How To Take Better Hunting Photos You’ve just shot a big-game animal. The adrenaline is pumping; you and your buddies are stoked, and then the reality sets in that the work is now upon you to butcher and pack-out the caribou, moose, bear, sheep, deer, goat, elk, bison or musk ox. In the haste to get started butchering, you snap off a few photos, trying to capture the animal and moment, but without forethought, the photos rarely end up capturing the elation and satisfaction of the hunt or the image of the quarry. To prevent that bad news from hitting you when you get home from your next trip and start scrolling through your images to pique the memory, here are some thoughts on how to maximize your photos of the hunt. Fill most of the frame with the hunter and animal Take photos that fill the entire frame with hunter and animal. Have the hunter change positions in relation to the animal. Try different poses crouched near the animal, holding its head, propping up the head or body, and with or without the gun or bow. Have the hunter sit back behind the animal and to the side of the animal. Change the angle at which you take the photo—standing, kneeling, prone, crouching, etc. When photographing a bear, move it so it is belly down and the legs to the front and back. Shoot the photo from a low angle. Also take some photos where you fill the entire frame with just the animal. And remember to encourage the hunters to smile. If you are hunting solo, use the timer or remote for your camera so you can be in the photo. Bring and use a tripod. Keep the sun at your back You’ll want the sun at your back, with the understanding that with big animals such as moose or bison, you are constrained by where the animal goes down. Experiment with the angle between you, the subjects and the sun. Try to avoid having a subject have to look into the sun without sunglasses, as this will usually cause he or she to squint. The best light of the day is within the first and last few hours of daylight. If it’s bright and sunny, have the hunter take off his hat as that will cast a shadow on his face. Take photos with and without fill flash. After taking a few photos, preview to see if you are on track and so you can correct exposure, focus or framing.