Turkey photo tips and pointers

[Gooserbat]

OK I have saw several pics being posted up lately and to be honest they were ok but just looking at them I knew they could have easily been made better.  I sent Shannon a pm and he said to get with it, so I'm giving a little tutorial on making a better turkey hunting success photo with just a basic camera or even a smart phone.

First: Check the light.  If the background is extremely light such as the sky and the subject area is dark or shaded then your going to have a dark picture.

[Gooserbat]

OK that is two different pics of the same bird but with different shade.  That brings us to use your flash.  Check out these two pics of Dad taken about 1 minute apart

[Gooserbat]

The next thing is smile a little bit. You should be happy about the outcome of your hunt so look that way.  Here is a couple of Zane.  You decide which looks the best.

[Gooserbat]

Okay before we get away from lighting, one last thing is don't mix the light and shadows but keep the lighting clean.  It takes away from the pic if there are splotches of light on the subject.

[Gooserbat]

Next we're moving on to positioning you turkey so you display it's beauty.  First fan not only the fan but the wings as well. 

[Gooserbat]

Now your bird is fanned out and it looks good but let's make it better.  Either place a rock or small log under it or just hold it off the ground.  The idea is to get it's butt in the air so it shows it's back better.

[Gooserbat]

Did you notice what was wrong with that last picture?  Yep grass was in the way.  Grass and twigs have made a lot of other wise great turkey pics into just good pics.  Keep it clean.

[Gooserbat]

Two things I want to point out about the last two photos.  One was did you notice how Zane was hiding behind the fan.  try to avoid covering yourself up with the fan.  iIt looks odd with just your head sticking out.  Second was the side angle.  That pose is great if your turkey suffers a broken wing and the frontal camera angle is out.  Here are a couple of more examples.

[Gooserbat]

The group photo brings up a couple of other points first is when taking a group pic set up the photo so that each individual complements one another.  Probably the first rule is to watch the lighting and keep each others shadow out of the way.

[Gooserbat]

Second is watch the background and let it complement you and your hunt.  However remember you want a picture of you, not the back ground so keep it close but don't cut of your head or crop out the turkey.  If you are on a guided hunt maybe do one like the photo above with the outfitters sign in the back ground.  If your hunting Rios then have some mesquite in the photo, or include some part of the scenery.

[Gooserbat]

Well one other pointer is keep the camera low to the ground.  The best hunting success photos are usually taken 12"to 24" from the ground.  I hope this help someone make their hunt more memorable and lets them enjoy there success in the future.  Just remember 2 or 3  minutes can make a big difference when taking pictures when in the field.  Here is one last example to show what taking your time can do for you.

[Gooserbat]

One last thing I want to add is firearm safety.  When you add your gun to the photo it makes for a great prop but as in the two pics below have the action open and pointed in a safe direction.

[GobbleNut]

Great stuff, Goose!  Thanks for taking the time to put this up.  Many good points made.  

[Ded Goblr]

X2!!! Great Job!!

[TNhunterKMC]

Here is a compilation of several photos I've taken over the last few years.  Many of the techniques described in this thread can be seen in these photos.   One other key ingredient is having a really good camera.  That being said - the cameras on phones today are quite capable.

And for those extremely backlit photos DEFINITELY use flash.