October 2021 - 31

and peaks. When you think about taking images
of the animal you harvested, make sure you
include those images of the natural world. If
you shot a pronghorn in the sagebrush, show
the sagebrush. If you harvested an elk in a stand
of aspens, make sure you can see the changing
leaves or white bark.
Pay attention to lighting and angle
Is the sun at your back so you can't see the
faces of you and/or the animal? Is the sun straight
on your face making you and the creature appear
flat? Think about the way the sun is positioned,
Boswell said. You also can be creative. Sometimes
a silhouette can create a beautiful image,
especially if you can't clean up the animal as well
as you would like. Take multiple images from
multiple places and choose the best one later.
You can also think about angles. One of
Gocke's favorite hunting pictures is from a bison
harvest he photographed of Laramie hunter
Walt Gasson.
" The best shot I came away with was when
Walt initially came up to that animal and knew it
was dead and just took a moment there, " Gocke
said. " He took his hat off and just paused. "
The image wasn't the classic photo of a hunter
sitting next to their animal, but it was probably
more thoughtful and more original. It also
told the story of the hunt better than a typical
picture.
Tell your story in words
Beyond the image you plan to take or share
publicly, also think about the words you're using
to tell your story. " A lot of times it's great to talk
about the work and effort and experience that
went into getting the animal, " Gocke said. " I'm
thinking about other people seeing a post who
don't hunt and aren't familiar with it and don't
understand the effort that goes into successfully
harvesting an animal. "
How was the weather? Did you belly-crawl
for 400 yards? Did you notice any other critters
while you were out there? Did you follow
another animal for a mile before it finally
decided to run off and you didn't get a shot?
" Sometimes people like to portray that hunting
is easy, and that has not been my experience, "
Gocke said.
If you write an account of your hunt, people
will begin to understand more of the entire
experience. They also may be more interested
or willing to engage with you in a conversation
about hunting.
Most importantly tell a true story in your
image and in your words, Johnson said. We
Capturing the entire animal in a photo, along with the proper lighting and angle, are all things to consider when taking postharvest
photos. (Photo by Mark Gocke)
learn from each other. If you made a bad shot,
write about it. Tell people how the hunt went
wrong or how you would make a different choice
next time.
" Maybe it was textbook hunting, and it was
wonderful and joyful and that's what we want,
but if it wasn't, we need to be honest about that,
too, " Johnson said. " Success comes in many
shapes and forms, and the photo should as well. "
- Christine Peterson has spent nearly a decade writing
about Wyoming's fish, wildlife, outdoors and environment.
She is a regular contributor to Wyoming Wildlife.
Wyoming Wildlife | 31

October 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of October 2021