One method of hunting that is capable of bringing a great deal of personal satisfaction to the avid sportsman, especially during those times of the year when the regular hunting seasons are closed, is wildlife photography. Some of my most cherished trophies that hang on my walls are not the mounted remains of animals long dead, but instead, photographs of exquisite wild creatures as they go about their daily routines, while still being very much alive.

There are some distinct advantages to this technique of hunting that make it every bit as enjoyable, if not more so, than drilling a beast with a projectile launched from a weapon of destruction. The first that comes to mind is that the camera-toting hunter is afforded more than one shot. With a weapon that captures the body, one shot should be the end to it. With a weapon that captures the image, many shots may be taken and the animal contently survives, completely unscathed from the experience.

Another bonus afforded by this medium of hunting is the fact that there is no gut-pile to deal with or messy cleanup of blood and gore, not to mention the backbreaking task of removing your quarry from the field. Using a camera, one can walk away with hundreds of trophies of a wide variety of species, in a small, compact device supported by a simple strap around one’s neck. And upon returning to home base, there is no mess of inconvenience of skinning, butchering and wrapping. Granted, the animals you shot with the camera will not provide the same quality of nourishment as the game harvested with a weapon, but if you are any kind of a hunter at all, you should have plenty of game in your freezer carried over from the regular hunting season.

One destination for the serious photographer, regardless of his or her skill levels should be the zoo. Most states in our fair land have some excellent sanctuaries that contain a vast assortment of species, many of which are housed in natural settings. There are countless opportunities for honing one’s skills while capturing some excellent trophies that will enhance the interior design of any home or increase the value of a photo morgue.

There are obvious challenges with this type of photography, but overcoming and working around these obstacles will serve only to make you a better photographer and perhaps even a better hunter. Most zoos have extensive outdoor trails, which allow the hunting photographer to capture images of animals in a natural setting. The setting is an important detail in snapping a photograph that captures a uncontrived background, giving the photo a feral appearance. One would be surprised at how many cover photographs are shot within the restrictions of a high fence, controlled confinement or even a zoo.

If you can frame your subject without woven wire, brick walls or bars in the background, the photo will be obviously be better for general use. This simple little hint also includes the foreground as well. When shooting, try to positions yourself for a shot with a natural backdrop, which includes as much green foliage, natural shrubbery and rocks if at all possible. Obviously you will have to experiment with different angles and perspectives, but always be aware of what is in the background. Sometimes the right shot may require waiting for a while, but that, after all is what a hunter does best, right. Be patient, especially if the animal is moving about or feeding. You opportunity will come. If you arrive at an exhibit that is devoid of a natural backdrop such as an animal in a barred or wired confinement, move on looking for a better and more natural opportunity. Remember you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.

Zoos also provide the perfect opportunity to capture close-ups or what I like to call “portraits". Often times by capturing a portrait of just an animal’s head, you will be able to blur out a background that may be less than desirable. In this case it is, of course, advisable to use a camera that has a good zoom feature with a high enough resolution (in the case of digital photographer 8-megapixels or better) to allow you to do some creative cropping, while creating the finished photo.

Another problem that will be encountered on a “zoo-shoot” is glass reflection. Most zoos have exhibits where the animals are separated from the visitor by thick glass windows. Shooting through glass will steal some of your natural lighting, but perhaps more of a challenge will be dealing with the reflections in the glass. If your camera has a hood attachment, use it. Get as close to the glass as you can, even if it means resting your lens hood directly against the glass. The closer you get to the glass, the less you will be bothered by unwanted reflections of light or other visitors. Of course in this situation, using a flash is useless so having low-light settings on your camera can be a great and necessary option.

Make sure to take plenty of shots while you are there at every given opportunity. Remember when you get home, it is too late to grab a couple more exposures of that bear or cougar. This is one more advantage of a digital camera, which will allow you almost unlimited shots, especially if you wisely carry a backup disk. If you do a zoo-shoot and you have only taken a hundred photos, you wasted your trip! A thousand shots is a more realistic goal. Also make sure to bring plenty of batteries for power. If you use rechargeable batteries, an automobile-charging unit is an invaluable accessory for any outdoor photo shoot.

Upon returning home, the computer-editing phase of your trip is just as important as shooting the actual photographs. The first step should be to go through all of your photos deleting the ones that are soft or out of focus. And be disciplined! If it is soft, it is usually junk and shouldn’t be taking up space in your computer’s memory. Even the simplest of editing programs will give you the ability to crop, resize and adjust color, brightness and contrast. It is in this stage of production that you will be able to fine-tune your shots for the best presentation possible. And when that job is done, if you have added a dozen or two classic wildlife shots to your photo morgue, it has been a successful safari “at the zoo”.

Information Provided By Dan Hendricks-
Daniel James Hendricks is 60 years old and has been hunting small game since the age of six when he took his first gray squirrel with a Red Ryder B-B gun. He has been hunting big game, including whitetails, black bear, caribou, antelope, mule deer, turkeys, wild hogs and a wide assortment of exotic species since 1952. He picked up a recurve bow in 1973 and moved to a compound in 1987. He began hunting with the crossbow in Ohio during the 1994 whitetail season.