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This thread is pointed towards the likes of Saeed and Anton who consistently take the most amazing photographs on safari. We all take photographs of our trophies but some simple rules could make that image all the better. There are many here who are now looking alternatives to the physical trophy and I truly believe that the future is in the image. Take the Zimbabwe elephant fiasco. Go hunt your trophy but bring bring it home in glorious full colour. I suspect the trophy rooms of the future will be pure imagery, bit like those who choose to film their hunts. However the images have to be professional and good enough to decorate any trophy room so a few pointers would be advantageous for those who choose the photographic option. ROYAL KAFUE LTD Email - kafueroyal@gmail.com Tel/Whatsapp (00260) 975315144 Instagram - kafueroyal | ||
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Good timing. I am at this time pondering whether to take a 35mm or a 50mm lens for my Leica M. I will also have a Leica autofocus P&S for zoom shots etc. if I encounter something in the bush that I want to photograph. I know the 35mm will make the trophies look a bit bigger  . The other reason I was leaning towards the 35mm lens is that at f8 with the focus point being 10ft away the depth of field is 18ft (20% in front of focus point, 80% behind) or so. Which means I can pre-focus and hand my camera to the PH and have him take the picture and not worry much about him being able to focus the camera. Picture will be in perfect focus. I have had issues with people being able to take pictures with manual rangefinder cameras before, and the above mentioned method takes care of the issue. | |||
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Just off the cuff here is a very simple way to enhance a photo. Take your hat off in strong sunlight.  And tweak it with some simple software. Basic but effective.  ROYAL KAFUE LTD Email - kafueroyal@gmail.com Tel/Whatsapp (00260) 975315144 Instagram - kafueroyal | |||
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Andrew, Thats all well and good for those with hair to diffuse the sunlight. My head shines like a beacon in the night and washes out the entire photo.  Formerly "Nganga" | |||
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I want Anton to chime in here but might I suggest talcum powder which will convert the gloss to a matt finish? Alternatively you must shoot your game in the first or last hours of the day but bet nowadays you can purchase some sort of dome filter? ROYAL KAFUE LTD Email - kafueroyal@gmail.com Tel/Whatsapp (00260) 975315144 Instagram - kafueroyal | |||
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Good thread Andrew. I have spent enough on taxidermy that I could have treated myself to another safari. In the future unless something is truly exceptional, I will just take lots of photos & live with that. With a small portion of my savings I can invest in a really nice camera. I've mostly been using a $100 pocket Kodak which has done well, but I knew I would also have the stuffed, (just kidding) taxidermied animal as well to grace my home. I also believe with the work Roland does it could also be in very good taste. LORD, let my bullets go where my crosshairs show. Not all who wander are lost. NEVER TRUST A FART!!! Cecil Leonard | |||
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I actually considered that "Hair in a can spray" just for this reason. For some reason the TSA confiscates it, thinking it's bear spray. Formerly "Nganga" | |||
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Several years ago a friend of mine used it, we thought it was kinda funny till he started sweating, then it was downright hilarious. LORD, let my bullets go where my crosshairs show. Not all who wander are lost. NEVER TRUST A FART!!! Cecil Leonard | |||
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Slightly off the topic but just imagine a high resolution screen(s) in your room displaying the images of your trophies? Sound is another option. Or having Roland create a few steel plate images? When you are gone your wife simply tosses the CD in the trash bin or if she loves you she can simply transfer the images to her IPad. We gotta think that hunting is about images and memories and how best to preserve them. Take your trophy elephant in Zim and screw the US authorities but then convert the images to something tangible, everlasting and something you can display on the big screen. Taxidermists are gonna hate me. ROYAL KAFUE LTD Email - kafueroyal@gmail.com Tel/Whatsapp (00260) 975315144 Instagram - kafueroyal | |||
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I am doing that, all of my trophies from my upcoming trip in 30 days is going to an overseas residence. There will be a bit of an extra shipping cost as taxidermy will be done locally in Zim. I will have pictures as well though. . | |||
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I can agree to the idea of saving money on taxidermy likely in the amount of an additional safari however I can't imagine not bringing home animals that have us travelling half way around the world for. They say a picture is worth 1000 words so a Sable, Sitatunga, Roan, Bongo or full mounted lion must make it priceless? | |||
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I think Andrew is right to provoke us into thinking about taking photographs, whether the trophy is mounted or not. It is now so easy to share a photograph with friends and family, something our children take for granted and do every day with different social media, that I'm surprised that more of us don't put just a little more effort into it. Only a couple AR members have ever visited my home and seen my few trophies, but probably hundreds (maybe even thousands) have seen photographs I've posted. In fact, a hunt report without photos will get pretty much ignored. This doesn't mean that we all have to become photography geeks (and believe me they are a nerdy bunch) but a simple trophy photo is not that hard to take. I've posted it before so I'll post it again:  There is nothing complicated about taking a picture like this, and I posted this one because there is almost no post-processing involved, no razzle-dazzle with software and contrast and saturation and HDR or any of that stuff. In fact, it's pretty much straight from the camera. It's in focus, the light is at a good angle (I'm not casting my own shadow onto the picture) and it is properly composed. It's not rocket science. Most of the PH's I've hunted with have taken so many trophy photos that they know more about it than any of us. Hand them your camera and tell them it's important to you; you may be surprised how well they do. _________________________________ AR, where the hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history become the nattering nabobs of negativisim. | |||
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I cannot imagine choosing this;  Over this;  Formerly "Nganga" | |||
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The second picture is a much better photograph.  _________________________________ AR, where the hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history become the nattering nabobs of negativisim. | |||
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Hi Wink, Quality of photography aside. I can, right this second, get off my ass and walk over and look at that mount. When the few folks that go into my trophy room walk in, I love the reaction. I have yet to see jaws drop, eyes look about in wonderment at photographs. People will glance a t a photograph and say; wow, isn't that a Bongo? Well, yes I tell them, and they're done and move on. But for the people who see the Bongo, they will stand there and take it all in for long periods of time. People will ask; why are there vines stuck ill over his horns? Well, because thats what my Bongo looked like after we found him. A tangled morass of vines and vegetation. Steve Formerly "Nganga" | |||
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Steve Some people have been more successful in life & can afford more and or nicer things and I for one am not one little bit jealous. But for some of us, the money spent on taxidermy could mean the difference in another safari or not. My wife has plans to build a trophy room onto our house, this will cost more than the house did when we built it. Again, I could take MANY more safaris with that money. I would love to have a trophy room, but then I could not afford to go hunting to collect more trophies to decorate it with. I simply have to decide what's more important to me. LORD, let my bullets go where my crosshairs show. Not all who wander are lost. NEVER TRUST A FART!!! Cecil Leonard | |||
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Nothing wrong with that, I on the other hand, see the trophies as part of the experience. I would somehow feel hollow and the experience unfulfilled were it not for these physical manifestations of life's grandest moments. If I were to take it one notch below the pictures, would you feel fulfilled not even having taken photo's? It is really a matter of degree's I guess. To each his own. I have been hunting in Africa since 1999. I mounted everything, even when it wasn't in the budget. Most tanned hides and horns last a long while at the Taxidermist. Time is something we all tend to have more of than money. I'm patient and can wait. I still have trophies un-mounted at my Taxidermist from as far back as 2006. The Bongo pictures were intended to make people think about, is just a picture OK? Can you imagine not fullmounting a Bongo? Formerly "Nganga" | |||
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I admit that some animals scream for a full mount. To me it would be a nyala. But on my next safari it's probably just going to be pictures. LORD, let my bullets go where my crosshairs show. Not all who wander are lost. NEVER TRUST A FART!!! Cecil Leonard | |||
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Fairgame nah we don't hate you J loves you...LOL and Bwana cecil No disrespect intended here but taxidermist like to maybe go on safari also maybe that builder too. I understand absolutely that it's everyone's choice to choose what to spend their hard earned money on and what is best for them and their needs and wants. A safari gives you a few days, a few weeks to enjoy your time hunting and your harvest of your game trophy and some pictures to look at. Taxidermy lasts forever lets you walk up to it, touch it, feel it, walk around it. This will be Everyday for the rest of your life. To be in the presence of this majestic animal, more memories will come back to you thru this than a picture will ever do. You get to do this when your 90 and can't hunt anymore. Walking up and standing next to a picture just aint going to be the same, ever. How many of you in your daily life find hunters to contract with? I find my Doctor and make sure he hunts. My dentist I made sure he hunts. My mechanic, yep I made sure he hunts. My plumber, heating and air conditioning guy..he hunts. My builder a hunter. I buy a truck guess what I find a hunter owner or sales an that hunts. I change any of these and more and I make sure they hunt before I spend any money with them when I can. I ASK THEM before making an appointment or contracting with them. I ask the reception girls and secretary's when calling around if the boss hunts. It's not that I'm thinking just as a taxidermist but no picture will ever hold a candle to the physical presence of a mounted animal whatever it would be. No comparison. | |||
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Awesome Post  Formerly "Nganga" | |||
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A HUGE +1, and thanks for posting pics of your full mounted Bongo....Incredible!!! Honestly one of my favorite forums to look under is the taxidermy section here on AR, a wonderful conclusion to life long memories and perhaps also serving as closure to a quest or a dream realized? Pictures, don't get me wrong, are also a very important piece of the overall experience, but I am as above mentioned looking forward to the day I can meet with my trophies in a physical manner now able to really appreciate them for what they are and what they mean to me. | |||
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I've already weighed in with my opinion, however, one thing is certain… I can carry my safari adventures in my pocket and share them anytime (iPhone photos). I respect the opinion of the hunters that desire mounts over photos. However, for me more mounts are simply added things that require space, someone to deal with them when I'm gone, etc. I would rather look at my photographs at any time, anywhere, over mounting trophies these days. Steve: I actually like the photo in the bush over the mounted animal. Funny thing pictures, I can share your Bongo with friends around the world and never step foot in your house. Thanks for sharing. Safari James USMC DRSS | |||
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I completely understand. Look at the differences of the pictures. From my perspective, the Bongo is obviously dead. His ears are hanging low, he's bloody, there's a poorly placed hole in his side. An animal like a Bongo deserves the dignity after life to be displayed with character and pride. Think about the life this Bongo endured. He had a snare around one leg, which I still have. All things I think about when I sit on my couch in my trophy room. Not saying pictures are wrong, they are just not enough for me.  Steve Formerly "Nganga" | |||
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I certainly respect your passion for your trophies. I am sitting within 3ft of my pedestal mounted sable. I am quite proud of him, but actually enjoy looking at the photos of me & my gang(trackers) at the kill site more. I guess it's just one mans perspective compared to another ones. LORD, let my bullets go where my crosshairs show. Not all who wander are lost. NEVER TRUST A FART!!! Cecil Leonard | |||
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Very thought provoking post Digital display will definitely become a big part of trophy display in the future..... | |||
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Great photos are necessary and certainly some of the techy ideas are interesting………… but for me and most people I know, no physical trophy coming home……… no way am I going to spend the insane amounts of money required to go and take part in it. Hell, I may as we'll just go on a photo safari and be done with it. I still have trouble with the idea that some of you are paying $3 or $4K trophy fees over and above the high daily rates to kill problem or tuskless ele that are basically problem animals or animals killed for biological purposes to be meat for the locals. A token fee would be fine, but that kind of money to provide meat for the table locally or rid them of a problem pachyderm that would be killed anyways? I think not. But that is just me and obviously I am out to lunch. Can't imagine spending the money for any of the big five or the glamour antelope and NOT bringing the trophy home. To each their own……….. but if I ever could afford to go for bongo and get an outstanding trophy like Steve got…….. not a chance in hell I would just take a picture and not bring it home. If the margin was that slim in my savings to partake in that sort of hunt then i would not go. ______________________________________________ The power of accurate observation is frequently called cynicism by those who are bereft of that gift. | |||
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Steve, Totally agree with you and that Bongo mount is superb. The thread is more about taking better photographs on safari and detailing some simply camera functions that will greatly enhance the image. These trophy pics then could be displayed much like a painting. The two photographs you presented are like chalk and cheese. The image of your mounted trophy is very professional indeed. ROYAL KAFUE LTD Email - kafueroyal@gmail.com Tel/Whatsapp (00260) 975315144 Instagram - kafueroyal | |||
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Hi Andrew, I understand the gist is better photography. I was responding to this point. As I have pointed out many times in the past, I have fond feelings for all my trophies. To me, they represent far more than just physical manifestations of the hunt. People on this forum are hunters, some of us are very passionate about using our own rifles, some don't care if they use camp guns. Some wouldn't even consider factory ammo, yet others buy off the shelf. I see this no different than any other thing we all see differently. As far as better pictures, I would love to be able to do better, I just don't possess the skillset. I have most of my photos on my phone, can access them anytime I wish. I also have a Bongo on my left shoulder and an LDE on my right shoulder. Permanent reminders of better days. Passion...defines who we are. Regards, Steve Formerly "Nganga" | |||
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Steve, you are by far a more passionate man than I am & I salute you for it. LORD, let my bullets go where my crosshairs show. Not all who wander are lost. NEVER TRUST A FART!!! Cecil Leonard | |||
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Thanks for that. I came from an extremely strict father. He pounded values into me. Some were silly, but the value for life was one I will remember and also hold to be extremely important. I place that value for life on all life, regardless. Taking a life is not a non-chalaunt matter to me. A lesson taught me once. I shot a mockingbird off our television antenna with a pellet gun. My dad observed it from inside the garage. The bird fell to the ground but wasn't dead. My father walked over and instructed me to ring it's neck. I was about 10 perhaps. I hesitated, he gave me a choice, finish killing it or nurse it back to health. I chose life, in the end I failed but learned a valuable lesson about casually killing for nothing more than the thrill of the kill. May seem corny but that's who I am. As hunters we all claim how deeply we care about the animals we kill. Look at all the BS on FB about it. Perhaps we need to put up or shut up. Formerly "Nganga" | |||
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While I like to have my trophies with me I would certainly appreciate some advise on better pictures. | |||
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The guy who figures out how to make holograms in the field will do well. "If you’re innocent why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?”- Donald Trump | |||
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Hopefully this thread will list some pointers that we can all note. ROYAL KAFUE LTD Email - kafueroyal@gmail.com Tel/Whatsapp (00260) 975315144 Instagram - kafueroyal | |||
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Here are some tips that could be useful. http://www.bowhuntingmag.com/t...nting-trophy-photos/ Something to have in mind when taking photos http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds "Flash" Flash can be good in some instances, but try dealing and thinking how the natural light is. If I remember Jdollar took a cool photo of his hippo with the light of the landcrusier? "TIME OF DAY" If you can choose time sunset or sunrise are best IMO. I take all my portraits etc this time so don't get all the bad shades under the eyes etc. If in hard sun light try posing into the sun http://neilvn.com/tangents/pho...-in-bright-sunlight/ "BLOOD" I never try to take blood by washing it away with water it will just make a mess, it will take 2-3 seconds to fix that in a editing program when you get home. "Unique" Try thinking outside the box, to have 50 different photos of yourself with different animals can be boring. Paws, skin, claws make all great photos and as I said before people taking photos of you when you taking photos can turn out cool also. "Reflector" Can make miracles to a photo, look below. http://photographylife.com/how-to-use-a-reflector Some examples   Sunset photo, all the photos are taken with natural light          Completely dark with flash be carful about dust, the camera will pick that up    | |||
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Great anton and I was hoping that you would pipe in. Can you explain briefly a little about the TV and AV functions and recommended use? Most shots on live game are fairly hurried and what camera settings do you prefer? ROYAL KAFUE LTD Email - kafueroyal@gmail.com Tel/Whatsapp (00260) 975315144 Instagram - kafueroyal | |||
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There is a "practical photography for hunters" section on AR. There is some pertinent information there as well, but you'll have to scroll down to near the bottom of the AR sections. _________________________________ AR, where the hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history become the nattering nabobs of negativisim. | |||
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Great tips Anton...Well done brother | |||
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Those are unbelievably good photos Anton. | |||
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Thanks Andrew I shoot most in manual and check my camera to the right settings often when lights changing. When bad light and shooting at animals in the move its not much else to do than to increase the ISO http://blog.corporatefineart.c...de-to-use-av-tv.html | |||
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