The sky shimmers with a smooth gradient from dark blue in the West to bright orange in the East. Thousands of dew-drops on kamyshinka lit in the rays of the rising sun, an endless elektrogirlyand. Hearing accurately detects the flapping of the wings when the ducks yet hidden amid forest. The blink — and four mallards flying out of the shadows into the light.
Familiar picture, isn’t it? Now look in your photo album and see what memories of the dawn recorded an impartial optics. And recorded it — throw a stone at me if I’m wrong! — basic plot: a happy person c extracted ducks. High class is when the gun, backpack and other items hunting items complement your portrait with the trophy neat and logical a still life. Low class — when undisguised “bytovuha” spoils the whole picture. Very well, if the picture was taken on the background of the marshes (forests, fields) and not on the background of “my car”. In any case, at least 99 % of private hunting photos — these are portraits of hunters. But where the beauty of nature?
PICTURES THAT ARE PLEASING TO THE EYE
Obviously, we do photos for someone to show corny to brag with the trophy. The viewer, in an effort to show respect to us, pretends that he is very interesting to consider our photos. And really? Each of us has a chance to look at hunting pictures of friends, colleagues, random passers-by. Remember that the emotions evoked are similar to each other “pictures” from the “Man with the ducks” or “Men with guns”. The faces are different, but the same stories, basically proving: I got it! it is extracted here! Even a set of trophies the same as a blueprint. In General, let’s not kid ourselves and admit that consider numerous clones of the same primitive sugetion uninteresting and comparable only to that of voluntary-compulsory viewing vacation photos, or drinking friends and relatives (surprisingly, even hunting topics not boredom).
Don’t forget that not only predatory, but also larger hoofed animals can pose a deadly danger to humans.
Now tell me what pictures you consider interesting. The first is the coveted trophies, but… before they became prey. In other words, we are always interested wild animal in their natural habitat. Filmed it close up or from a distance, moves or stands still in a stand — no matter: stories of the sea. As genres. This may be the so-called action, portrait, and landscape sketching, and full landscape with animals, or even without it. The main thing is the frame in which the animal or bird is depicted in a familiar landscape.
Good picture solves several problems at once: informative, aesthetic, emotional. Aesthetic criterion of evaluation the snapshot of the most simple: ask yourself, would you want to hang it in your living room, whether it pleases the eye, and that’s it. But the weight of the informational component of the two are similar, it would seem, photographs may vary by several orders of magnitude. One frame to tell us in detail about the nature of the terrain, vegetation, animal trails, animal behaviour, and we no signatures will understand, in what latitudes is removed, at which time
of day and year. Another picture of the same animal or bird will not give us anything. Of course, more valuable and more significant than those to which applies the expression “the story told one frame”. But even very beautiful, in all respects quality and most informative images from the point of view of perception unequal. As often happens, that the moment depicted is interesting, and the composition is perfectly built, beautiful and light, but as they say, is not catchy and emotional soother. And another photo, like a magnet, attracts attention and makes you think, worry, worry.
Ten years ago on the pages of our magazine and “Russian hunting newspaper” the vast majority of illustrations have been within the “portrait of a hunter with trophy”. The principal differences from private portfolio consisted only in the variety of trophies and personalities, technical and contextual compliance. In recent years, “happy men with ducks” gave way to the animals in their natural habitat. This change concept is not a whim of the editorial staff: we are printing those photos that love us and our readers. The front page “the HORN” now and invariably decorated with pictures of available animals and birds.
CAN A HUNTER BECOME A PHOTOGRAPHER?
In fact, pictures of animals in the wild, which we love to consider, reflect the main subject of interest of the hunter in the field. Obviously, the man with the camera, and the man with a gun is equally focused on running animal or flying bird, and in the absence of those admiring nature: the clouds in the sky, the silhouette of the forest on the horizon, dew drops on the blades of grass under my feet. Can a hunter who not only notices the beauty of nature, but literally live it, through optics to capture at least a piece to please colleagues beautiful photos? And if so, why is it so rarely happy? The answer is simple. Hunter comes to hunt, to hunt. This process is so complicated and self-sufficient that any attempt to combine it with anything else fails. Here it is appropriate to recall the famous aphorism: “If one hand you are driving a car, and the other arm around the girl, then the both you are doing equally bad”. Hunter can be a photographer either before the hunt or after (meagre range of subjects that are output, we have already discussed). Any attempt to click released the beast, being in the room, in the dry residue gives the result not just mediocre and frankly dull. And it’s not even that such images are most often done digital camera, mobile phone or any other gadget with primitive optics, the technical aspect of the issue here is secondary. Eventually all the equipment that made the photo series to this article, in total weighs about 3 pounds, and is hardly a child’s weight is “tire” big guy. The main problem, I think, consists in switching from one process to another. Just to give you an example. Imagine that clearing in the forest sits a man entirely absorbed in some occupation, is far from hunting: for example, searches in the soil, any pebbles. “Just in case” he was armed with a gun. And here on a distance shot there is the beast. In humans, fascinated by the stones, have a few seconds to make the shot. Hunting for him is not the main occupation, he is poorly remembered than loaded rifle — small shot, buckshot or slug. Where and how strongly the wind blows, whether in the arc of fire still people (mushroom pickers or hunters), he also thinks, because the stones is irrelevant. What do you think, good shot it will work? So with the photos taken in the process of hunting, the same problem. By the way, the optics are not less complicated than ballistics, and the photographer to create good images we have to consider many factors, not important to the hunter: the lighting objects (light in photography the most important thing), the background, the location of objects in the frame, focus point and depth of field, unwanted objects composition and elemental interference…
Shooting wildlife — the process is not self-sufficient and less complicated than hunting. Even experienced nature photographer who knows all the technical characteristics of the camera and lens, feeling light and composition, able to quickly and accurately set the parameters of EXIF, to build a frame and catch the moment rarely manage to make a quality picture, where “everything happened”. In humans, absorbed with something else, likely to make a pretty picture about zero.
Of course, an experienced hunter who owns a good camera, able to capture the richness of nature around him. But he needs to stop being a hunter (at least temporarily) and become 100 % photographer. Without prejudice to the primary hobby to do this is useful, for example, in the season, when hunting is prohibited by the rules.
THE BENEFITS OF HUNTING
It’s time to list the benefits of hunting before hunting firearms. Above I mentioned the seasonality. Yes, while hunters in anticipation of the opening prepare the ammunition and equipment the man with the camera any day of the year just goes into places and takes what he wants. In addition, he has a number of advantages to a man with a gun. Formulate them point by point.
1. Rules for hunting is strictly regulated in terms. The photographer can take animals any day of the year and at any time of the day.
2. The hunter requires a lot of permits and registration documents from the registration of weapons and ending the license for the specific trophy. Photographer no documents required: bought any camera — and go with her wherever you want, everywhere green street. Even iron storage box optics is not required.
3. The range of action of the hunter is limited geographically from the land assigned to the society in which man is, to a specific room on a specific hunt. The photographer can shoot in the hunting grounds, and in the open field, and on specially protected natural territories (except the passage on which is forbidden to all).
4. The right to hunt is worth the money. The license for shooting some types of is a lot of money. Photographer can shoot all for free.
5. Rule extraction for hunters is strictly regulated by regulations and/or licenses. The best it’s relieves all animals and birds in unlimited quantities, though the whole herd at once.
6. The list of species for which hunting is permitted, is strictly regulated. A nature photographer takes even endangered species. By age and sex booty the best it’s also are no limitations.
7. The hunter had to make only one shot on each animal. After a successful shot the beast turns into the prey. Trophies photographer reusable: the same animal can be done an unlimited number of beautiful shots, from different angles and in different landscapes. Nobody and nothing prevents the photographer “fire in bursts” burst.
8. On the hunter shooting a live target, there is always a tremendous responsibility. A bad shot is usually the wounded animal. A bad shot of a photographer — just a bad shot.
The list goes on, but these eight points, I think, is enough. Hunters are in the fields and in the “season of silence”. Nothing prevents them to try their hand as a wildlife photographer. The hunter, known all terrain and animal behavior! However, must warn you: holding the camera, a person runs on their own to part forever with a gun.
To be continued.
