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Grip and Grin Pictures I don't really care for.....

I'm no professional photographer and I've taken some not so great pics of dead animals. I don't care what you do in your pictures but Jose's tips are, in my experience, solid for taking better pics. Also, I'll add a couple, use the flash, even if it's bight out. Tuck the tongue in or cut it off and if the animal has blood around the mouth/nose wipe it off or point the head down and put the nose on the ground.
 
My best tip for taking good trophy tips is to to clear out the damn grass, twigs, etc. in front of the camera so it doesn't focus on them instead of the animal. Two of my best animals have messed up trophy pics because of this. On both of them I looked at them on the little LCD screen on the camera and didn't notice they were out of focus. You would have thought I would have learned my lesson.

On this one I kept trying to get his tongue to stay in his mouth but didn't do a great job. I should have just cut it off. Not like it was in focus enough to even really tell though.

2009_Mule_deerr.jpg


This doesn't meet Jose's requirements, but some of the shots with the head and cape back home with my son are some of my favorite pictures.

2009_Muledeer3r.jpg


This was 5 years later, my once in a lifetime Wyoming mountain goat tag. I spent countless hours getting ready for this hunt and 7 hard days hunting for him and then let myself get in a hurry when it came time to document it when it did happen. And I had told myself I would make sure and take my time. I have excuses, sun was at a bad angle going down in the direction I wanted to take the picture, there was a thunderstorm coming in, we were in grizzly country and had just talked to some guys that had a bear come in on them while they were on an elk kill, I was by myself, etc. but this is one I really wish I could have a do over on.

mountain_goat_2.jpg


Don't be like me.
 
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Question...when did everyone start to get so worried about what our pictures look like? Most everyone likes seeing old black and white photos with dead animals in the back of old trucks, or thrown across the hood, or stacked like cord wood, or a dozen deer hanging from a meat pole. The old weapons in the pictures always make them look cooler to me. What changed? I guess I just don't get why people get so worked up over any of this stuff.



It is too bad you have to fill yourself with faux outrage and pretend like people are offended in this day and age.


If you look at the thread title, it is about "pictures I really don't care for". Nothing about pictures that offend me.

I am NOT offended by guys who wear their ball caps so low as to throw their face into shade, making the picture not show the fun/enjoyment they should have had after a successful hunt. If you somehow read offense into that, you have quite the paranoid streak/ imagination.

Same with the downward angle on the subject. I can't imagine someone being offended by the downward angle, but lead your faux crusade against those who don't care for pictures composed with a downward angle on Grip and Grins, children playing, or dogs.

Enjoy your life finding imaginary offense.
 
...Well, its official....this redneck will not be posting anymore pics...Jose is making me feel bad !!! LOL


Post whatever pics you want. I don't care.

I purposely DID not use any pictures from Hunttalk to show the types of pictures I don't care for. As, I didn't want anyone to take offense.

But, it seems like some people take offense at any imaginary slight they may feel. Tough way to live life, but, hopefully you make it.
 
Broke a couple rules, but the bow isn't in the shot. ;-)

Not a bad topic and good review before the next time.

13.jpg



Funny part was, I almost suggested to Randy that he just look for any picture by you or Ovis as to how to do the pictures correctly.

And, then you showed that even a master photographer has learned and evolved.



I think many of us of a "certain age" started hunting without cameras, then we started carrying film cameras, then progressed up to digital cameras about the time that sharing pictures became easier. Thus, we had to step up our game as we evolved with the technology.


Somewhere I have a really good picture of a sweet antelope with me having long hair....... We dragged the antelope to a great spot, composed the picture with a film camera and took a great picture....


Until we developed it, and saw the green pasture grass is covered in crimson as we dragged the bleeding critter to the area to snap the picture.
 
There are some truly awful pictures on this thread but my favorites are the long arm of the antelope where the guy is just touching the tips and the kuiu kissing the ram pics those are just terrible. Also the flexing behind the animal, just to show the world that it is all about you and not the animal.

The more I hunt the more important the pictures get for me, in the long run, this is what I find myself going back to after the hunt.

But this is a good thread so people can slow down after the shot and take the time to capture some images they enjoy for the long run.
 
The photos I take may not be perfect by any means but the ones that bother me the most are the ones I did not take. For so many years I never took pictures. Now I find myself at a point in life where I'm enjoying the pictures of the hunt, people I'm with, and the country I'm in as much or more than the kill

Goat


Somebody gets it. ^^^^^


I certainly don't hunt for the meat, as I pass on animals and have plenty of unfilled tags stuffed in the pockets of my truck doors, and backpacks over the years.

And, I certainly don't hunt for the trophy on the wall, as I have killed plenty of animals with ZERO value of hanging on the wall.

The main reasons I hunt are for the experiences, the adventures, and the memories. And, that makes the photos even more important.

So far this year, I have been involved with 6 big game animals being harvested, including 1 that will make Pope & Young, and 1 that will make Boone and Crockett. Another 1 that was the hunter's largest/best big game animal ever taken.

On the two book animals, I probably took over an hour's worth of photos, composing, posing, adjusting, angling, etc trying to get the perfect shot for the hunter. I am pretty sure he appreciated it, and, the fact that the second animal he waited until I got on scene just for me to be able to get photos. Yeah, he might have appreciated me carrying packloads out to the truck that day, but the next week, the next month, and the next years he will definitely appreciate the time I spent getting him the best pictures I could.

The third animal, I couldn't get that hunter to smile, couldn't get him to appreciate the photos, and, I felt like a failure as I have 20-30 photos that are in the category of "Pictures I don't really care for". I don't understand his motivation for hunting, as he didn't want the animal caped, didn't want good pictures, and, since it was an antelope, his 40lbs of meat that I will have to FedEx to him isn't going to be much of a bounty.


Somewhere, sometime, my kids will find a box of old hunting photos, and, I have confidence that they will appreciate the time I spent.
 
My best tip for taking good trophy tips is to to clear out the damn grass, twigs, etc. in front of the camera so it doesn't focus on them instead of the animal. Two of my best animals have messed up trophy pics because of this. On both of them I looked at them on the little LCD screen on the camera and didn't notice they were out of focus. You would have thought I would have learned my lesson.

On this one I kept trying to get his tongue to stay in his mouth but didn't do a great job. I should have just cut it off. Not like it was in focus enough to even really tell though.

2009_Mule_deerr.jpg

I have had mixed results cutting the tongue off. But, I always like rubbing dirt on the bloody lips and mouth area to knock down the red crimson. A PH in Africa showed me that trick, and, forever more I do it. Funny reaction sometimes when you start putting dirt on someone's animal....

I tried posting the elk picture earlier to show the grass/twigs. It is important, especially with the bigger critters that are hard to move and get the heads up.




This doesn't meet Jose's requirements, but some of the shots with the head and cape back home with my son are some of my favorite pictures.

2009_Muledeer3r.jpg




Don't be like me.

This picture also shows the tag attached to the antlers..... Another "don't" in my book.
:rolleyes:
 
...On the two book animals, I probably took over an hour's worth of photos, composing, posing, adjusting, angling, etc trying to get the perfect shot for the hunter. I am pretty sure he appreciated it, and, the fact that the second animal he waited until I got on scene just for me to be able to get photos. Yeah, he might have appreciated me carrying packloads out to the truck that day, but the next week, the next month, and the next years he will definitely appreciate the time I spent getting him the best pictures I could.

I find the camera comes out too late or the last thing on my mind is to pose... A poser, I am not... okay - I might be a poser. :)

Here is one I would have, could have and maybe should have not placed in a post.

picture.php


Here is another while approaching... Speak of focus, blood... BUT, I like it. Just do not really think about the whole ideal pic setting

picture.php


Actually, some pretty good input. Not a bad thread - after all. ;) Info that gets stored somewhere to recall next opportunity, Cheers!
 
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Some guys on here may be joking around and you may be one of them, but some people are too serious about it. I like to see all kinds of trophy pics. I just think we need to lighten up a bit. Carry on and have a great weekend!
I think the take home message is to look what is wrong with these pictures and try to avoid the mistakes. You might not notice the huge pool of blood in the snow that makes it hard for non-hunters to look at. With just a little bit of thought you can avoid this simple to correct mistakes.
 
I like this thread as I too appreciate pics and the memories associated with them. One of the better I've been involved with made me think the guy I was helping was nuts. We moved the whole mtn goat 30 yards, not dragging it as we didn't want to mess up the cape, for the pics... Guys I go with that aren't really into pictures can get a bit exasperated at how many I take or how long it can take. But they always ask for a copy of all of them...

PS- Always be sure to check that the camera lens is clean and have stuff handy to clean it. I've ruined a few that way...
 
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Good thread.

Meat and trophies are awesome, but I too chase the memories and adventure. I've got a couple hunts that I'd like a do over on with the camera.
 
What are some tips for good kill photos after dark? These are the ones I struggle the most with.
 
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