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Photography Tips

Photo Tips

  •  Bring extra memory cards and cameras. Remember, it is always better to take
    too many photos than too few!
  •  For safety, download your photos each day onto your lap top computer. That will
    free up space on your camera’s memory card, store them safely and allow you to
    view and edit them should you desire.
  •  Probably the best two lenses to have are a 18mm – 200mm zoom for general
    purposes and for wildlife a 200mm – 400mm zoom. Anything larger than 400mm
    you should use a tripod.
  •  If you can’t afford the Nikon or Cannon telephoto lenses, don’t despair. Tamron
    makes excellent moderately priced lenses, (www.tamron.com).
  •  A good quality teleconverter is another option to extend the length of your
    existing lens.
  •  Remember: The best telephoto lens is your two feet! Your sharpest telephoto
    pictures will be of game that is within 40 yards.
  •  If you are taking a new camera, practice as much as you can before you leave
    home.
  •  Explore outdoor photography websites before you leave.

Harvested Game Photo Tips

  •  Respect the animal with your photos.
  •  Get close enough to fill the view finder with your subject. Most people tend to
    shoot too far back from the hunter or fisherman holding his trophy.
  •  Don’t shoot toward the sun unless you are creating a silhouette. Typically
    you want the sun behind you.
  •  Cover blood with dirt. Remove any grass or vegetation that is in front of the
    animal.
  •  Don’t leave the animal’s tongue hanging out. Put it back inside his mouth or
    remove it.
  •  Take front views and side views.
  •  Look for background choices that contrast the animal’s horns the best so they
    show up and don’t disappear against your clothing. The sky is a great
    background for the horns to show up well, requiring you to get low on the
    ground to take the photo.
  •  Get a reasonable distance behind the antelope to make it look larger. You
    can also extend your arms and hold the horns away from your body to make
    them to look larger.
  •  If your gun is in the picture, be sure it does not look like the gun is pointed at
    your head or someone that is in the picture with you!
  •  Hat brims often create too much shadow on the subjects face. There are two
    ways to compensate for this:

    a. Use a fill in flash
    b. Remove the hat
    c. Lift the brim of the hat as much as possible

Have Your Hunt Professionally Filmed!

A safari is an exceptional opportunity and experience. Hunters usually spend a lot of time researching who to book their safari with. They enjoy the planning and anticipation of the hunt. But once the safari is over, memories fade with time. Videos do not. With a DVD, you can relive your safari over and over again. Trying to juggle a camera and a gun is stressful and you can miss so much. Having a friend or family member video is also a compromise, but is better than you trying to film your own safari. However, if you have you safari professionally filmed, you have unique camera angles, professional editing and the complete story presented in a way that you are proud to share with others. It is something valuable for your grandchildren and generations to come!