Photography Tips for Hunting

[tatonka2]

I see some outstanding photos at times here and on other sites, but I also see some very poor ones. Cell phone photos have come a long ways in the past few years and some can equal a photo from a 35mm camera, but generally speaking they are not of the same quality.

I suggest carrying a pocket size 35 mm in your pocket. I have a 35mm SLR (Canon Rebel) I carry in my backpack most of the time, but more and more I'm using a small Canon SX280HS I can just stick in my pants pocket. It's great for when we are out bird hunting. I use it a lot.

Many photos need a bit of tweaking when you get home. Some are a little out of focus, a little too dark, not centered the way you would like them, etc. Some digital photos can be a little "Flat"...That is, they don't always have the vibrant colors that 35mm film has. The difference is negligible to my eye, but with a software program colors can be enhanced quite a bit. There are a lot of software programs that can be used to work on your photos. You do not need a lot of "bells and whistles". I am currently using a free software program called "FastStone Image Viewer". It's a very easy program to use and does everything I need it to do.

Here are two photos (actually the same photo) I took the other day. The first one is untouched. For whatever reason, it was a bit blurry (I probably wasn't as steady as I should have been when I snapped the photo). The second photo is what it looks like after I cropped the photo and sharpened it... I did nothing else to the photo as far as enhancing the color, etc.






As can be seen, there is quite a difference between the two photos.

I'm big on taking the best photos I can take. When I'm dead and gone the antlers, shoulder mounts, etc. will all be long gone at some point in time, but the photos can be passed on down for generations to come.

Also one other tip: back up your photos. I currently use a photo hosting site called "Smugbug". It costs me $40/year but once my photos are there I don't have to worry about them and printing them from that site is very inexpensive. I only print the very best of my photos. Also, with a photo hosting site you can share your photos with whoever you would like to, share them on facebook, or whatever.

The best tip I can give is to never go hunting without your camera. These days I'd sooner forget my gun than my camera. My little pocket camera was less than $100 on ebay (refurbished)...Money well spent...

[tikka250]

awesome! always looking for more tips when it comes to hunting photos. right now i have my big nikon SLR and its not the most handy for hunting trips so im in the process of finding a small pocket camera for just that occasion.

[VanIsleGuy]

How did you make the picture more clear?

[MK2750]

I have several cameras but the Panasonic FZ200 is my favorite for hunting. Featuring a Leica lens with an F2.8 maximum aperture across its entire zoom range it takes almost as nice pictures as a $2000 or $3000 zoom camera weighing 10 times as much.

When fishing I carry an Olympus Tough TG. It also takes awesome images and video and is tough. Underwater shots are awesome but it is also capable of capturing some nice scenery.

[tatonka2]

Originally Posted by VanIsleGuy

How did you make the picture more clear?

On all software programs for editing photos (after you upload the photos to your computer) there is a tool for sharpening the photos if they are a slightly out of focus. It will not make a photo clear if it is terribly out of focus, but it will if it's just a bit out of focus.

[VanIsleGuy]

Originally Posted by tatonka2

On all software programs for editing photos (after you upload the photos to your computer) there is a tool for sharpening the photos if they are a slightly out of focus. It will not make a photo clear if it is terribly out of focus, but it will if it's just a bit out of focus.

I have been using the Photos app on my Mac. I tried using the sharpen tool, but it doesn't work very well. On the left is the sharpened original using my mac, or the right is your sharpened picture.

Interesting, I'll have to find another editing software, the one you use isn't available for macOS.

Thanks for the tips!

[tatonka2]

Originally Posted by VanIsleGuy

I have been using the Photos app on my Mac. I tried using the sharpen tool, but it doesn't work very well. On the left is the sharpened original using my mac, or the right is your sharpened picture.

Interesting, I'll have to find another editing software, the one you use isn't available for macOS.

Thanks for the tips!

Interesting. The sharpening tool in the program I use allows a person to sharpen a photo from 1% to 100%, so a photo can be sharpened just a bit if necessary or it can be sharpened quite a bit more. Of course there is a point where the photo becomes very grainy if a photo is sharpened too much.

[tatonka2]

I didn't include other tips such as cleaning up blood in a dead critter photo, avoiding tailgate photos if possible, etc. as I think everyone is aware of these. One thing I will mention is light. If it's a sunny day, the best photos taken are earlier in the morning and late afternoon. The photos of my son I posted here just happened to be late afternoon. An overcast day provides very good lighting also. When the sun is directly overhead, photos can be a challenge. Shadows are always a bit tough to deal with. If someone is wearing a hat and their face is shaded, try using a flash.

Take lots of photos. Click away. Don't take 4 or 5 photos of that huge buck you shot as more than likely you'll be disappointed. You might end up with a couple with your eyes closed, a couple might be out of focus, etc. Take 50 or 60 from different angles (or 100). You can't take too many.

I personally do not like photos where a person is holding their arms out in order to make a fish, deer, etc. look larger than it really is. It is what it is and people figure this out pretty quickly.

Take your camera with your everywhere you go. You never know what your might run into and wish you had your camera.

[jcrayford]

Originally Posted by tatonka2

I see some outstanding photos at times here and on other sites, but I also see some very poor ones. Cell phone photos have come a long ways in the past few years and some can equal a photo from a 35mm camera, but generally speaking they are not of the same quality.

I suggest carrying a pocket size 35 mm in your pocket. I have a 35mm SLR (Canon Rebel) I carry in my backpack most of the time, but more and more I'm using a small Canon SX280HS I can just stick in my pants pocket. It's great for when we are out bird hunting. I use it a lot.

Many photos need a bit of tweaking when you get home. Some are a little out of focus, a little too dark, not centered the way you would like them, etc. Some digital photos can be a little "Flat"...That is, they don't always have the vibrant colors that 35mm film has. The difference is negligible to my eye, but with a software program colors can be enhanced quite a bit. There are a lot of software programs that can be used to work on your photos. You do not need a lot of "bells and whistles". I am currently using a free software program called "FastStone Image Viewer". It's a very easy program to use and does everything I need it to do.

Here are two photos (actually the same photo) I took the other day. The first one is untouched. For whatever reason, it was a bit blurry (I probably wasn't as steady as I should have been when I snapped the photo). The second photo is what it looks like after I cropped the photo and sharpened it... I did nothing else to the photo as far as enhancing the color, etc.






As can be seen, there is quite a difference between the two photos.

I'm big on taking the best photos I can take. When I'm dead and gone the antlers, shoulder mounts, etc. will all be long gone at some point in time, but the photos can be passed on down for generations to come.

Also one other tip: back up your photos. I currently use a photo hosting site called "Smugbug". It costs me $40/year but once my photos are there I don't have to worry about them and printing them from that site is very inexpensive. I only print the very best of my photos. Also, with a photo hosting site you can share your photos with whoever you would like to, share them on facebook, or whatever.

The best tip I can give is to never go hunting without your camera. These days I'd sooner forget my gun than my camera. My little pocket camera was less than $100 on ebay (refurbished)...Money well spent...

Hey tatonka, great tips. As far as the highlighted above, my buddy put me onto Flickr that is free and has a 1 TB limit per user. It automatically syncs (uploads) with my phone whenever my phone hits my work/home WIFI and access is from any device worldwide. I could sync over cell too, but that would just chew up data. The nice thing about Flickr is that my wifi enabled video camera will transfer through my cell phone onto Flickr as well. And you can manually add from other devices/computers too.

Like MK2750, I also carry along an Olympus waterproof camera - couple years old, doesn't have the zoom of newer models, but is tough as hell... and lightweight so I don't notice it after a days hike. I have it nicely packaged in a neoprene case that also holds a clip shot for times that I may be by myself.

J.

[tatonka2]

Thanks for the tips. I'll take a look at flikr, although I'm a bit techo challenged... I don't own a cell phone, so the wifi stuff, etc. is foreign to me. I've figured out how to upload photos from my camera to my computer and to tweak them, but other than that I'm pretty much in the dark when it comes to most of today's technology.

Zoom features on most cameras are overrated. It's nearly impossible to zoom in very far with most cameras without a tripod.

[Springer]

Great point about taking Pics , touching them up etc. My thoughts are people who don't take a decent camera and are OK with their cell phones just don't care enough about the pics of a lifetime to be handed down through generations.

I'm with you , Pics mean a lot so i pack an extra camera as well, I have also used the photo mode on my video camera.

[FinnDawg]

Originally Posted by Springer

Great point about taking Pics , touching them up etc. My thoughts are people who don't take a decent camera and are OK with their cell phones just don't care enough about the pics of a lifetime to be handed down through generations.

I'm with you , Pics mean a lot so i pack an extra camera as well, I have also used the photo mode on my video camera.

My wife is into photography but some times taking all that gear isn't always the best option. She recently got an iPhone 7 and the quality is great. No doubt a dslr would take better pictures but I also wouldn't underestimate the cell phone.

[tatonka2]

With all due respect, if the photo you posted is from an iphone it doesn't come close to the quality of even a small 35mm you can stick in your front pocket. That's the point I was trying to make. Having said that, some people just aren't all that interested in having the best photos possible. That's ok....to each their own. If a person is satisfied with a snapshot from a cell phone, who am I to say otherwise? I personally like to do my best to have the best photos possible, but that's me...

[Dona]

My tip for those of you of you wanting truly great photos with a Camera that is light and can be carried in your Pocket try the Fuji X100T. Cost is around $1500 but pictures are forever.
Picture quality is compatible to full format high end SLR's and better than my Leica.