October 2005 Texas Fish & Game Photo Column

Heroes Done Right Part 2
By Russell A. Graves

We’ve all done it… A friend kills a nice buck and you’re anxious to take a picture so you snap away and not thinking of what you’re doing. Then, you see the photos and not only do you accentuate the buck’s nice antlers, you also accentuate a big blood stain on the deer’s hide and his tongue hanging out of his mouth. You’re guilty, right? So am I. However, with a little planning, your deer shots will turn out great.

The Wrong Way

The worst possible thing you can ever do when shooting pictures of people with a big game animal is to shoot without a plan. If you follow my column, you know I write a lot about pre-planning your photo shoots. Taking hero shots is no different.
The wrong way to take hero shots is to shoot pictures that show a lot of blood or has the tongue hanging out. With a little preparation, these unsightly distractions are easily mitigated. Be sure to stick the tongue back in the deer’s mouth before you take the first picture. Baby wipes or a wet rag easily cleans blood from a deer’s hide so keep them handy. As a rule, don’t shoot down on a deer as steep angles rarely compliment a buck’s antlers.

The Right Way
One of the best ways you can get off to a great start shooting hero pictures is to carefully study what others do. I wrote in an earlier column that I learned many techniques by studying the work of others. I learned to take hero pictures the same way.
If you study the work of other photographers, you’ll notice that there are a few common denominators that all great hero pictures share. The first is a low angle. When shooting hero shots, get eye level or lower with the hunter. Low angles put lots of sky in the picture which makes for a less distracting background and tends to accentuate antlers best.
The second tip for taking great hero shots is to pose the deer correctly. When setting up the shot, pose the deer so it lies perpendicular to the camera and tuck its front legs under the body. Position the hunter behind the deer and have the sit or kneel while holding the head up with one hand by the antlers.
Always be considerate of the light. If you follow one of the basic photographic rules that say to keep the sun at your back, then your hero shots will turn out great. If you can, wait until the light is low on the horizon so you’ll get even light that fills in shadows. If you can’t pose the hunter where the sun is in your favor, use a flash. With a flash you can shoot pictures at midday and not have to worry about harsh shadows.
The bottom line is to plan your shot. Carry a towel with you if need be so you can lie on it and get low in relation to the hunter and plan on taking lots of images. Get a great shot and the guy holding the deer won’t be the only hero.