Hunting photos

[bill___2]

I used to hunt a lot with guns. Now I take photos. In reading John

Shaw's books he mentions how he loves to cruise back roads looking

for photo opportunities. I find myself doing the same thing. I have

my bag on the front seat, 1n with 70-200/2.8L on a tripod, EOS 5 with

300/4L, 20/2.8 ready to slap on. Film etc.ready, 5:00am and off I go.

By 9:00 I'm usually having coffee somewhere very satisfied with my

day. Does anybody else do this or am I just nuts? BTW, some days I

don't even get a shot.

[don_baccus]

"Does anybody else do this or am I just nuts?"

 

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You're nuts, I always drink a cup of coffee FIRST! :)

 

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Seriously, I love exploring in this way, and often make myself notes

for return trips.

[howard_creech1]

I guess I would have to plead guilty to being "nuts" too. Although I

do agree with Don, I prefer my coffee before I start out. Great way

to find those places nobody else knows about.

[robert_smith]

It's scary to find out that there are at least four of us crazies running around the dirt roads! Actually, I think this is the most relaxing aspect of outdoor photography, and, it can be a total success even on a rainy day. Light is terrible?..get the topo and compass and start checking out some new possiblities.

[jim_bridges]

Shooting on the back road is one of my favorite kinds of shooting at

certain times of the year. My wife loves it too.. she gets to go

along with me. We usually do this type of shooting in the spring for

roadside wild flowers, and in the fall when shooting fall colors.

 

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Shooting old structures like barns, windmills, and abandoned farm

houses are some of my favorite subjects in the winter when everything

else is dormant.

 

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I'm not much on coffee, but I do love them Coca-Cola Classic's after

a busy morning!

[garry_teeple]

I've done it for years. I first started it when I purchased an offroad motorcycle but have since found it hard to carry the equipment I need on the bike. Some times I will take a bicycle ride just to scout areas during the middle of the day. I've been known to cover over 50 miles of gravel road this way. A notebook for locations and best times of the day for comming back with the truck and camera equipment makes great reading on cold, windy, and wet winter days. Maybe we'll cross paths on some lonely road in the wee hours of the morning.

[pete_su]

I ride my bike around, then drive the car back later. This is easier

than carrying cameras on the bike.

[bob_royse]

You've descibed an innate human instict. Photography is a great way

to express it. So is birding.

 

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When I was in my early 20's I had a job in S.Africa and spent every

spare moment in the National Parks and game reserves with my Yashica

FXD and Tokina 400/5.6 looking for grysbok or leopard. 15 years later

in my native Ohio, my most (well, almost) invigorating activity is to

drive the backroads with my spanking new Canon 600/f4 + TC's looking

for Henslow's and Vesper Sparrows or Lapland Longspurs.

 

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Photography is a great way to be a raw hunter/gatherer and a

sophisticated and technological artist. Wildlife photography I see as

expressing the hunting instinct and landscape/macro shots as way to

express the more instrospective closeness with the planet that a

"gatherer" would see.

 

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Life is easy these days. We don't have to gather those coffee beans

and can just go to the neighborhood shop for a thermos.

[curt_casteel]

Bill has touched on something I've discovered by virtue of working

alongside an avid hunter. Skilled wildlife photographers and skilled

hunters share many of the same habits and instincts. I am not a

hunter, but have learned a great deal from my friend that applies

directly to my hobby. We often have occasion to ride through the

countryside in the early morning, competing to spot the first deer,

turkey, coyote, or red-tailed hawk. Bill's not nuts, he's just found

that his old hunting routine has carried over well to his new pastime.

[pete_parker]

I have to fully agree with Don Baccus. Leaving the house before

drinking the coffee would be nuts for me. What you've described seems

to be intrinsic to hundreds of Nature & Wildlife photographers around

the world.

For me, this backroad hunting is one of the more rewarding facets

of Wildlife Photography. I love crusing the backroads of Texas

watching to see whats roosting on the next fence post or whats walking

across the dirt road around the next bend.

No, you're not nuts! You are not alone either! You have good

company!

[randywilson]

Well, I'm starting to think that maybe I'm the one who's crazy, since

a typical photo day for me means getting up at 3, driving for 2 or 3

hours, hiking in the dark for an hour or so, shooting from 30 minutes

before sunrise to maybe 2 hours after, hiking some more for the hell

of it, maybe driving somewhere to scout out new locations and hike

some more, and getting home sometime in the evening dead tired after

hiking 5-10 miles and driving for hours.

 

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You mean I don't have to pay for nature photography with bleary eyes

and aching joints and muscles?

[marv_thompson]

Give me a topo map and Class B minimum maintenance roads (read as

"Your on your own!") any day, and I'll have some fun! You don't have

to get far off of the main road to find the interesting stuff, and it

shouldn't come as a surprise if you find yourself pretty much alone.

 

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I've been doing this since I got married, and after 23 years, my

wife still can't comprehend being on the road an hour before sunrise,

just to take pictures.

 

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It's nice to know there are a lot of us lunatics spread across the

country. By the way, I vote for coffee first too.

[altaf]

Your all nuts, we all know real nature photographers drink Tea :-)

 

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Interesting everyone claims to be out so early in the morning and we

never run into each other. Btw anyone want to shoot at jamaica bay

wildlife refuge early in the morning?

[bill___2]

Actually my choice for coffee is a little cappuccino place with hot

bread. Glad I'm not alone. Thanks for the responses.

 

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Cheers

[ivan_verschoote1]

If everybody should trade in his gun for a camera, it should be a

better world.

[gws___]

You are correct when you say the skills, and the love of nature that

are required when hunting, go hand in hand with nature photography.

The knowledge I have gained through many years in the field hunting

serves me well when taking wildlife photos. Knowing when to see

certain animal behavior, where to look for specific species of

wildlife, and learning how to approach to very close distances are

all very important to both wildlife photography and hunting. If you

don't like to hunt, that's perfectly ok, just spend time in the field

with someone who does, and you will learn a great deal that you can

apply to your photography. Thank God I still have passion for both.

[chelsea]

While you guys are cruising the backroads, I'm up before dawn from

spring til fall cruising the lake in my boat with the electric motor.

Some days I have been known to cruise the backroads, here in Ontario

there's lots of rural areas to explore. The coffee must wait til I

return. Disposal of it just ain't quite as convenient for us

women-folk.

[danny_weber]

Let me turn this around--how many serious outdoor photographers don't

do this (except for the coffee part)? All the ones I know do it, and I

trade "finds" with several of them almost every day, especially now

when the foliage is peaking around here. I don't think it's nuts--I

think it's normal for us.