Has your hunting experience helped your photography?

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C

Capturingtheunseen.com

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It certainly has for me, and vice-versa as well. Finding and photographing small birds has really helped hone my spotting abilities, that I thought were pretty good in my hunting days.

Besides finding subjects to capture, the big advantage imo is putting shotgunning skills to use for BIF. Good shotgun technique has you swinging with the bird, starting from behind it. When your sights come upon the bird you squeeze the trigger while following through with the swinging motion.

I use the same process now, except when I get close to coming upon the bird from behind, I mash down the back-button (while using continuous focus, of course.) When I do get to the bird it instantly comes into focus and I start "shooting."

I would encourage anyone struggling with BIF to watch some tutorials about this process. It takes a bit of practice, but will increase your keeper rate over the "point and shoot" technique.

I don't hunt with a gun anymore; the camera is way more enjoyable for me and everyone goes home happy. :)
 
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Finally, a topic on which I can comment intelligently! As my member name implies, I have three Labs who demand that I periodically take them in pursuit of upland birds. Without a doubt, the shotgunning techniques you mentioned apply equally to photographing fast-moving animals. It is not a question of where the bird/animal is now, but where it will be when you pull the trigger/press the shutter. It takes a minimum of 0.15 seconds for your trigger/shutter finger to respond after the brain says, "shoot." I suspect this reaction time lengthens substantially as we age, too. Add in the time for all mechanical devices to perform their functions (shotgun or camera), and a fast-moving bird has traveled a substantial distance. So, we're taking "shots" not of where said bird/animal is, but where it will be when the process is complete.

The British teach smooth swinging on a BIF as "butt, belly, beak....bang." This is intended to force the shooter to get ahead of their target and allowing for the lag time between decision to shoot and the actual shot. Technique is the same for "shooting" shotguns or cameras.

A lifetime of hunting has also taught me to be more observant, to better understand the habits and behavior of wildlife, and to value--and support--preservation of all our wild creatures and their habitats. Without that, there is nothing to hunt; with a camera or otherwise.
 
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BirdDogDad said:
Finally, a topic on which I can comment intelligently! As my member name implies, I have three Labs who demand that I periodically take them in pursuit of upland birds. Without a doubt, the shotgunning techniques you mentioned apply equally to photographing fast-moving animals. It is not a question of where the bird/animal is now, but where it will be when you pull the trigger/press the shutter. It takes a minimum of 0.15 seconds for your trigger/shutter finger to respond after the brain says, "shoot." I suspect this reaction time lengthens substantially as we age, too. Add in the time for all mechanical devices to perform their functions (shotgun or camera), and a fast-moving bird has traveled a substantial distance. So, we're taking "shots" not of where said bird/animal is, but where it will be when the process is complete.

The British teach smooth swinging on a BIF as "butt, belly, beak....bang." This is intended to force the shooter to get ahead of their target and allowing for the lag time between decision to shoot and the actual shot. Technique is the same for "shooting" shotguns or cameras.

A lifetime of hunting has also taught me to be more observant, to better understand the habits and behavior of wildlife, and to value--and support--preservation of all our wild creatures and their habitats. Without that, there is nothing to hunt; with a camera or otherwise.
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Perfectly said, Tom!

Moving from Minnesota to South Carolina, the one thing I miss most about the outdoors is Pheasants. Love those upland birds.
 
I learned to appreciate the outdoors as a youngster. All the same ethics I was taught growing up hunting and fishing do carry over to all outdoors activity. I wish more people practiced those principles.
The actual skills learned hunting are very helpful in photography, although my personal results probably aren't great evidence of that.

imho
 
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Hut said:
I learned to appreciate the outdoors as a youngster. All the same ethics I was taught growing up hunting and fishing do carry over to all outdoors activity. I wish more people practiced those principles.
The actual skills learned hunting are very helpful in photography, although my personal results probably aren't great evidence of that.

imho
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Contrary to popular belief, hunters are some of the most ethical people I know in the outdoors. They also donate the most toward conservation.
 
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Capturingtheunseen.com said:
Contrary to popular belief, hunters are some of the most ethical people I know in the outdoors. They also donate the most toward conservation.
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Hunters just get a bad press.
The american dentist who killed Cecil the lion - just as an example - had all his papers in order (or so they said) but the lion was lured out of his protected habitat in Hwange National Park so that he could kill him.
I personally know lots of ethical hunters, but I wouldn't generalize.
People ask "why had this subject had to do that?"
The ethical hunters pay for the sins of the unethical.
 
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I would say yes. For years I hunted with a rifle, shotgun or bow. Today I hunt with a camera and telephoto lens. The woodcraft skills needed to be a successful hunter are much the same as the skills needed to be a successful photographer. One must appreciate the creatures, understand their ways, habitat and habits. Ethics are similar. Years of hunting has not made my photography more technically accurate, but years of hunting have allowed me to get "lucky" more frequently.

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In Short yes without a doubt... I'm able to get a really good read on most animals and I'm very in tune with there reactions to me. next week I might even get the tree stand out and start using it for more wildlife shots.. I don't really hunt anymore (mostly because I don't have a place too do it, and I don't want to be in the woods with a bunch of fools) lol.
 
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The culture in terms of hunting including handling of weapons is certainly totally different here. I never felt attracted by hunting myself but I know a couple of people that are - or used to be - hunters. From my experience here I would say that first you don't necessarily have to be a hunter to develop the right ethics against mother nature and on the other side being a hunter does not guarantee that you have it.

What I generally like is people being able to look at things from different perspectives. Just like people participating in traffic as pedestrian, with a bicycle, motorcycle and a car will be much better in understanding the other side, I think it would be really interesting to learn from people with hunting experience and practicing as a nature photographer at the same time. But it also works the other way round. I have a friend who has the privilege to actually live in the hot centre of a national park in NE Germany - well, what they call a national park here -, he is actually vegetarian and thus not into hunting "per definition", but there actually the hunters and the rangers are learning from him !

I would love to be in company with a person with hunting background while having the opportunity to visit some of these great places in your countries abroad. One reason is to learn and train my spotting capabilities and the behaviour, the other reason is that there is simply no chance to have the knowledge about the local situation if you perhaps get a chance to get there once in your lifetime. But I still would prefer to do it if this person also carries a camera and not a gun ;).

However, sometimes it works just being on your own ...

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Thern said:
Really sorry to say but that’s not what I witnessed during my work as a Wildlife Reserve manager.
You should say.
SOME hunters are some of the most ethical people I know in the outdoors.

Hell! I met quite a lot ‘sportshunters’ who even couldn’t spell the word ethics nor knew the meaning.
FTR
Part of my work as a Wildlife Reserve manager involved hunting to keep populations of various species sound and stable.

/edit on topic
Yes hunting experience/skills do help.
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To generalize and say some, is inaccurate IMHO.
I would yes MOST hunters (at least in the US) are ethical. Like anything else there are always people in a group that don't follow the rules when the US has approximately 38 million license annually (last time I saw a figure). you will always have some that are not... If only some followed the rules we would not have the hunting programs we have.
I can't nor will not speak for other countries however. almost all hunting in the US is to keep populations under control as well as generate income for all kinda of Conservation programs. ie. to re-introduce some animals to some area's, stock streams and lakes, Habitat, research and wildlife law enforcement.. and the list goes on.
 
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Thern said:
Really sorry to say but that’s not what I witnessed during my work as a Wildlife Reserve manager.
You should say.
SOME hunters are some of the most ethical people I know in the outdoors.

Hell! I met quite a lot ‘sportshunters’ who even couldn’t spell the word ethics nor knew the meaning.
FTR
Part of my work as a Wildlife Reserve manager involved hunting to keep populations of various species sound and stable.

/edit on topic
Yes hunting experience/skills do help.
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I was talking about the US. I have no idea what things are like in France.
 
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I totally agree that stalking animals/birds to shoot teaches you to move quietly. You also have a much better understanding how the target will react, so that you are much better placed to shoot/take photographs.
As a British person it is a bit amusing to read of the "hunting", in the USA. Hunting in the UK is something very different. See the photo!
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pochito said:
I am told that this "sport" is practised in other parts of the world as well, including the US, with different degrees of cruelty.
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This post is about if Hunting experience help taking Photos.. I Don't think we need to bring "Sport" and Cruelty into it... I've notified Steve so he can closely Monitor this thread or shut it down as he see fit.
 
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BirdDogDad said:
Well said, Gordon. I figured it was only a matter of time until someone felt compelled to offer extraneous and unwarranted opinions on the subject.
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Strong opinions on both sides.. this is a photography Forum and should be kept that way. We have a fantastic Forum that Steve and Rose have provided for us, don't want to see it get out of hand. (y)
 
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gordon_g said:
This post is about if Hunting experience help taking Photos.. I Don't think we need to bring "Sport" and Cruelty into it... I've notified Steve so he can closely Monitor this thread or shut it down as he see fit.
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For some reason you are quoting ME. I didn't initiate this thread.
And if someone throws a subject to the forum (his/her right), he/she can expect (hopefully civilized) answers.
Hunting IS a delicate subject. Adults are expected to know that.
Some of us hunt (or had), some don't, some dislike hunting. Should have been avoided from the start.
Now I presented facts and told my opinion. You can always refute them or teach me something I don't know. I'll be happy to learn.
That is what forums are for, IMHO.
Hope you agree.
 
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