Snapshot Shooter
I've been submitting articles to the
country sports press for about eight years now and I'm often asked how I get
the photographs to accompany my pieces. I think the old joke (published in my
first book) that I've trained my lurcher to take the pics has worn a bit thin.
The question of in-field photography was raised again on Facebook the other
night, so I thought it wouldn't hurt to give away a few 'trade secrets'. But
first, a little history.
I didn't make the breakthrough into
regular magazine slots due to my photography. I got into the game through being
able to paint a picture with words. In the early days my pics were of random
quality and taken just using compact cameras .. even the wildlife pics, which
were dreadful. The magazine media, though, is highly visual. It was no fool who
wrote 'a picture paints a thousand words'. I've been dead lucky in having an
editor (from the start) who is himself an accomplished photographer. Nigel
Allen. He encouraged my growing interest in photography and cameras, giving
lots of advice along the way. In the early days, Nigel had to post-process my
photos massively but he never had to do much with my writing. Now, he has
little to do as I send him near perfect post-processed pics and self-edited
text (only joking, Nige!).
Seriously, first tips for submitting
to an editor are to make sure the subject is relevant and interesting, text is
grammatically accurate, spelling is correct and your pics are as good as you
can get with the kit you use. Writing "I
went down the wood and shot a rabbit wiv my 22 Beeza and cooked it later"
accompanied by a fuzzy pic of a smiling numpty and a bloodied rabbit isn't
going to inspire publication. However, "
I stole silently from the woods margin and settled between the nettle beds. The
movement of translucent ear tips further down the warren brought the .22 BSA
Lightning to my shoulder and when the coneys head was clear in the scope, I
tickled the trigger. Within seconds, I had the prime ingredient for my Sunday
dinner" alongside a subtle photograph of a hunter recovering a
(bloodless) rabbit from the meadow is far more likely to attract an editor ..
and the reader.
Though I own two DSLRs (Nikon D5000
and D7000) plus a range of lenses, many people would be surprised that I don't
use these for general magazine work. It's simply impractical to drag my DSLR's,
lenses and associated kit such as a tripod around while hunting. So for hunting
forays I travel light and my workhorse camera is my Nikon Coolpix P7100
super-compact. This cracking little 10mp camera shoots RAW files and has all
the functionality of a DSLR .. yet fits in your pocket. Attached to my
Trek-tech Optera 230 bendable tripod and using a Nikon ML-L3 remote this camera
is incredible versatile. I can hang it off tree branches, wrap it around fence
posts, stand it on stumps .. the only limit is my imagination. Image quality is
superb .. I've even had magazine cover pics from it. In fact it's so good, I
own two. I bought another to stow away in case it ever gets discontinued. That tiny Nikon ML-L3 remote control
is brilliant for magazine shots as I can pre-programme the shutter timer to 2
or 10 seconds, get into position and snap away at leisure.
If I'm anticipating wildlife photo
opportunities I pack the D7000 with a little Sigma 18-250mm zoom attached. Even
this adds weight but its manageable when carried on a Black Rapid sling. It can
hang loose to bring up quickly for an urgent photo without interfering with my
rifle or shooting. There is no room for the Sigma 50-500mm or Nikkor 80-400mm
zooms I use when simply snapping wildlife. The latter, a recent acquisition, is
the perfect walkabout lens and doesn't break my back on a six or ten mile
wilderness hike.
I've been submitting articles to the
country sports press for about eight years now and I'm often asked how I get
the photographs to accompany my pieces. I think the old joke (published in my
first book) that I've trained my lurcher to take the pics has worn a bit thin.
The question of in-field photography was raised again on Facebook the other
night, so I thought it wouldn't hurt to give away a few 'trade secrets'. But
first, a little history.
I didn't make the breakthrough into
regular magazine slots due to my photography. I got into the game through being
able to paint a picture with words. In the early days my pics were of random
quality and taken just using compact cameras .. even the wildlife pics, which
were dreadful. The magazine media, though, is highly visual. It was no fool who
wrote 'a picture paints a thousand words'. I've been dead lucky in having an
editor (from the start) who is himself an accomplished photographer. Nigel
Allen. He encouraged my growing interest in photography and cameras, giving
lots of advice along the way. In the early days, Nigel had to post-process my
photos massively but he never had to do much with my writing. Now, he has
little to do as I send him near perfect post-processed pics and self-edited
text (only joking, Nige!). 
Seriously, first tips for submitting
to an editor are to make sure the subject is relevant and interesting, text is
grammatically accurate, spelling is correct and your pics are as good as you
can get with the kit you use. Writing "I
went down the wood and shot a rabbit wiv my 22 Beeza and cooked it later"
accompanied by a fuzzy pic of a smiling numpty and a bloodied rabbit isn't
going to inspire publication. However, "
I stole silently from the woods margin and settled between the nettle beds. The
movement of translucent ear tips further down the warren brought the .22 BSA
Lightning to my shoulder and when the coneys head was clear in the scope, I
tickled the trigger. Within seconds, I had the prime ingredient for my Sunday
dinner" alongside a subtle photograph of a hunter recovering a
(bloodless) rabbit from the meadow is far more likely to attract an editor ..
and the reader.
Though I own two DSLRs (Nikon D5000
and D7000) plus a range of lenses, many people would be surprised that I don't
use these for general magazine work. It's simply impractical to drag my DSLR's,
lenses and associated kit such as a tripod around while hunting. So for hunting
forays I travel light and my workhorse camera is my Nikon Coolpix P7100
super-compact. This cracking little 10mp camera shoots RAW files and has all
the functionality of a DSLR .. yet fits in your pocket. Attached to my
Trek-tech Optera 230 bendable tripod and using a Nikon ML-L3 remote this camera
is incredible versatile. I can hang it off tree branches, wrap it around fence
posts, stand it on stumps .. the only limit is my imagination. Image quality is
superb .. I've even had magazine cover pics from it. In fact it's so good, I
own two. I bought another to stow away in case it ever gets discontinued. That tiny Nikon ML-L3 remote control
is brilliant for magazine shots as I can pre-programme the shutter timer to 2
or 10 seconds, get into position and snap away at leisure.
If I'm anticipating wildlife photo
opportunities I pack the D7000 with a little Sigma 18-250mm zoom attached. Even
this adds weight but its manageable when carried on a Black Rapid sling. It can
hang loose to bring up quickly for an urgent photo without interfering with my
rifle or shooting. There is no room for the Sigma 50-500mm or Nikkor 80-400mm
zooms I use when simply snapping wildlife. The latter, a recent acquisition, is
the perfect walkabout lens and doesn't break my back on a six or ten mile
wilderness hike..JPG)
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