). The most common solution for this is to zoom in on a shaded area, press the photo button slightly (half-way), zoom back, and press the photo button the rest of the way. This will generally give you an acceptable photo.
Dave

I usually leave the PH dictate this - they're all more picky about photos than I am. And even though it isn't considered ediquette, sometime you have to sit atop of the animal. Example I had bagged a very large lion (over 500#'s) that had really good black mane in front. The only way to show off the mane was to hold his head up, and the only way I could lift the thing was to sit onto of him.

If there is a need to wash off the blood, keep a towel handy to dry the spot a bit. It does not looks natural with a wet spot on the animal.

I always cut away the grass, especialy when you lie down to take the photo the long grass does not look good in the photo.

quote:

Originally posted by Marterius:
I know that this might be a controversial opinion, but when I take a picture of a dead animal, I do not want to make it look alive by having its head lifted, or similar. The purpose of hunting is to kill an animal and a trophy photo is a photo of a dead animal. Let us not be ashamed of that, let us instead be proud of the fact that we have hunted and killed the animal. I know people with trophy pictures on the wall who get the question "why do you have a rifle in the picture of you with the zebra". I prefer to be clear what it is all about. Clear the blood and arrange a nice scene, but if there is an entry wound so why not. There are entry wounds on animals that have been shot. I think the most important thing with a trophy picture is that it shows respect to the animal and to hunting. In my opinion, propping up an animal to make it look alive does not show that respect, neither to the game nor the hunting.

I guess this largely is a cultural thing, here in Scandinavia we don't mind pictures with blood in them in hunting magazines but I have found it different in other countries. Nice to know that there at least is one area were we are not politically correct in Sweden.

Regards,
Martin

I always knew I liked you!

One other tip is take lots of pictures. Different angles, with flash and without, etc. Then you can select the best ones to print.

Jeff

I don't think I've ever seen an animal "proped up to make it look alive"??? People hold the head up or prop it up, but thats just to get a better view of the trophy not to make it look alive???

One of the South African guys who posts here made the comment to me that its considered disrespectful to hold an animals horns...I've not heard of that before; maybe a local custom?

One idea which can help alot is to print of a few trophy pictures you particularly like and have them laminated up and stored in your camera bag so you can refer to them when the pictures are being taken...

Regards,

Pete

One little thing I did was to position my rifle over the entrance wounds wherever possible.

Interestingly, my son wanted a picture of his ancient gemsbok bull as he was on the ground (before we cleaned up, etc) to show the reality of the situation. We agreed it would be the 'rated R' version. Our PH was meticulous in cleaning up and arranging for good photos, and a stickler for respect for the game we took, and did a weidsmanheil ceremony for each animal. I appreciated his sense of ceremony as it fit with the gravity of taking the lives of such magnificant creatures. Bob

Lots of good advice. One mistake I often see (aside from the obvious stuff like dead animals in the back of a truck) is not shooting the picture from a fairly low level. Too often game shots are taken looking down on the animal which gives it the, "hey, there's a dead animal laying there" look.

Another irritating shot which is often seen when bear photos are taken is the delibertate positioning of the hunter far behind the dead critter in order to skew perspective and exagerate the animal's size... I truly HATE those shots. Good photography like anything is always best when it's honest.

Bottom line, the pic should be more about the animal and less about the hunter. The older I get the less often I have a rifle in the photo as that's also one more thing to take away from the animal.

Oh the perspective distortion of the behind the animal shot on my warthog was good for laugh. I had a digital camera and looked at the shot after the PH took it and then had him re-shoot the photo because it looked like it was 300+ pounds! The belsbok looked like it was the size of an eland on one shot. In the future I would prefer to be beside the animal rather than behind it.

I very much appreciated how he washed up the animals and took great care on positioning them. The posed shots are very nice but I really feel that some "reality" shots are good even if you only show them to your hunting partners.

quote:

Originally posted by allen day:
I think it's important to let the place, the time, and animal, the mood of the moment, etc., dictate the manner in which you take the photo. I like some variety. Photos are really an unwritten collection of stories, and each one is different and needs to take on it's own identity.

No matter what, though, the photo needs to be well-composed, balanced, and correctly lighted. Use fill-in flash as necessary, and don't be a bit afraid to take lots of photos. Especially in this wonderful age of digital photography, you can afford to experiment, so do take your time, and use your imagination. Read and re-read your camera's instruction manual until its every function is clearly understood.

You photos will also improve by carefully cleaning up the area around the animal before you start taking pictures. Cut tall grass, remove sticks and small rocks, animal droppings, stray equipment and camera bags, etc. Keep your working area natural, but also keep in clean and uncluttered.

AD

To add to the "proper composer"

the hunter should actualy be TOUCHING the game, not 3 steps behind and down hill


or are your legs actually 22" long?

just been buggin the crap out of me that people take photos trying to make the game look BIGGER than it is...

myself, the hunter and the game should be as close to the same plane as possible

jeffe

quote:

just been buggin the crap out of me that people take photos trying to make the game look BIGGER than it is.

Just been buggin the crap out of me that people type arrogant remarks to make themselves look BIGGER than they are.

Take lots of pictures! This is always good advice. Film is cheap and digital even more so. Lots of pictures gives the hunter a lot to look over and remember the hunt by. But what do you want, and not want, in the final picture that you want to post on AR for all to see?

One “don’t want thing†not really mentioned is the shadow of the photographer or other individuals falling anywhere, and most certainly not on the animal.

Animal head tilted towards the camera makes the horns seem bigger. I’ve been taught at PH school to not hold the animal by it’s horns: The real reason why was said to be that doing so gives a size perspective of the hunters’ hand on the horn, which is in conflict with that perspective created by tilting the head towards the camera. IMHO it is not a sign of disrespect at all!

A serious question that often comes up: Hats off to show respect to the vanquished animal? Or does keeping the hat on not show any disrespect? As said, it’s easy enough to take both, but which do you select to actually publish?

Rifle or bow in the photo or not? These are only the instruments that the hunter used to kill the animal. It is not the instrument that achieved the success, it is the hunter! One of my clients once countered my suggestion of putting his rifle in a trophy picture with this question: “Why don’t we take off the Land Cruiser’s steering wheel and put that in the picture too? After all we came here with the Land Cruiser, so that was used in the hunt also!†Ever since then I take both with clients, but the question still remain: Which do you select to publish?

Leaning the rifle against the trophy? IMHO the trophy is not a convenient place to lean the rifle against, it shows lack of respect? The hunter must hold the rifle, and yes, as said, to help cover up the less than ideally placed entrance/exit wound. It is better to just cover up the hole near the hip, than to have to explain that a quartering shot was required..... OTOH, why not just leave the hole in perfect heart shot position visible? As long as there is no excessive blood there.

Take note of Cunningham’s advice! To my shame I have to admit that I’ve got a picture with the client’s rifle pointing directly at me!

I like Marterius’ attitude that the hunter killed an animal and we are taking pictures of a dead animal, don’t prop it up unnaturally to “make it look aliveâ€! OTOH on rare occasions when we do it really right, on being hit the animal just folds up it’s legs and drops dead right there (DRT)! Is propping up the animal with legs tucked in not just trying to create an illusion that on taking the shot the animal dropped DRT and landed in that position?

Another question that bothers me is: Should the hunter look serious, grave and respectful – like someone who has just killed an animal? Or should the hunter smile and look pleased - like someone who has just killed an animal? Again, it is easy enough to tell your client: “Now put on a big ear-to-ear smile for the next one!†But which photo do you select to actually publish?

Just my few thoughts on the subject.

Andrew McLaren

quote:

Originally posted by Pete E:
I don't think I've ever seen an animal "proped up to make it look alive"??? People hold the head up or prop it up, but thats just to get a better view of the trophy not to make it look alive???

One of the South African guys who posts here made the comment to me that its considered disrespectful to hold an animals horns...I've not heard of that before; maybe a local custom?

One idea which can help alot is to print of a few trophy pictures you particularly like and have them laminated up and stored in your camera bag so you can refer to them when the pictures are being taken...

Regards,

Pete

Hi Pete

Yes it was me who said that.

The animals horns are his pride and mostly used to show off his maleness, thus we should respect that and not grab him by the horns when taking the picture. No problem holding the horns but hold it with respect.

Wimpie

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