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By Jim Foster

If you are one of many photographers who enjoy taking photographs of wildlife, then getting as close as you can to your subject is very important. The process of getting close could mean putting yourself in harm’s way, which brings up an interesting question: When is close too close?

A photo vest worn over a long-sleeved t-shirt was all I needed to ward off the slight morning chill. A few light clouds appeared just after sunrise and a slight breeze blew intermittently along the dry riverbed. It was my last day photographing wildlife in Kenya. The next day I would fly to Nairobi before heading back to the United States.

Rounding a sharp bend in the river, I could tell we were nearing a small pride of lions. At least two of the pride’s females were in heat and a large male with a dark mane had caught the attention of the females.

Photographing these big cats in the wild was a thrill and I am sure my motor drive ran more film through the camera than I normally would have shot. But this was real and the beauty and wildness of the moment became intoxicating. Little did I know what was waiting for me a quarter mile ahead.

The lion pride stopped to rest in shade near the riverbank. We made a short detour away from the river, hoping to intercept them in an area where the light was better.

My guide mentioned how rare leopard sightings were and how, despite growing up in Kenya, he had been close to only three leopards. Just as he finished talking, I glanced up and froze in my tracks, touching his arm as I halted.

“You mean like that one?” I whispered.

His silence was my answer.

Less than 30 yards ahead, a mature male leopard was resting on the limb of a large sausage tree. He was alone and did not have a kill in the tree with him. His large yellow eyes were clear through the 300mm lens. I held my breath when he looked directly at me. While the leopard knew we were there, he didn’t seem concerned. I was shooting as fast and as much as I could. My digital camera is relatively quiet and the leopard closed his eyes, seemingly going back to sleep.

I switched back to my film camera and snapped several frames. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open at the sound of the loud shutter. I felt like food.

The big cat stood and stretched, looking us over. As I have been known to do in sticky situations, I kept shooting until I was out of film. Then I switched back to my digital camera. I didn’t stop until the leopard had climbed down the limb, jumped to the ground and slowly walked away. He stopped only once to mark a small bush and tree with his scent.

The answer to the question, “when is close too close?” can be a bit vague, but at the same time easy. Look over the situation, know the animal you are photographing, use common sense and use the best equipment you can afford. Let the equipment get you close.

Photographing animals in the wild requires at least a minimal amount of special equipment. Buying the best that you can afford will take you a long way in the direction of producing some very rewarding images that capture the essence of wildlife and the outdoors.

The equipment I used on this trip was exclusively Canon. I was shooting the EOS-3 film camera and the EOS D-10 digital camera with several EOS lenses that would quickly change between the two bodies. Even though they were never needed, backups of both camera bodies were stored in my camera bag. Lenses I used were an EOS 100-400 zoom telephoto lens, a 70-300-zoom telephoto lens with a 1.4 doubler, a 17-35mm wide-angle lens and a 70-200 zoom lens. In addition to these basics, I carried a Canon flash and two slave flash units.

Traveling with photography gear in Africa can be interesting because of a few obstacles that are rarely encountered in the United States but must be overcome in other countries.

Any electronic equipment you bring will need to be battery-operated or you will need the correct plug-in adaptors for a European outlet. Making a mistake here can burn up your equipment. I will sometimes bring a solar charger to recharge laptop and camera batteries while running a laptop at the same time.

I have had a number of close encounters with wildlife over the years. Several of these were with North America’s largest carnivores, the brown bear or grizzly. I have photographed these huge mammals across the country and twice have had encounters that could have proven dangerous.

Wildlife photographers have a way of wanting a certain shot so badly they forget safety and their good sense. If you will be traveling where dangerous animals live, use your head. In Yellowstone Park, bear, elk and bison injure many tourists. Add the grizzly and black bear to the mix, and strict caution should be observed.

Getting a good photograph is wonderful but ending up in a hospital bed, or worse, is not worth it. ◊

Jim Foster is a full-time writer, photographer and lecturer specializing in writing about and photographing nature, the outdoors, travel and adventure travel. Foster makes his home in Salmon, Idaho. Contact him at jim@jimfosteroutdoors.com.

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By Matt Miller

People relate to stories and places, not jargon and reports—a fact that most conservation organizations recognize. Your photos can help convey those stories.

As an editor who purchases photos for conservation publications, brochures, Web sites and interpretive signs, I’m often asked how to break into this market.

In reality, following the basics will serve you well. Know something about the organization and its publications before submitting. Deliver quality photos that meet the request. Don’t try to sell photos that have little to do with the editor’s request or the organization’s mission.

Every organization is different and will have different needs for publications. That said, there are photos that I consistently need and many other conservation editors often need these as well. Provide these photos and you can develop a steady market.

1. People! Stunning vistas are nice. Many organizations, though, recognize that people are an integral part of the conservation equation. Most lands and waters are used by people who live, work or play there. I don’t just want wide-open landscapes. I want people in them. People responsibly recreating and enjoying the outdoors is always a photo need for conservation organizations. You’ll get extra attention if the photos are of kids or families.

2. Unusual or overlooked wildlife. Sure, I buy plenty of photos of elk, ducks and grizzly bears. But I also have excellent sources for those photos so I don’t need new ones. Songbirds, ground squirrels, mayflies and frogs—to name just a few—are difficult to find. If you have photos of unusual wildlife or plants, they are worth a submission. Many organizations use wildlife shots to fill in on the contents page and donations page, so the wildlife photos don’t have to coincide with a specific story.

3. Fish. A lot of organizations in the western United States focus on fish and river conservation. Good photos of salmon, native trout and other fish are always in demand. While I buy fishing images, I need more free-swimming fish.

4. Working Lands. The Nature Conservancy has a long history of working with ranchers, farmers and the forest products industry. Many other organizations are taking a similar approach. As such, I frequently need images of sustainable ranching, farming and forest harvest. Such photos often tell a compelling story, but many photographers mistakenly believe a conservation organization wouldn’t be interested in a photo of a cowboy or a logger. Check out organizational publications; you might be surprised.

5. Creative shots. We all know there are many free images on the Internet and many photographers who will sell their work cheaply. But as a professional, you’ll still sell photos because your work will help create a better publication and better connect members with the conservation work. But you may need to get creative. I see far too many snowy mountain peaks, but not enough spawned-out salmon. I have files of mule deer but almost never see a marten photo. Get creative and add conservation organizations to your marketing plan. It won’t make you rich, but you might just find some reliable new markets to supplement your business.

Matt Miller is director of communications for The Nature Conservancy in Idaho and a member of OWAA’s board of directors. Follow him on two blogs, Idaho Nature Notes (www.idahonaturenotes.blogspot.com) and Cool Green Science (blog.nature.org/author/mmiler). Contact him at m_miller@tnc.org.

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By Jim Foster

I love photographing flying and running subjects with a handheld camera. This involves panning, fast shooting, a fast focus and, oh yes, some luck. The flying owl image was taken in this manner. But in reality, this type of shooting should be the exception and not the rule.

The number one photo accessory, after the camera and lens, is a tripod.

It’s always better to use a tripod. If you look closely at one of your handheld images – maybe view in “actual pixels” in Photoshop – you may see where your image is not as sharp as you like. This can be the case in spite of using a very fast shutter speed.

Tripods can be a pain to lug around. I have had my share of problems with these three-legged monsters, too. On a trip to the rim of Paria Canyon in Arizona, our group was caught in a storm. Hurrying to get to lower elevation I lost an expensive tripod when it fell off the back rack of a four-wheeler and was subsequently ran over by two vehicles tailing the four-wheeler.

An experience like mine could cause a photographer to rethink the necessity of a tripod. However, if you take photos in the wild, a tripod can come in handy.

Now, before we progress much further, many photo experts will tell you that you “must” have a ball head for your tripod. A ball head is a ball and socket joint that allows rotation about a single point in all directions. Their name for the other kind is a video head.

Well folks, I have never shot a second worth of video in my life, but I find the video head quite useful. For shooting out of a hide, I prefer the video head. I use a ball head from time to time, too, as each tripod head has its advantages and disadvantages. For example, adjusting a long lens on a ball head that isn’t tightened properly will cause your expensive lens to crash down, even tipping over the tripod as it falls.

When working with a micro lens where very small movements matter, the ball head is what you will find on my tripod. Moving a fraction of an inch is not a problem when dealing with something as small as a flower or a butterfly. This would be the preference of most photographers and their equipment budgets. I carry two or more tripods and both types of heads.

The tripod proves its usefulness when trying to capture multiple flashes of lightning or other fleeting weather conditions. Or when using a slow shutter speed to photograph subjects. As you become more accustomed to using a tripod, you will discover other situations where a tripod saves the day—or at least makes it easier to get a sharp image.

Selecting the proper tripod can be frustrating. How will the tripod will be used and how much weight can it safely carry? Choosing a flimsy lightweight tripod for your 2.8 500 mm lens is a disaster just waiting to happen.

If you want the “good stuff” that will support professional lenses, expect higher costs. This is not the place for a $29.95 Walmart special made of plastic.

Choose a tripod you can use standing up as well as from a hide or a sitting position. My choice for a solid working tripod is a Vanguard ELITE 4 CF.

I also use a lightweight aluminum alloy Vanguard Alta Pro 263AT tripod. This tripod is a must-have—its multiple angle control column makes getting hard-to-reach angles a breeze. I use the Vanguard SBH-50 ball head with this tripod. With adjustment, this tripod can get close to the ground, making macro photography of a honey bee easier.

All of the better tripods use mounting plates. The plates attach to the camera and quickly slide into slots on the tripod, locking the camera in place. Some are called quick links.

Unfortunately, most of the different models of tripods have different sizes and shapes of mounting plates. If you are shooting with multiple cameras and lenses, this will create a problem or at least slow your work down considerably.

Buy several extra mounting plates when you settle on the tripod you want. This will save you from the hassle of changing plates when you change cameras or lenses. It’s a small price to pay for making a smooth switch from one camera to another.

Tripods are as important to a photographer as any accessory in his or her bag. You will never regret the expenditure if you take your time and select a product that will meet or exceed your expectations.

Jim Foster is a full-time writer, photographer and lecturer specializing in writing about and photographing nature, the outdoors, travel and adventure travel. Foster makes his home in Salmon, Idaho. Contact him at jim@jimfosteroutdoors.com.

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By Timothy Kusherets

Sometimes taking that great shot involves using a telephoto lens; the problem with taking shots with an extended lens is that it can wobble, even while using a tripod. A trick to taking perfect telephoto shots is to use the timer. Set the timer, depress the shutter and wait. The camera will do the rest. It’s a great way to get a still without all of the blur. Take a look at these guys, this shot was taken from well over a thousand feet away. Put on the zoom, set the timer, and let the camera do the rest.

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By William H. Mullins

In these days of decreasing income amid increasing expenses, any way to save a few dollars is welcome. The following tips and tricks are certainly not earth-shaking; just simple advice to help with day-to-day problems encountered by outdoor photographers.

1. Duct Tape. Duct tape is perhaps one of the handiest repair items for anything from gunstocks, fishing rods and camera gear to even temporary patching for rafts or float tubes. However, a full roll of this handy fix-it stuff is bulky and heavy. Instead of packing a full roll in my already-overloaded camera pack, I wrap several layers around a tripod leg. It is quickly accessible, takes up little room, adds minimal weight, is easy to find and costs very little.

2. Tripod leg protectors. Fancy polyethylene tripod leg covers are available from a variety of manufacturers. These covers function as insulation for aluminum legs in cold weather and provide padding when carrying a heavy telephoto/camera combo on your shoulder. These foam protectors, designed especially for tripods, cost $40-50 from mail-order camera outlets. You can buy 6-foot polyethylene pipe insulation tubes from home improvement stores like Home Depot for less than $2.  You need two to do the job. Simply slit the tube down its long side and slip it around the tripod leg. To keep it on, wrap the leg with camouflage camo duct tape, which costs about $8.

3. Tripod foot protection. Tripod legs tend to sink in marsh muck, loose sand and other soft surfaces. An easy way to prevent this and keep the bottoms of your tripod legs clean is to take a tennis ball, cut an “x” into it and pop it on the tripod leg. Easy to install, easy to remove. A tube of three new tennis balls is less than $3.

4. Rain protection. Look in any outdoor photography magazine and you will likely find ads for fancy camera “rain coats.” Cheaper ones go for about $7 per pair. Heavy-duty garbage bags can be altered to fit any camera-lens-tripod combination. A package of 10 bags costs less than $3. They are also useful for making short jaunts in boats (i.e. shuttles from a boat to land) where bow spray can be problematic. Simply cram a half dozen or so with your gear; they are lightweight, take up little room and are cheap.

5. Lens caps. I am always losing lens caps. You can buy lens cap keepers, but a piece of the aforementioned duct tape works great when placed on the cap and the lens barrel as sort of a hinge. The cost is next to nothing.

6. Image captions. This has more to do with saving time rather than money. I sometimes photograph animals in zoos, especially in foreign countries. Sometimes, there isn’t time to write down all the caption data. Instead, I take a picture of the nearby interpretive sign so I can quickly move on to the next subject. Unless you are shooting film, there is no cost.

7. Beanbags. For keeping your lens steady, beanbags are the next best thing to tripods. They are also quite heavy, especially when flying with today’s strict weight restrictions on airplanes. I take several large Ziploc bags and fill them with sand, rice or whatever is available when I arrive on site. Don’t overfill – just enough to make a shallow cradle for your lens. A heavy jacket or similar piece of clothing can also serve the same purpose.

8. Reflectors. Reflectors are great for bouncing light onto a subject to add drama. Several collapsible reflector discs are available commercially, but cost anywhere from $20 to $60. A cheap alternative is to carry a few sheets of aluminum foil and a piece of cardboard. When you need the reflector, crinkle the foil to reduce hot spots, wrap it around the piece of cardboard and use it to reflect sunlight onto your subject. Adjust the intensity of the reflection by adjusting the distance between the reflector and your subject. The total cost is a few cents – just remember to recycle the foil.

Use these tips to help you save a few bucks and solve problems you may encounter in the field.

Happy shooting! ◊

William H. Mullins, of Boise, Idaho, is a freelance photographer, retired wildlife biologist and a 20-year member of OWAA.

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By Lisa Densmore

It’s that joyous time of the year when greeting cards fill our mailboxes, many from friends who stay in touch just once per year. In the modern age, when few put pen to paper, receiving a greeting card, whatever the occasion, is a powerful way to say “I’m thinking of you.” Though the greeting card market has shrunk with the advent of e-mail, e-cards and text messaging, there are still racks of them in grocery stores, museum gift shops, even gas stations. If you are a photographer looking for new outlets for your images, chances are you’ve thought about cards. If you’re considering launching a greeting card line, here are some of the basics to help you make money at it:

PICKING THE RIGHT IMAGES

If you’ve been shooting for awhile, the most difficult part of creating a greeting card line is picking the photographs. Greeting card retailers rarely take an entire line. They may only buy a dozen designs, but you still have to offer a broad enough selection. The card industry considers a line to have minimum of 48 different cards. If you want to recruit a distributor or card reps, aim for 48 photos as starting point. Why such a weird number? Because 48 is easily divisible by 6, 8 and 12, which is the size of display racks or a section of a rack. It’s also the perfect size for a sub-line. For example, my greeting cards are divided into 10 sub-lines, with names like “Colorado Country,” “Colorful New England” and “Bold Floral.” This is also how I group my cards into boxed sets, with eight cards in a box.

Next, decide on the overall look of your line. Will your photos bleed to the edge of the card or have a border (usually white) around them? A border is cheaper, but a full-bleed makes a nice photo really pop.

Will they be matte or glossy? The trend changes from year to year. Pick what makes your photos look the best. Then your cards will be timeless.

For the actual images, select what you do best. If you shoot spectacular scenics, consider a portion of your line to have scenic photographs that look great in a 5- by 7-inch size. Are you an exceptional wildlife photographer? Animals sell. Be wary of putting people on cards unless the image transcends the person. Have a sense of humor? It’s tough to appeal to a broad audience but if you have a half-dozen funny pictures, you could dedicate part of your line to humor, an excellent niche because few card manufacturers are successful at humor. And to be blunt, macro shots of flowers, animals and scenics are a dime a dozen.

Be sure to offer at least one sub-line of regional images. Most likely you will sell the bulk of your cards in your surrounding area because that’s the market you already know (and that knows you). In addition, people buy cards that relate to where they live or where they have visited.

Below is an example of one of Lisa’s regional collections. Click on the image to visit her site.

BLANK VERSUS GREETED

The next decision is whether to offer blank cards (nothing inside) or “greeted cards.” Most photographers start with blank cards believing they are more versatile. Some people buy blank cards because they can use them for many occasions, and some gift shops only sell blank cards, though just as many others will only sell greeted cards. While blank cards are cheaper because the printing is only on one side, make both. I started with blank cards, which still work best for nature centers, museum gift shops, galleries and boxed sets. However, I quickly learned that card stores and many bookstores want greetings inside. “Happy Birthday” is more than half the market. The trick is to make the words compliment the picture. A little wit goes a long way, but keep it brief. People send greeted cards because they don’t want to write original words, but like to jot a few things down. Stick to the big categories, certainly birthday, but themes like belated birthday, sympathy, romance, and congratulations have a year-round market.

What about seasonal cards like Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day, graduation, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah? There are so many seasonal cards, and the window for selling them is so brief, that unless you are Hallmark, you’re better off avoiding the hassle and the returns. If you have a great Christmas image, sell it to your local bank as a custom order.

FIND THE RIGHT PRINTER

You have two choices when it comes to printing your cards: using a commercial printer and an offset printing process or making them yourself. For the latter, you buy “blanks” into which you slide a photograph or onto which you glue it. Many photographers use this option, then package the card with an envelope in a clear bag. Though some like this handcrafted look, it’s a labor-intensive approach that raises your price and limits your quantity.

Hundreds of Web sites offer card printing. You upload your images, create the layout on the Web site’s template and then pay for it. These cards are typically at retail prices to you and have the Web site’s logo on the back of the card. If you really want to be in the card business and have your cards look professional, get bids from a few commercial printers. Be sure to get samples of their cards to make sure they can reproduce photographs to your standards.

PRICING YOUR CARDS

Making money in the greeting card business is a quantity game. Greeting cards have high margins but high margins don’t mean much if you sell only 100 cards per year at $1.25 per card. (At this price, your cards will retail for $2.50 each.) That means you need to manufacture your cards at less than $1.25 each, ideally half that. If your cards are going into a boxed set, count the cost of the box and the label in your calculations. In general, your cards should retail for somewhere between $2.50 and $4 per card. Higher, and you probably won’t sell many.

Creating a greeting card line is a commitment both financially and time-wise. Talk to the stores where you would like to sell your cards. Get lots of feedback. Bottom line, you should make what they want to sell, at a price that works for both of you. And like self-publishing a book, be aware that you are the warehouse and your best salesperson. ◊

A member of the OWAA Board, Lisa Densmore is an award-winning writer, photographer and television producer/host from Hanover, NH. In 2005, she introduced her greeting card line, Densmore Designs, and currently stocks about 10,000 cards.

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By Wayne van Zwoll

Woe to those for whom the measure of a hunt can be taken with a tape. What’s dead may represent the end of the chase, but it is hardly the essence.

That said, photographing the essence can be difficult. How to frame camaraderie? What F-stop the moment of truth? Can any shutter speed catch a skipped heartbeat?

We make do with the results: a carcass. Or, in the case of a fish, a creature we hold unto the verge of suffocation or until the lens gets its fill, whichever comes first.

Death itself is by most standards ugly. But the animal you shoot can remain beautiful in death for awhile. And the photos you shoot can preserve, in part, the climactic moment. They may not return the lead to your legs or the fire to your lungs, the trip-hammer beat of your heart or the cotton in your mouth. But if you mind what you’re doing, a photo can pull you back to another place, another time.

Sadly, many photos of dead game are artless and crude, and offensive to people who don’t hunt. They’re often shot in haste. Depending on conditions and your photo skills (or your partner’s), you’ll do well to allow an hour for photos. No meat spoils in an hour. It’s little time indeed in which to record the results of an expedition months in the planning.

I recall an elk-hunting client handing me a disposable camera. “I think there are a couple of frames left,” he said. Then he sat on the elk that had just cost him $10,000 and grinned. I humored him with two worthless shots, returned the camera and told him politely that as a responsible guide I couldn’t let anyone leave such a fine animal without photos of my own. They consumed 40 minutes. Months later, he conceded that the images delivered to his computer had been worth the trouble.

Good photographs impress not only your colleagues, but people who may not have killed game and can’t understand why anyone else would want to.

The first thing to do before you dig out the camera is make sure the animal is dead. OK, laugh. A goodly number of hunters have been embarrassed, even bloodied, because they assumed fallen animals never rise. Next, give the carcass a photogenic pose. Big bears and moose, buffalo and eland are hard to move; an elephant might as well be rooted. But with a little planning you should be able to position most game in a manner that shows you a lot of the animal, emphasizes the antlers, horns or other important physical elements, delivers mood and a sense of place and makes the best use of available light.

Clean the animal of dirt and blood. A thin red thread about the lips can be hard to eliminate from lung-shot game. Live with it. But blood on the hide or in the nose is neither necessary nor acceptable. Keep exit wounds hidden from the camera. Cover entrance wounds with leaves or a limb or snow, or position the animal to hide them. I carry paper towels for clean-up; pre-moistened towelettes are better.

A partner is a huge help in getting a photo record. If you are by yourself, without a tripod, you may have to settle for images of the rifle leaning against a shoulder. If alone but able to get help soon, leave the animal intact. Once you gut big game, you limit yourself to front-end shots only. With a photographer – or when photographing for someone else – you have many, many more options.

I typically take two series of photos: one with the animal resting as if it had just fallen, hunter on the approach, and the other “set up,” nose on the ground, hunter kneeling behind. For the first series, a rock or a branch under an antler will keep it from sinking into sand, snow or litter and out of sight. To set up the animal, roll it on its knees and prop the head with a stick behind the ear. Take advantage of natural assists. A dusting of snow not only hides blood but contributes to mood. Fluffing hair adds color and size. Bending a limb can deliver light to antlers otherwise in shadow. If by waiting a few minutes you will get better light, plan for the shot, set it up and wait. When conditions are right, shoot fast.

Try to get the glint in the animal’s eye before it glazes. You will have half an hour or so, depending on conditions. I’ve carried glass eyes used by taxidermists. They extend camera time, restoring a fresh-kill look if there’s a delay in reaching the game. Of course, you’ll bracket for exposure, vary composition and, with a zoom lens, add and subtract background. Experiment with perspectives. Shoot with a low camera to put antlers cleanly against the sky, and from a high angle to exaggerate them against the torso. Remember that wide-angle lenses (zoom settings under 55) boost center images and diminish those at field edges.

(Click on thumbnails below to view gallery and more tips from van Zwoll.)

When composing, lead the viewer’s eye through the frame. Place the animal or its most important part off-center. Mentally divide the frame into thirds, horizontally and vertically. The trophy (antlers, horns, a bear’s head) should appear at one of the four intersections of those imaginary lines, the hunter at another, diagonally across from the trophy. I photograph an approaching hunter from well behind the animal (and out of focus) in stages to just behind. Typically, he is looking top left to bottom right or top right to bottom left. The mass of the animal most commonly puts it in the bottom third of the frame.

Vertical and horizontal lines are less interesting than diagonals and tend to divide the photo. Never place a strong vertical or horizontal image (tree, horizon) in the frame’s center. Hunters should be moving or looking into the frame, with the main part of the field in front of them.

I like to frame trophy images with natural objects: trees, rocks, vegetation, deadfalls. Sometimes I shoot from behind a screen of brush, keeping it in soft focus while composing to show the salient features of the animal in sharp focus.

Insist on a clean background for antlers. Mottled backgrounds hide them. Avoid taking photos of antlers and horns against camo clothing or a matrix of trees and shrubs. Shafts of light illuminating a trophy in front of shade can mitigate the camouflaging effect of background. You can also pop the animal from its surroundings by opening the lens aperture, reducing depth of field. Take care; antler tines and especially the eye must be tack-sharp. Before you press the shutter, check for branches sprouting from the hunter’s ear or adding points to antlers.

When posing the hunter for a “trophy shot,” keep him behind the animal, hands barely visible as they support the head. You want the trophy to be the center of attention. A hand on the animal’s ribs is OK; sitting on or putting a foot on the carcass is blatantly disrespectful. I like to photograph the hunter looking at the animal, besides getting traditional at-the-lens grins. Fill flash softens hat shadows.

Pay attention to foreground. After a few dozen photos, ground gets trampled, vegetation torn, snow muddied. You want the place to look fresh.

Experiment with light. Light from the back or side can outline antlers or a bear’s coat and make the image more appealing than the traditional front-lit shot. Keep the camera lens shaded! And remember that often a vertical image works much better than the traditional horizontal. Mind the horizon, especially on slopes, which can skew your notion of what’s level. Tilted horizons ruin photos!

Sometimes weather or fading light will prevent you from getting the shots you want. Last fall, I killed a mule deer buck at dusk. To get photos, we transported the deer back to camp, where I cleaned it and posed it, propping it as rigor mortis set in. The night was very cold, so I did not gut the animal, instead perforating the rumen with my knife to release gas. Before dawn my partner and I hauled the deer to an east-facing hill. Presently a red sun shot through a slit in a dense gray cloud-bank, illuminating the buck. I shot furiously for perhaps 15 minutes, until the sun vanished for the day. The result was worth the fuss. And yes, the venison was fine. ◊

Photo credit Wayne van Zwoll.

Wayne van Zwoll is a book author, magazine writer and photographer specializing in hunting, conservation, rifles, cartridges, optics and shooting gear. Contact him at wvanzwoll@amerion.com.

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By Lisa Densmore

You’ve got a few thousand bucolic scenics, another few thousand wildlife images and yet another few thousand macro shots of leaves, flowers and other flora. Why not turn them into a few thousand dollars by exhibiting them in an art gallery or two? Sounds like a great idea until you approach a gallery. Breaking into the fine arts scene as a photographer is not easy because photographs generally have a lower perceived value in the art world than paintings and because everyone has a digital camera and gets lucky now and again, taking a shot that’s worth framing. At least they think so. In addition, most of those editorial shots in your stock file that were good enough for a magazine to publish probably aren’t gallery material.

But don’t be discouraged. Most successful editorial photographers already have the skills to jump from the page to the wall. Here are some things to consider if you want to be successful as a fine arts photographer:

Picking the right images

The first step toward getting your images displayed is deciding which ones to present to a gallery. A fine arts image has to be special, so special that 99.9 percent of the people in the world feel they could not take the shot themselves, and the other 0.1 percent marvel at your creativity. A breathtaking iconic landscape in fabulous light, a unique angle on a common subject, an abstract with so much texture it doesn’t look like a photograph – these would qualify because they grab an onlooker’s attention and hold it. Be extremely critical of your work and only present the photographs you really love and never tire of looking at. That said, most galleries like images of local subjects presented in artistic ways because many people buy artwork to remember a special place or to give as a gift for a special occasion such as a wedding or a graduation. It’s OK to ask gallery owners what they are most likely to sell but don’t have, then give it to them if you’ve got it. If you don’t, shoot it.

Picking the right gallery

Art galleries vary by size, location, genre and quality. Some display photography; others do not. Before approaching a gallery with your images, scout it out. Your work should fit in, yet be different than what’s already exhibited. Can you produce limited-edition images that are matted and framed at a price point similar to what the gallery already carries? Be prepared to explain why your images will sell and how you might help bring prospective buyers into the gallery. It helps to offer publicity through your Web site or a tag at the end of photo essays in regional magazines that says something like, “To see more of Lisa Densmore’s images, visit her Web site www.DensmoreDesigns.com or stop by Artful Things in Lebanon, N.H.”

Showing your work to a gallery

Once you target a gallery, call to make an appointment with the person who acquires its artwork, typically one of the owners. The images you show should be printed on archival paper with archival inks. Many galleries require photographs to be “museum mounted,” which means a white mat with black molding (frame) under conservation glass. If the gallery does not have a framing policy, colored mats and interesting frames are fine if they enhance the overall appeal of a picture. A mediocre picture can really pop in an unusual frame. However, there are two risks to creative framing: First, color can be polarizing and limiting when it comes to matching a prospective purchaser’s living room. Second, it may be too expensive to make money on it.

Most galleries advise their artists to keep framing simple. A buyer can always change the frame. It also helps to inquire whether a gallery accepts photographs for its bins. These should be matted then shrink-wrapped or placed in clear bags. Don’t forget to sign all your mats (with a lead pencil) whether in a frame or a bin, and number them if they are limited editions. While it’s OK to introduce your images in a portfolio, if you can show the gallery owner the finished piece, you are more likely to win his or her support.

Pricing

Most galleries accept artwork, including photographs, on consignment. Their commission can range from 20 percent to 50 percent, with 40-50 percent the more common range. In other words, if you mark an 11-by-14-inch framed photograph at $150, the gallery cut is $75 if its consignment fee is 50 percent. If it costs you $75 to produce the piece, you break even, so it’s hardly worth the effort.

A simple pricing system is to multiply your cost by three. This same picture would then be priced at $225. If it sells, the gallery takes $112.50. You make a profit of $37.50. Though an excellent margin by retailing standards, that doesn’t sound like much to a professional photographer who can quickly pull a photo from a stock file and e-mail it to an editor for a minimum fee of $75 or $100 – and the gallery does not guarantee a sale.

Here are a couple more things to consider when pricing your photography for a gallery: Larger pieces – image sizes of at least 16-by-20 inches – are generally more salable at price points above $200 than pictures that are 11 by 14 or smaller. Small-edition sizes, of 10 or less, especially on large pieces, command the highest prices, sometimes more than $1,000 per picture from an established fine arts photographer.

Hanging your images in a gallery is, at best, a nice way to supplement your editorial and commercial photo sales, at least in the beginning. Is it worth the time and effort? Certainly! It gets your images in front of more people. It adds to your credibility. It can help drive traffic to your Web site and editors to your stock file if the gallery distributes a small brochure or puts a blurb on the wall about you. And there’s something exciting about putting your work on the wall for the public to see. It feels good to hear the comments, and it feels even better when a stranger mentions how delighted he is to have your photo over his mantle.

An award-winning photographer, writer and television host/producer from Hanover, N.H., Lisa Densmore currently serves on the OWAA Board of Directors. She does two to three photo exhibits per year in addition to her images which are displayed in a number of galleries in the northeast. To see more of her images, visit www.DensmoreDesigns.com.

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By James T. Smith

I now look back over my life and think of all the opportunities I had for some fantastic, world-class pictures if I had just carried a camera along with me. Today I have a new digital outfit and am ready to retrace some of my favorite places. In addition, since I am relatively new to Arizona I am looking forward to shooting some wildlife here. Not all of my interests are limited to wildlife but included are all sorts of fauna, landscapes and just different photographic possibilities.

I have been an outdoorsman, hunter and fisherman my entire adult life and I will share some things you may want to know about where, when and how to get good – no, great – wildlife photos.

First: The two best times of a day for shooting wildlife are the early morning hours at sunrise and beyond, followed by the last few hours of daylight prior to sunset. These two windows last around an hour or two – so don’t waste it. Get set up before and break down after. I’m not saying you won’t see wildlife during the day, I’m just saying you can improve your chances by looking for them at these times. Also, most animals are lying in the shade during clear days. Overcast and/or rainy days do bring the animals out and moving, so don’t pass up a cloudy dreary day; just pay attention to your light or lack thereof.

Second: Study animals and know their habits. Small game, squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, hummingbirds, etc., are neighborhood species and can generally be lured to a feeder for shooting photos.

Big game and larger animals will need to be pursued. These include deer, elk, antelope, bighorn sheep, wild horses and burrows. First, go to your local game and fish department to talk with a biologist who specializes in your animal of choice. The biologist can provide specific locations and tips on locating your quarry. Next, plan your trip around the rut, or mating season, when the males of the species are “courting” the females by rounding up a harem to breed. For example, bull elk are not very wary and, in fact, are quite careless and unconcerned. This will put the odds in your favor, as you will be able to get much closer without spooking the animals.

Here is an additional tip: Stop by a sporting goods store and purchase an elk call, coyote call, goose or duck call. This will provide additional potential for bringing that animal or bird closer. (If you get really good at calling, you may need someone to sit behind you and watch in the other direction. You wouldn’t want some big bull elk that has something on his mind other than posing for a photo getting too close.)

Birds – waterfowl in particular – are migratory and are available in large numbers in the late fall from about Thanksgiving past New Year’s. Certain species, i.e. wood ducks and teal, migrate in September and early October. Doves fly south in early September. Look for water, potholes and cornfields for waterfowl and sunflower fields for doves. Turkeys are easily called up in the spring. The best way to locate a flock of turkeys is to go to your designated area after dark and clap your hands, honk your car horn or use a crow call. The roosting turkeys will gobble to your calling and you can get yourself set up under their roost tree before daylight.

Third: Now you’re in place, camera is on the tripod and you’re ready for the action. Most likely most of your photographing of wildlife will be “hand held” and not on a tripod. Whichever method you use, be aware of wildlife ethics, as described by the North American Nature Photography Association in its “Principles of Ethical Field Practices.”

There are many good books on the best places to find wildlife in your state. This topic is vast and I have only scratched the surface. Check out OWAA member Web sites on the Internet; many of our members have some great information to assist you. There is a big market out there for good wildlife photography. Good photos pay well and great ones pay exceptionally well. Cover shots pay the most, so be sure to shoot plenty of vertical shots.

One final thought: As you are sitting and waiting for that ideal shot (which you most likely will be doing a lot), look around you. There will be small animals, birds, clouds, fall colors or spring flowers to photograph. Being observant could quite possibly turn a day of a no-show for your primary subject into a day of numerous photos that wouldn’t have been possible had you not been out enjoying God’s little creatures. ◊

James T. Smith is a freelance writer and photographer, editor emeritus of MUSKIE Magazine and an OWAA board member. He makes his home in Surprise, Ariz. Contact him at jamestsmith@cox.net.

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By Jack Ballard

Although most outdoor photographers rank landscapes, flora and wildlife at the top of their lists of favored subjects, from the standpoint of marketability, photos of people engaged in recreational activities often have more value. Whether it’s producing photos for a destination article or bagging images for a stock photo library, capturing engaging photos of people in the outdoors is a sure way to increase your bottom line as a photographer. Of my photos marketed by a national stock agency, the people pictures outsell the nature images at least 5 to 1.

Like many outdoor photographers, I initially avoided taking shots of people. Two things changed that. First, when I began to put more effort into selling article and photo packages, I found it necessary to shoot the obligatory photos of folks fishing for trout, skiing the backcountry, hunting for deer or whatever the subject might be. The second event occurred when I agreed to shoot publicity photos for a St. Labre Indian School whose newsletter and calendar have a higher circulation than many major magazines. Though I reluctantly accepted the assignment, I soon found that capturing compelling photos of children engaged in educational activities was every bit as challenging as creating exquisite images of a bugling bull elk.

Many of the things I’ve learned about photographing people can be summarized in the following tips:

♦ Subjects sell photos.

Choosing models is critical. Humans have a hard-wired affinity for others they deem attractive, a principle that drives photo sales. The best models are those who are physically fit, pleasant to look at, exude exuberance and are spontaneous on camera. If planning to market photos to a specific magazine or genre of publication, also make sure your models fit their age demographic, are dressed in current clothing and are using the latest equipment. For some publications and for stock photos aimed toward textbooks and advertising, ethnic diversity is also a plus. Gender is another aspect to consider. Hunting publications are dominated by photos of Caucasian men, a practice I deem shortsighted, but my opinion won’t change the market. Photos of pretty female anglers occur frequently in fishing publications, often on the cover. No matter what the media, match your models to the market.

♦ Eliciting action.

Photos of an angler battling a brutish bass, a climber’s axe biting into the ice or a hiker swatting at a pesky mosquito are of the type especially prized by editors. While any recreational pursuit has its share of action, it’s up to the photographer to artfully capture it in a photo. Certain activities such as hooking a fish or the arrival of a flock of ducks at a blind can’t be staged. Prepare for these by positioning yourself to catch the action when it happens. Stay on the opposite side of a stream to photograph a fly-fisher setting the hook on a rising trout or shoot over and above the angler’s shoulder for a different perspective.

In most cases, though, action can be manufactured. I often coach my models on what activity I’m trying to capture, and then ask them to repeat it over and over while I shoot from various distances and angles. When instructing models, be specific. Instead of telling someone to cast a fishing rod, give them an aiming point and any other detailed instructions that will facilitate capturing just the right photograph.

♦ Shooting the camera-shy.

On some occasions, I’m forced to work with a model who is very self-conscious on camera, be it a student, hunting guide or fishing partner. These folks are famous for averting their eyes from the camera, cracking the phoniest of smiles and striking postures more suitable for illustrating the effects of rigor mortis on a corpse. When I sense a model’s discomfort, I often pose the subject for the photos, then explain that I need to shoot a few test shots to check lighting. Often, I get the photos I need on the “test shots” while the model is more relaxed. If you have an assistant available, solicit his or her

help in photographing the main subject. Have the assistant engage the subject in conversation or activity while you back off under the pretext of adjusting equipment. Once the assistant gets the model to relax, shoot your photos from a distance, without flash if possible.

♦ Powerful Portraits.

Action photos of people are top-sellers, but portraits that capture emotion or create a mood are a boon to your portfolio as well. You won’t typically have the luxury of studio lighting in the outdoors, but capturing expression and emotion is possible with no more than natural light and fill flash. Before the shoot, think about the human element you’re trying to portray photographically, be it serenity, companionship, happiness, concentration or relaxation. Some emotions, such as happiness or concentration can be coaxed from a model while the photographer snaps the typical head shot or shoulders-up portrait. However, the best portraits in my portfolio are spontaneous creations spawned by recognizing the photograph in a particular moment, then reacting quickly enough to record it. Opportunities for such images often last but seconds, making it necessary to shoot quickly and with enough skill to capture a technically perfect image the first time, without fiddling with camera controls. ◊

Jack Ballard, of Billings, Mont., is a freelance writer and photographer with credits in more than 25 regional and national magazines, and is the author of two books. He joined OWAA in 1998. E-mail him at jackballard62@msn.com.

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