Today’s cell phone cameras are amazing, and you want to make the most of their capabilities to share the key memories of your hunt. I just returned from a turkey hunt in South Dakota with Wil Askew, the art director of Beard Buster Turkey Calls, an entrepreneur, and champion turkey caller. He not only lured a big tom within 25 yards of my location but also shared several of his photo tips. Here are a few of his ways for maximizing the WOW factors of your hunt.
Early Lighting
Cell phones are amazing at adapting existing light into a photo. Where once this image would have been a silhouette because the light from the rising sun determined the exposure, modern cell phones account for this difference.
Shoot Before You Shoot
Imagine sneaking up on this flock of roosting turkeys. Your heart pounds, and your mind races as you develop a strategy. Keeping your phone handy for a quick picture lets all your friends share in this amazing anticipation. Sunsets and sunrises always make interesting pictures, and your phone will handle the exposure automatically.
Low Angles and Natural Light
As you can see in the lead photo, lying on the ground or kneeling lets you capture the hunter and his bird on a level plane, like Ascew posing with this beautiful Merriams gobbler. Turn on your flash if the sun is bright and a hat brim causes shadows on the person’s face. Notice there are no shadows here.
Wide Angle Shots
A hunter lies on the ground exposing a gobbler fan to approaching toms. By using the wide-angle setting, usually the first magnification option (.6), you can capture the action and all of the surroundings. Even when shooting into the sun, your camera can expose the image realistically.
Don’t Forget Your Sense of Humor
My Barnett crossbow ended up in the storage area of another airline, and heaven only knows how that happened or how much punishment the bow took during the process. Once in camp, I dialed it in and used this gobbler decoy for a little humor and embellishment.
Backgrounds Matter
The mountains in the background add amazing appeal to this great hero shot. Askew used his cell phone and backed away more than 20 yards to take this telephoto shot, which brought the mountains into clear focus and made them appear much closer. Adding natural features, such as a tree trunk or logs, enhances the image.
Backlighting can be a Game Changer
“Never face your camera into the sun” is a basic rule of photography, yet this backlit hero shot demonstrates that it can have a dramatic effect. Since digital cameras offer instant images, you can experiment with how the sun affects a particular shot. A hunter with a turkey over his shoulder, walking into the sun, creates a similarly memorable image.
Portraits are Powerful
Images taken in portrait mode have a very detailed foreground and a blurred background. Shown are Bob Rob and Wil Ascew displaying a beautiful Merriam’s gobbler on a fence post. Use portrait mode to keep a single object in focus and eliminate distracting details.
Your cell phone camera can be an integral part of a hunt, and today’s newer models let you capture amazing images to share.
