Reinventing the typical trophy photo

[franzfmdavis]

View attachment 686548View attachment 686550View attachment 686547

These are great! Unique!

 

[franzfmdavis]

Gday
Interesting thread & we talked on this recently & one that all are great photos & overall no one ever takes enough

The best ones I like personally are the ones that are as natural as possible & the person/s basically not knowing the picture/s being taken

This one is one of my favourite of all time pics & so glad I didn’t have a nap & took this

That’s my trophy of a lifetime to get my mate & his buff in a moment captured in time for all who were there to relive that day knowing what went into that day & the lead upto it
View attachment 686545
Cheers

This picture tells a great story!

 

[franzfmdavis]

Man, I agree with this. I don’t think it has to be well curated. Just do you and snap away…

Great pictures!

 

[franzfmdavis]

This is actually my favorite picture of my buff. It’s a candid my brother took. I don’t know, it just speaks to me. The size comparison and the brush in the background kind of put the whole hunt into perspective.

Also looking away from the camera allows the viewer to more easily place themselves in the scene. Beautiful!

 

[Russ16]

Personally I never need to be in the picture. But I really don’t like being in any pictures.

 

[Challer]

I've never been a fan of the typical grab and grin photos and don't take them.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Great pictures above. I also like a variety of poses and angles. I prefer to be near the head also.

 

[thi9elsp]

These are my favorite photos from my first safari in 2011. My wife took them without Owen or I knowing she was taking them. We had gone down river on the Zambezi from Chifuti's camp, I had shot my impala, and we were discussing how close we were to Zambia across the river of course and Mozambique being further east. When I look at these I feel like we're the first and only people to be in that spot.

 

[HankBuck]

I am just as apt to take the typical trophy photo as anyone, and have done so each time.

However, when looking at trophy photos, I find that I more quickly scroll past typical photos and linger longer when they are an odd or irregular picture.

I imagine the repetitive composition of the typical trophy photo has become a bit ordinary to my eyes, even though the subject matter is truly extraordinary.

I tried to do something different as an experiment this last hunt, but don't think my ideas were great (and the PH didn't like them better either):

1. Typical composition:

View attachment 686487

2. A little bit different (closer to the head; whole animal is not shown):

View attachment 686488

3. Something I don't see as frequently (perspective on a level plane; facing the animal; reverent hand on animal):

View attachment 686489

I do notice that vintage safari photos are much more interesting to me in composition and variety. For example, people are standing, people are sitting on animals, people are looking off into the distance, there are big groups around the animal, etc.

I know many of you have done unique trophy photos too, as I can think of several examples that come to mind.

There is no formal question here, just an observation, but, I would appreciate if anyone has non-standard composition trophy pictures they would like to share here to help give me ideas.

It would be great to have some different composition ideas in mind before my next hunt.

Thanks Ya’ll!

@franzfmdavis - I like all the pictures you displayed and prefer at least “One” traditional photo always be taken and then add in the more “artful” pictures. I want some photos to always properly show the Animal at it’s best, with proper scale to it’s size (Not exaggerated too Big or distorted too small). If it’s a deer - then several angles of the rack showing width, points, mass should be taken, for a Bear the head/skull size & claws might be shown as well as one that shows Overall body size. If I’m in the photo then I’ll usually have a smile on my face but No “thumbs up” or “clinched fists” or anything else I consider “spiking the ball” and other TV Show phoney behavior. Friends or Family members are also added into the photo because the people I was with are part of the Memory & joy. My Guide or PH - maybe, the dogs (if involved), etc….

 

[Fatback]

A couple of my favorite “non-typical” hunting pictures.

 

[uplander01]

For me, it's more about the location and the rifle....

 

[Hunt anything]

I like my pictures to focus on the animal. I also like to have some candid pictures of people doing normal safari stuff. My wife normally carries the camera and I ask her to just take pictures of anything she thinks is interesting until we get on the final stages of a stalk.
The great thing about digital cameras is you can take 100’s of pictures and edit at will to keep the best.

 

[PARA45]

Both PHs, one in the Kalahari and the other at the Eastern Cape, were great photographers. Two pictures taken with me not knowing.

The Lioness picture, the PH caught me as I was paying my respect to the animal and crying like a 5-year-old.

The second picture, I was in my own little world, enjoying God's creation and enjoying that once again I was in Africa and my safari was coming to an end. The PH without asking took the picture.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

I took this photograph in 1977. I’d like to recreate it with a bushbuck in Africa.