Hunting With a Camera
Wildlife photography is not the same as hunting, but it shares some characteristics with those other types of hunting. Many people enjoy photographing wildlife and outdoor activities. It allows them to “hunt” during closed seasons for game animals and provides a chance to seek non-game species throughout the year. It gives them a means of recording their outdoor experiences for later use, telling the story of the trip, capturing trophies on film and making lasting reminders of special memories.
Photography differs from hunting in several ways. The film or prints are not nearly as palatable as the animals bagged, but they can be used many times. The game is captured at light speed and in straight lines, not with the comparative slowness of bullets, shot, or arrows. Like bowhunting, photography is a close range sport. Often wildlife must be extremely close before a quality photograph can be taken. Unlike the rest of hunting, the hunting photographer must worry about framing and composition of the photograph. They do not need to worry about what is down range beyond the camera’s eye, however.
Good wildlife photographs are relatively rare jewels. They have a structure that required either great luck or plenty of planning and work to obtain. They include a subject or subjects in a context of background and eye movement, known as composition. Using light to control the patterns and exposure of the film, the photographer attempts to satisfy both an ideal image and his or her personal aesthetics. Since most of us are not overwhelmingly lucky, we must rely on understanding and practicing some principles of quality photography.
Cameras and Lenses
A bewildering array of cameras and lenses are available to photographers today. “Instant” cameras, like the Polaroid cameras, give the photographer rapid turn around on their efforts. Traditional cameras offer more variability. Disposable cameras, where the entire structure is returned for development, are inexpensive and take surprisingly good photographs. Point and shoot compact cameras come with both fixed focus and zoom lenses and are capable of doing photographic work that required an expensive single lens reflex (SLR) camera fairly recently. SLR cameras have become both simpler and more complex, with manually operated shutter speed and lens aperture settings on some, automatic shutter speed or aperture adjustment on others and programmed operation at the top of the line. In addition to these high quality photographic tools, many large format cameras using larger film sizes are also available. All of these cameras are useful to the photographer, and any of them may be used to take pictures of wildlife and scenery. Most serious wildlife photographers find the portability and versatility of the 35 mm SLR satisfactory for their needs.
Lenses are similarly complicated. Some cameras have a fixed focus lens. Usually that focus is on “infinity” so close shots are out of focus. These camera and lens systems are relatively inexpensive and adequate for recording snapshots of scenery and people. They leave a bit to be desired in the serious photography realm.
Higher quality lenses usually permit adjustment in their focus. This allows a narrow focusing on the subject and permits sharper pictures at a variety of distances. Many lengths of lenses are available for 35 mm SLRs, allowing the photographer to select a lens that will perform adequately for the conditions encountered. Lenses are commonly available in focal lengths from about 30 cm to over 800 cm. In a 35 mm format, a 50 mm lens gives the appearance of a 1X telescope, making an 800 mm lens approximately equivalent to a 4X scope. Longer lenses carry much higher costs, often more than a dollar per cm of focal length, but they permit the photographer to fill the frame with his or her subject from a greater distance.
Zoom lenses, whether constructed of a lens system or based upon a mirror, have variable focal length. Like variable power scopes, they can be adjusted to the power that gives the optimal performance for the situation. While they have higher costs than fixed lenses, their versatility reduces the number of lenses needed to cover the range of possibilities. Mirror lenses are lighter and shorter than their lens system counterparts. Most long lenses are difficult to stabilize without a solid rest, a gunstock mount of a good tripod.
Macro lenses are designed for very close focusing distances, taking larger than life photographs of smaller subjects. Insects and similar creatures are often best photographed with a macro lens. Many zoom lenses are capable of macro use as well as telephoto use.
Light – the Medium of Cameras
Light is an enigmatic phenomenon. It moves as electromagnetic waves, but it acts like particles or packages of energy. Variation in the wavelengths produces different colors as our eyes perceive them. Like our eyes, films are sensitive to specific wavelengths of light. Exposure to light modifies the structure of the light sensitive medium on the film, producing a latent image of the light projected onto it through the lens. Thus, photography is the management of light.
Sunlight carries the full spectrum of visible light. To us that light appears as white light. Sunlight is adequate for most photographic films. Although some of them are constructed to be more sensitive to parts of the light spectrum humans cannot detect. That sunlight is effective whether it is direct, reflected, or diffuse. Its intensity determines the amount of light reaching the film, or the exposure. Some films are impacted very little by changes in light intensity. Others are very sensitive to those differences. Thus, they need to have different exposure settings, combinations of shutter speed and lens aperture, for different light conditions. While bright, direct sun might require a quick shutter speed and an aperture like a pin hole, f16 for example, a photograph taken in deep forest shade under those conditions might need to have a much larger aperture, f2 for example, with a longer exposure. Generally, full sun and a bright overcast permit the use of small apertures and fast speeds even with slow films, while dull overcast, shadows, or dawn and dusk situations require longer exposures, slower shutters or faster films for adequate exposure. With the fastest films, good moonlight may be adequate for acceptable pictures, and all films can take campfire shots if a long enough exposure time is used.
Artificial light is frequently needed to assist in getting the proper exposure or to give the photograph a better appearance. Photographic floodlights are outstanding light sources. They have excellent color balance and are easily adjusted for the purpose, but they are designed for studio use. Making use of them in the field requires a major logistical effort that most amateurs are not willing or able to undertake.
Some photographs wind up being taken indoors. Indoor lights usually do not have the color balance of sunlight, causing them to impart different colors to the exposed film. Incandescent lights shed a warm light that gives a yellowish or pale orange wash to the film. Fluorescent lights vary in wavelength, but many of them have a cool light with a bluish cast that results in film that appears to be under exposed. Using a fill-in flash can eliminate most of the influence of ambient indoor light.
A wide variety of units are available to the photographer. Some cameras carry a built-in flash. The metering system on the camera may trigger it automatically when light levels are too low or the photographer may select it. Other cameras have a flash unit that is mounted on the camera. These may be dedicated flash units that form an integral part of the camera when attached or units that are linked to the shutter by cable. Remote flash units are also available, acting independently of the camera, but linked to it by cable to trigger a flash at the appropriate time. Even in outdoor contexts, the wildlife photographer will find ample use for a quality flash unit.
Using Light
Since the amount of light reaching the film determines the exposure and only the image is exposed on the film is recorded, adequate exposure of the film, or exposure saturation, is important. When using ambient light, the shutter speed and/or aperture setting are adjusted to permit the appropriate amount of light to reach the film. That light can be managed in several ways. Subjects that are lit from the front or at an oblique angle will present a much different image than those in direct sun. Screens or other types of light diffusers may be used to reduce shadows and cast a more uniform light over the image being recorded. Waiting for a desired sun angle can add shadows for depth and contrast, which can increase the pattern and contrast of the image. Even moonlit scenes or wildlife can be recorded if the combination of aperture, shutter speed, and film speed can be adjusted to stop the images on the film. Sometimes it is even desirable to shoot at slow shutter speeds in order to show movement on the image, e.g. shooting running water or wispy fog.
One of the keys to using artificial light is adjusting for the light source. Film selection can be critical to successful indoor shooting. Tungsten films are designed for photo flash shooting. They are inadequately exposed when in natural light. The use of a flash unit can result in apparently overexposed subjects if they are too close to the unit. Using a bounced or fill-in flash can reduce the danger of this washing out or glazing of the true colors. Another factor that is important to indoor photography and some types of nocturnal photography is the red-eye or eye shine syndrome. Direct flash with low light conditions tends to bounce light off the retina of diurnal animals, like people, producing a red pupil. On many nocturnal animals, the light is bounced off the tapetum, resulting in a metallic eye shine.
Film and How It Works
Photographic film is light sensitive emulsion imbedded or layered on a plastic or celluloid carrier. It contains silver compounds and others that react to light and capture a latent image. Developing the film reveals the image in either positive or negative form. Slide film is positive film. Print films are color reversal or negative films. Black and white film is also a reversal film, producing a negative image of the subject on the film.
The codes recorded on the package or the film canister tells the user a great deal about the film. It will indicate whether the film is for black and white prints, color prints, or transparencies. Other information may indicate whether the film is sensitive to the entire visible spectrum (“pan” films) or whether it is intended for use with tungsten light, infrared or some other light type. The trade name may offer more information. Each type of film has characteristics that are common to the type. Kodachrome films, for example, are warm films with strong sensitivity to the yellow, orange, and red end of the visible spectrum. They are excellent choices for shooting fall colors, sunsets, sunrises, and colorful clothing. The Ectachrome films, on the other hand, are cold or cool films with greater sensitivity to blue or green light. Images of the same scene shot with the two films five dramatically different results. These brand names are mentioned here for example only. No endorsement of them is implied and no censure of films not mentioned is intended.
The codes also contain information on the size of the film, the number of exposures available, and the film speed. Film speed may be expressed in ISO or ASA numbers, both of which are industry standards of light sensitivity. In general, 35 mm films will range from about ISO 25 to 1600, with the number increasing with the light sensitivity of the film. Finally, the film will bear an expiration date. That date can be prolonged by cold storage of the film.
Film is best stored in the proverbial cool, dry place. Heat and light both influence the behavior of the film and its ability to capture images. Minimize exposure of the film to light, even during loading. This can be accomplished by loading the film in the shade of your body on bright sunny days. Exposed film may hold its image for years, but it is best to process it as soon as possible after the photographs are taken. This will help to ensure good results from all your hard work.
Seeing Through the Camera’s Eye
Composition, the arrangement of elements in a photograph, is often the key to the impact and aesthetics of the photograph. There is a natural tendency to center the subject in the frame. When the horizon or some other dividing line is visible in the picture, most people tend to divide the photograph in equal parts with that division. Aesthetically, however, people prefer to see such divisions at about the one-third point in the photograph. Although our eyes are very good at detecting and following straight lines, linear objects tend to move the eye through or off the frame very quickly. Curved lines of interest tend to draw the eye through the frame. A properly composed photograph leads the eye to the subject by providing lines of interest that flow toward the subject. Cluttered or confusing backgrounds may be rendered slightly out of focus by limiting the depth of field. Movement may be simulated by slowing the shutter speed to create the illusion of motion in such features as wisps of fog or turbulent sections of streams. Timing can also stop a subject in a pose that shows action. Further, the use of candid shots of people and their trophies, dogs on point, or similar features provides a sense of drama and reality that cannot be provided as effectively with stilted poses.
Even slight changes in the camera position and perspective relative to the subject can make dramatic changes in the impact of a photograph. Experiment with shots where the camera is level with the subject or either below or above it. Consider shots from unusual angles to create special effects in the photograph. Even if your experiment does not work to your satisfaction, it may lead to a much more dramatic photograph of another subject in another place at a later time. Remember that “level with the subject” means that the camera is on that level, not that the line of sight is focused on the subject’s level. Thus, photos of small animals and plants might be best taken from the prone position if that shot is desired.
Some spectacular shots can be taken by using reference points in the photographs to produce a series of shots that form a panoramic view. While these may take considerable effort to shoot, they can be very special sets of photographs. Other references may be included in a photograph as indicators of size. These objects tend to distract from the subject, although they may be very useful to the scientist who is looking for specimen photos. A better solution to the need for scale in the photograph is to include common materials that give that scale in a relative position. Dead leaves, flowers, or similar objects can give an excellent size perspective without drawing attention away from the subject.
Any outdoor photographer will find many uses for some additional equipment. A strong, solid, and sturdy tripod is an extremely valuable tool. It provides a steady platform for photographic work, even with very long lenses or long exposures. Some photographers prefer to use a gunstock mount, in which the shoulder and both hands support the camera. Both the tripod and gunstock mount call for the use of a remote or cable release. That minimizes disturbance of the camera during the shot. Sunshades keep light flares off the lenses and prevent strange bright spots in the photograph. They also help to camouflage the lens, whose round shape resembles an eye, a threat to prey animals. Filters can also be useful, reducing glare, haze, or other conditions that might alter the character of a shot.
Proper lens cleaning equipment is also important. Outdoor photography may expose the camera to harsh or dusty conditions. An air bulb with a soft brush can be an excellent dust remover. Many photographers carry a supply of “canned air,” dry pressurized air that can be used to blow dust off lenses or camera parts. Nothing harsher than lens paper or lens cloth should ever touch the camera’s lenses, and shutter screens can be damaged easily if they are subjected to handling.
Elements of the Picture
A photograph contains a primary subject and a background. In some instances, secondary subjects may also be displayed. The primary subject should be the focal point of the photograph. The locations of other objects and subjects should provide a composition that compliments or draws attention to the subject. Background should be selected for that purpose or deliberately rendered out of focus to eliminate clutter or confusion from the shot. Observe the work of a good illustrator. You will see that the important things are emphasized and those that are superfluous are eliminated. Although the reality of photography does not permit the selective elimination of elements without some sophisticated techniques, the photographer can use the simplicity of illustrations as a guide to taking photos that contain a clear message without visual or mental confusion. Frame the picture from several vantage points until you locate one or more that state the message best, then take those photographs. The set up time, when it is available, is well spent and yields much better results than trusting to luck for quality shots.
Focal length may be dictated by the equipment you have on hand. If a choice is available, consider the impact of different focal lengths of the nature of the picture. Normal lenses tend to give4 an image very much like the one recorded by the unaided eye. Close-up lenses enlarge the subject, but generally have a very shallow depth of field. Wide-angle lenses broaden the view while tending to give some curvature to the visual field. They take excellent panoramas, but they may distort the view, particularly toward the edges of the frame. Telephoto lenses have a tendency to flatten the field of view, distorting depth perception to some degree. Each of these types has a value and is best at some purposes. With zoom lenses, the photographer can tinker with focal length to get the best shot possible before tripping the shutter.
Exposure is dictated by the size of the aperture and the shutter speed. Many automatic or programmed cameras permit the user to have either shutter speed or aperture priority in the shots. The exposure setting should be metered at the focal point of the photograph. Many types of light metering are available, but zone or modified spot metering is often a better choice than full field metering. This assures the photographer that the exposure will be appropriate at the photograph’s focal point. Using a smaller aperture and longer shutter speed increases the depth of field, while using larger apertures and faster shutter speeds tends to decrease the depth of field and throw non-essential elements out of focus. The best way to determine how to use these features is to experiment with them, recording your experiments and observing the results. IF you consult your journal frequently, it can help you make reasonable choices to increase photograph quality.
When your shot is fully set up, take a few moments to make a final check. Does the photograph tell the story you are trying to capture on film? Are the mechanics of camera operation set properly? Even something as simple as forgetting to set film speed properly on a programmed camera can result in useless shots, and inadvertent changes have been known to happen. The final check makes sure that you get what you have worked hard to obtain. If everything is right, shoot the photograph. Wisdom leads most of us to shoot several more, bracketing the shot to make sure we have gotten the appropriate exposure, and to try other angles and compositions that might prove useful. The film, even with its expense, is the cheapest part of the process. Getting the shot of a lifetime could mean taking an extra exposure or two when a rare opportunity is presented.
The importance of keeping a record of your efforts cannot be overstated. At a minimum, your photographic journal should state the object, location, time of day, conditions, type of equipment, film, and exposure information. These data are your key to learning and being able to repeat something that worked very well. Journals detail in permanent form those things that are all too easily forgotten.
Using Your Photographic Skills
Your photographic skills will find many avenues for expression in outdoor activities. Photographing hunting, fishing, or camping trips is one obvious set of uses. Telling the story of a trip includes the need for photographs that are often overlooked. Planning, preparation, and travel are seldom recorded unless the photographer develops a shooting script that includes capturing those shots on film. The photographer also must be prepared and ready to shoot some scenic photographs, habitat shots, or other background shots of the event. Memorable moments often come without warning. Being ready with the camera can produce shots that cannot be duplicated without massive effort. Action photographs are often difficult to obtain. The best advice is to shoot plenty of the ones you think you want. Remember that anything you see through the viewfinder of an SLR while taking action shots will not necessarily be on the film. The camera catches that instant in time when the light is directed to the film rather than the eye. Great action shots are possible, but they demand burning plenty of film, anticipation of the event, preparedness, and just a little luck. One renowned wildlife photographer, whose collection includes more than 10,000 slides of Canada geese, stated that getting one publishable quality shot on a 36-exposure roll of film was outstanding. Do not worry if a few of your shots miss their mark!
Trophy photographs present some special problems and must break some clichés. Too many trophy shots are taken in a rush of excitement, resulting in a stilted pose by the hunter or angler with a bloody and messy animal. Since many people could see your photograph, it is useful and in the best interests of the sport to avoid ugly or obnoxious photographs. Consider the following steps to getting quality trophy shots.
1. Take the trophy photographs before field dressing the animal.
2. Reposition the animal if necessary to present a clean side or view, avoiding any evidence of the
hit if possible. If that is not possible, consider doing a quick clean up job before the
photographs are taken.
3. On large animals, make sure the tongue is placed back in the mouth rather than dangling from
the corner of the jaw.
4. Shoot the trophy photograph in natural cover when possible. IF not, pose the animal in an
aesthetically pleasing situation. Avoid the bloody pickup tailgate shot of the meat pole shot.
To some people, both of these suggest a crass disregard for the animal, and they are somewhat
hackneyed.
5. Shoot some candid shots of the hunter, angler, or trophy. Often these will be among the best
and most useful of trophy shots.
6. Make sure the photographs reflect respect for the quarry.Trophy shots are important mementos of hunts or fishing trips. Their quality may determine whether they can be publicly displayed or they will need to sit in an album only those who share the moment and the orientation can share.
Photographing Wildlife
Wildlife photography can be extremely challenging. As a result, it is often best for beginning wildlife photographers to concentrate on easier subjects. Plants, insects, semi-domestic urban or park animals, birds around feeders or nests, and zoological parks or zoos offer much easier photographic opportunities than do free-ranging birds or mammals. Many reptiles and amphibians can be captured, cooled in a refrigerator, and posed in natural cover if they cannot be captured on film through patience and good stalking techniques.
Non-game species can be located around the home or local community. Backyards, local parks or open areas, and local wetlands or ponds are good places to locate subjects for your photography efforts. Zoos, although they are artificial environments, offer the chance to record wildlife from other continents or other parts of our own. Nearby refuges and hunting areas can provide many opportunities for photographing non-game species as well.
Game species are sometimes found in the same environments, but the search may need to be wider and the tactics for success a bit more involved. Game animals frequent open or wooded areas, wetlands, coastlines, refuges and hunting areas, wildlife management areas, and similar situations. In a pinch, some species can be photographed in wildlife parks or zoos. Finding subjects in the wild is much more challenging.
In order to be successful at photographing free-ranging wildlife, an individual must develop some additional skills. Studying the subject(s) is critical. The photographer must be very familiar with its size, shape, color and color patterns, habitat use, and any signs the animal leaves. He or she must develop acute powers of observation in order to see what is present, not merely look at it. Any unusual movement or sound, as well as calls, must be part of a search image for the animal. The observer must become adept at seeing pieces of animals, too. Silhouettes, eyes, ears, legs and feet, tails, noses, or other parts are almost always easier to find than whole animals; but where they are located, the remainder of the beast can usually be found.
Since photography is a short-range activity, getting close is important to success. In order to get close to free-ranging animals, the photographer can rely on luck or a combination of hard work and skill. The latter approach usually produces more shots. Studying their individual habits usually can pattern individual animals. Observation of their activity periods, feeding habits and locations, water sources, and habitually used trails can provide potential locations and times for photographic opportunities. Once these long hours of observation have been completed, the photographer can elect a “hunting” technique to set up for the shot.
Some subjects can be stalked successfully. Stalking skills must be acquired and practiced for success with larger and more wary species. This requires making advantageous use of the cover and using clothing or other gear to disrupt the outline and/or help the photographer blend into it. Camouflage can be very helpful, and even the hands and face should be covered. Some species are easily stalked, while others pose very rigorous challenges.
As in other types of hunting, it is often more effective to attempt to have the subject come to you. This may be as simple as locating an area habitually used by the animal of interest and positioning yourself to take advantage of the wind and sun angles to get a suitable shot. Natural or artificial blinds are very helpful in concealing movements needed to prepare for the shot. These may be fixed blinds or easily transportable ones. Some portable blinds are specifically designed for photography, resembling camouflaged pop-tents. Establishing feeding or bait stations can draw wildlife to an area, as can the use of calls or lures. For gregarious or highly territorial animals, decoys can also be effective in getting them into camera range. Remember that wind direction is critically important with most mammals and that light directions critical to the camera’s lens. Plan your hides accordingly.
Although wildlife photography is considered a non-consumptive activity, it is important to avoid excessive disturbance of animals or an area. Disturbance can alter habits or drive adult away from nest sites. It can induce starvation by disturbing animals during times of food stress or even by increasing the metabolic rate of an individual subjected to a flight or fight situation. Since many mammals reduce metabolism to conserve food stores during those periods, disturbance can be a critical influence on their survival later in the winter. Disturbance around nest or den sites can lead to abandonment of the site, particularly early in the reproductive cycle.
Concentrating animals at sites like bait stations or feeders can attract more animals to a location than can be handled if the food source is withdrawn. As a result, bait stations should be maintained through any time of potential food stress once they are initiated. Those sites should be located neat appropriate escape cover and in areas where incoming predators can be detected easily to avoid increasing predation pressure on the concentrated prey base. Finally, caution must be exercised with large mammals attracted to bait. Predators or large ungulates could be dangerous at close range if a perceived threat of lingering odors of bait material is present.
Research has demonstrated that visiting bird nests tends to increase predation on those nests. Restoring the natural appearance of all vegetation around the nest in order to avoid having trails leading to them reduces the influence of nest visitation dramatically. The best strategy is to enter the area obliquely, detour to the nest site for the photography session, restore the appearance of all vegetation in the detour zone, and continue down the main trail in the original direction of travel. The better the restoration job, the less likely an increase in predation risk will be.
Planning Photographic Trips
Photographic trips differ in very few ways from other types of trips for outdoor activities. The objectives of the trip create most of those differences. With the objectives or subjects in mind, the process starts by selecting an area. A time for the trip must then be selected to address accessibility to the area and the subject(s), activity or presence of the animals of interest, and minimum potential for human interference with the photographic effort.
Trip duration is another factor to be considered. Day trips are excellent for captive animals or animals that have already been patterned. These trips require relatively little cost and relatively low effort for success. Overnight or longer excursions offer a greater breadth of opportunity. There is more time for chance encounters or serendipitous events. Blinds may be set up or constructed. Attractants can be placed with some potential for success. Approaches to unpatterned, free-ranging animals can be attempted, and there is much more opportunity for sharing camaraderie around the campfire.
Transportation, meals, and similar logistical considerations should be made carefully. Ignoring details can result in difficult circumstances in the field. Each person should be responsible for his or her personal equipment, which should be appropriate for the conditions and any contingencies that can be foreseen. Developing a checklist of gear is an excellent way to avoid complications. A similar checklist should be developed for personal or group photographic equipment. That list should contain everything from cameras and camera bags to the journal and cleaning equipment. Too much film is usually a good idea, and foul weather gear for both the person and the camera equipment is important.
Final arrangements should include the meeting time and place as well as a return time and pick up point at the end of the trip. Emergency contact information should be left whenever possible, and an itinerary should be left with parents or other responsible persons. Once the trip is completed and the development of film has taken place, and excellent wrap up session would be to review the results of the expedition, comparing photographs and selecting some for the suggested exhibition. Develop a story line and select photos to support it while telling n interesting story of the trip.
Good luck and have lots of fun with your camera!
