Hunt alone?  Make your own light weight and versatile bi-pod alternative for a camera or video camera.

This idea was originally published in the North American Hunting Club magazine as a reader submitted tip.  It can be made for about $1.

The DIY lightweight camera clip.

Materials

-Binder clip

1)  Clamp the binder clip onto a board’s edge and drill two ¼” holes in the top edge.  These holes should be centered for width and spaced about one-third the clip’s length apart.  Remember that the clip is spring steel.  This means the leverage provided by a drill press, the advantage of a sharp bit and some lubricating oil will help get the holes done successfully.

Drilling holes into the clip.

 

1)  Attach the binder clip to an arrow inserting the nock into the empty hole. 

2)  Screw the bolt into the camera or video camera’s mounting hole.

3)  Position the camera and use its timer function for a self-portrait trophy pic with that GIANT doe.

A video camera mounted as an example.

4)  Or, alternatively, attach the binder clip to a knife stabbed into a tree, clipped to a pack frame or even a tree branch.  Heck, use your imagination for the endless possibilities.

happy hunting, dv   

If you liked this blog you may like the following:    

Photographing Your Hunting Trophies

Trophy Photo Tips

How To – Prepare A European Skull Mount

DIY $25 Bow Press

How To – Make Your Own Turkey Friction Call

How To – Make Your Own Turkey Friction Call – Part 2

How To – Make Your Own Turkey Friction Call – Part 3

DIY Deer Drag

DIY – Turkey Call Striker

DIY – Knife Sheath

DIY – Lone Wolf Climbing Stick Carry Strap

DIY - Whitetail Tarsal Gland Scent

DIY – Arrow Squaring Rig

DIY – Solar Lighted Stabilizer

DIY – Stabilizer

Preserving Bowhunting Memories

How To – Use A Sharpening Steel

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Copyright © Jerry E Long, 2009-2011

This week I take at look at the lightweight and highly portable 6” Targus Grypton Tripod. 

I want to hunt.  I don’t often try to mesh my schedule with someone else’s in order to hunt with them.  I go when I can so that means the majority of time I hunt alone.  No one to help field dress, drag or take trophy photos.  Since I’ve put together three blogs on taking trophy photos, see the Photography category here, over the past two years it is obvious they are important to me.  Photos taken on location before field-dressing are far superior to those taken after a hunter gets home.   To help with that I carry a 6” Targus Grypton Tripod in my pack or in my ready box in the truck.

The 6” Targus Grypton Tripod weighs just 3.95 ounces.

Priced between $7 and $15 from various sources the tripod weighs 3.95 ounces and can easily hold my Canon A40 Powershot camera as well as my JVC Everio camcorder.  As the pictures show it can be attached to vertical or horizontal branches or stood upright on uneven ground.  Last fall I perched it atop my day pack as the marsh ground my whitetail buck went down in was very soupy.    The following pictures were taken using the tripod in various configurations.

The tripod in use on a small tree.

The tripod in use on a somewhat horizontal branch.

Hung from a small tree I get a self-portrait.

Again hung vertically, I take a different sort of trophy picture than that normally seen on the pages of dvMA – during a mid-winter scouting trip my bow wasn’t in reach.  Porky patrol keeps our dogs out of trouble and our trees in better condition.

The tripod was used on bare ground for this low perspective shot that accentuates the doe’s size.

Perched atop my whitetail day pack in soupy marsh turf the tripod worked well in this instance also.

The Targus Grypton tripod line up gets mixed reviews so take a look around and make up your own mind.  Another alternative might be the Joby Gorilla Pod, but in either case having a small, portable tripod is the way to go if you hunt alone. 

happy hunting, dv

If you liked this blog you may like the following:    

• Photographing Your Hunting Trophies
• Trophy Photo Tips
• A dv Gear Review – Moultrie D40 Game Camera
• A dv Gear Review – Scout Guard 550 Game Camera
• A dv Gear Review – Stealth Cam 12 Volt Battery Kit
• A dv Gear Review – Energizer Trailfinder 3 LED Headlight
• A dv Gear Review – Victorinox One Hand Sentinel Clip Knife
• A dv Gear Review – Victorinox Hunter Cam Knife
• JD Welding Arrow Spin Testing – A dv Gear Review
• A Note On dv’s Gear Reviews and Gear Provider Recommendations
• dv Tests Thermos Bottles
• The Versatile Eberlestock X2 Pack
• Forschner Knives – Buy Now, Thank Me Later
• The KME Broadhead Sharpener
• A dv Product Spotlight – Kiwi Camp Dry
• dv’s Top Product Picks From ATA Part I
• dv’s Top Product Picks From ATA Part II

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Copyright © Jerry E Long, 2009-2011

This week I share a set of trophy photo tips that I recently had the opportunity to write for an archery manufacturer. 

The following is a compilation of tips from a wide variety of sources including my own hard-learned experiences, Carrie Zylka of Zylka Photography and Carrie’s Fist Full Arrows Blog, my friend and Super Slam Bowhunter Gary Martin,  my virtual friend and fellow bowhunter Gene “hntswbow” Drinkman and various other sources here and there.  I’ve included it as a media download, here - dvMA’s Trophy Photo Tips, so you can save it, print it and carry it with you if desired.

As bowhunters we create memories of a lifetime in the release of an arrow and the click of a camera.  However, there is a very thin line between a carefully composed trophy photo and an unusable, tongue-sticking-out- blood-everywhere photo in the back of a dirty pickup truck.  The following tips will help ensure your trophy photos can be safely shared with friends and family, be submitted for use by magazines and remember that outdoor experience in a positive light for a lifetime.

My first deer – what a memory of a lifetime I have to record the event.

*Become familiar with your camera before the hunt.  When the trophy is on the ground is not the time to try to figure out how to make the flash work.  Digital point and shoot cameras tend to be easier for you and your friends to use and most current models produce quality results.

*Always have your camera with you.  You likely won’t regret carrying it, but you will regret leaving it behind.  Always have a spare set of batteries and spare digital media card available.  Lithium-Ion batteries are lighter than standard batteries.  If you hunt alone a small, packable tri-pod like the Gorilla Pod or Targus Grypton is recommended.  Put all these things on your equipment list so you don’t forget them.

The Targus Grypton tri-pod and a Canon digital point-and-shoot camera.

This photo was taken using the Targus Grypton tri-pod.

*Always shoot the photo with the sun to the photographer’s back and the subject facing the sun.  Ball caps often create face shadows – remove the caps or use the camera’s flash to correct. 

This photo of my first turkey was taken with the sun to my back which washed it out, the camera was a complicated digital SLR and I didn’t review the photo before quiting the field.  Not a great keepsake of a great trophy.

Look at those shadows on the faces.  I knew what needed to be done, but I couldn’t remember how to make the camera flash in full sun until on the way home from Africa.

*Take trophy photos before field-dressing in a natural setting near the kill site, but away from large blood spots.  Avoid buildings, cars and other unnatural objects as backgrounds as well as the backs of trucks and the game gambrel.

Bucky doesn’t look so good with his belly cut open and his hide tinged red.

A lack of background in this example gives little perspective.

*Stick the tongue back in or cut it off.  Carry a small rag or towel (or use grass and leaves) to clean up blood around the mouth and entrance/exit wounds.  Remove any protruding arrows or broadheads.   If possible, bend the animal’s front legs and feet under the brisket and position the rear legs under the abdomen in a similar natural position.  Position your body behind the animal. 

Rigor Mortis had set in by the time the picture was taken so  a natural pose was not possible.

I didn’t notice the tongue sticking out until it was too late.

*Clear all grass, twigs, etc. from the area in front of the animal.

The angle was good, the wound was clean, but that darned multi-flora rose was right in the way.  I caught it and re-shot.

I still could have trimmed some more, but this is better than the above photo.

*Avoid placing hands in the foreground or on the forward portion of the rack or head – the hands will look oversized, may obscure part of the rack and will distract from the animal.  For instance cradle a whitetail’s rack with palms or finger tips on both sides near the back.

My hands are covering the buck’s rack – not that he is a giant or anything…

*When composing the picture leave an amount of “negative” (clear) space around the hunter and animal to allow for proportional cropping later on (shoot wide, crop later).

This picture looks fine in digital format, but when printed either the top or bottom is cut off. 

*Take several photos from multiple angles with and without flash and review those to make sure the desired results are obtained.  Shots from a low-camera position enhance the animal’s size.  It is impossible to take too many photos with a digital camera.

This angle emphasized the doe’s size.

The photographer didn’t know how to use the camera or take a trophy photo.  I didn’t review the photo until it was too late.

Doofus photos really don’t have any use…

As you can see I didn’t need to search any further than my hard drive for bad picture samples.  Hopefully your learning curve is much shorter than mine.

happy hunting, dv

happy hunting, dv   

If you liked this blog you may like the following:    

• Hamming With Game Cams
• Photographing Your Hunting Trophies
• Best Of Trail Camera Photos – May/June 2009
• A dv Gear Review – Moultrie D40 Game Camera
• A dv Gear Review – Scout Guard 550 Game Camera
• A dv Gear Review – Stealth Cam 12 Volt Battery Kit
• People Pictures From The Archery Trade Association

Feedback, Questions & Comments   

I’d like to hear your tips, feedback, comments or questions.  Please leave them below.     

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Copyright © Jerry E Long, 2009-2011

In Photographing Your Hunting Trophies I shared one of my favorite quotes, “Take care of all your memories for you can never relive them,” Bob Dylan.  As memories of my first deer, first arrowed fishes and a black bear fade into the sedimentary deposits of my cranium I rely upon photo albums to bring back those happy, heart-filling, sun-shiny (no matter the weather) moments in time. 

The photos are like my own mental fountain of happiness.  It’s not just the kill-shots, either.  It’s the vividly colored photo of the swan in the park near some public hunting ground in Montello, WI, the dining area at Fair Chase, Ltd in Indio, TX (say hello to my little 12 gazillion calories), the exposed flint on the trails at Shiloh Ranch Hunting Camps in Ada, OK and more.  With that in mind I attempted to get caught up on my hunting photo albums a few months ago, but when I ran into some problems I decided to consult an expert.   

Probably meaningless to most people this photo reminds me of ranch-cooked beans, mesquite grilled t-bones and cheese enchiladas.  Happy times indeed!

Carrie is owner/operator of Zylka Photography and author of the blog Carrie’s Fist Full of Arrows.  Below, she addresses some of the problems I’m having.

dv – I am very careful with picture composition and often fill the viewfinder to the max to get the best photo.  However, I’ve noticed when the photos are printed in 4 x 6 (my favorite size) that heads and bottoms are cut off.  The photo isn’t like that, just the print.  Why is that?  Something to do with the ratio?  What do I do about it?

My 2007 Wisconsin whitetail picture as taken.

My 2007 Wisconsin whitetail picture as it printed.

Carrie – Check the settings in your camera; it may be set to automatically format the photo to an 8X10 or 5X7. 

-Resolution settings are actually more important than megapixels when it comes to printing.  The easiest way around this is to leave some negative space around the subject. 

-A very good rule of thumb is to “shoot wide, crop later”.  Once you have downloaded the photo file to your computer you will be able to crop it before uploading it to a website for printing.  If you are taking the memory card directly to a retail store take advantage of the cropping features available at the kiosk before printing.

-If you have photos you have already taken that won’t print in a 4X6 format without cropping off the sides or the top and bottom you will need to manually create the negative whitespace around the photo itself.

dv – I printed a bunch of photos on my home printer and the color (amount of light) was great, but they had some oily residue that weirded out the photo album.  So I took them into a retail store and had them printed.  No oily residue, but the color (amount of light) is horrible and much of the detail can’t be seen.  What happened and what can I do about it?

A picture, as taken, of a motley crew of Kansas-born hog hunters at Shiloh Ranch Hunting Camp, Ada, OK.

The same motley crew picture, as printed.

Carrie – In my opinion there are 3 types of printing mediums for the consumer:

1) At home printers:  These are great for the average “Joe” that doesn’t care too much about the archival quality or the perfect contrast ratios that hobbyist/amateur/professional photographers get really finicky over.  Don’t get me wrong I have a printer at home that I use.  But, most of us have inkjet printers and depending on the quality of the ink that the manufacturer provides for a particular model you will get your oily residue.  It’s the “super glue” that holds the actual ink together. 

Another reason may be the paper you are using.  Some paper brands are more compatible with some printer brands.  If you have an HP printer, use HP paper.  The chemical composites will mesh much better than if you use Kodak (which is actually a superior paper – it is incompatible with an HP printer, yet fantastic with a Canon printer).  You will also have to periodically calibrate both your printer and your monitor to achieve matching results.  The color on your monitor may look perfect, but when you print it out it may be too light or too contrasty or vice versa.  If you want to achieve the commercial quality in an at home printer it will cost you.

2) Retail printers:  These stores rely on quantity not quality.  They have printers that are bigger and more sophisticated than the at home printer, but they are calibrated for speed and they need to be recalibrated several times a month.  I am not confident that my local retail store calibrates their printer even once every 6 months. 

When using one of their kiosks the card reader pulls the file off your disc and saves it to their server.  The printer then pulls the file off the server and onto the printer’s hard drive.  Every time you save a photo you lose some resolution.  So, it’s been saved 3 times by now and if your file isn’t at a maximum resolution to begin with you will lose a lot of the detail.

3) Commercial printers:  The ideal way to create those photographic memories is to go through a commercial-grade printer.  Sounds expensive right?  Nope – places like Mpix.com and even Shutterfly will create photographs at an extremely reasonable price that are archival quality with maximum resolution.  The only downside is that they are exclusively web-based and you will have to pay for shipping.  But, at Mpix.com it’s $1.99 for an 8X10 and a flat rate of $5.99 for shipping.  At my local retail store it is $4.99 for an 8X10.  Order two 8X10 prints from Mpix and you break even except you are receiving commercial-grade prints that will not fade after 20 years and have been color corrected by top professionals in the business.  Also, the shipping for 4X6 prints, especially if you are only ordering 20 or so, is much lower.  You could visit a local commercial printer like Ritz Cameras or Mike Crivello’s.  They only charge $0.29 per 4X6, but you get the benefit of a commercial printer.

All of these companies will have calibrated their printers weekly if not more and have fancy software that automatically color corrects the file to match their printers’ settings so that the colors printed are true to tone.  They keep up with software updates and patches to provide maximum output.  Remember, these are the printers that professional wedding and outdoor photographers use with the highest standard of quality.  If it was anything less than perfect they would not only have angry customers demanding refunds but they would lose out on the thousands of dollars these clients provide in revenue.

dv -  What is the best way to store photos and what is the best way to store them and then share them with friends and family so that they might actually want to look at them?  Sometimes they are landscape, sometimes portrait, etc.?

Carrie – Truly, the best way to “archive” actual printed photos is to place them in an airtight box, front of the photo to back of the next photo, in a cool dry place.  But, what fun is that?  Who gets to see them?  There are always fun ways to show off those prized memories.  Photo albums are the most logical but you do have the dilemma of portrait vs. landscape photos and turning the book back and forth may not be very feasible.  Especially if it’s a large album with hundreds of photos and is very heavy. 

Scrapbooking is another way.  It’s very neat but extremely time consuming and the materials can be very cost prohibitive.  My very favorite way is the digital photo album or coffee table book.  Depending on the quality you are looking for and budget you may have there are many options.  Mpix.com offers a mid-range digital book for between $35 & $100.  Shutterfly offers one for less than $40.

Carrie says a digital photo album is a good way to display your hunting memories.

dv – Any tips, etc, you’d like to share…. Pet peeves…?  You’ve got the floor (blog).

Carrie – Exciting backgrounds are awesome for taking visually interesting shots.  Just be aware of what’s directly behind the subject.  A stray tree limb behind someone’s head may look like they have horns!  Nothing is more unappealing for hunters, anti-hunters and pretty much everyone than an animal that looks like it has been slaughtered rather than just shot.  It doesn’t take much to wipe off some of the excess blood, hide the tongue (even cut it out) or if one side looks like a grenade went off then turn it over and take the photo from the other side.

Now here’s something weird.  I was talking to outdoor’s buddy Seth, see Foundation of an Outdoor’s Person, about this the other day.  I just shot the animal, right?  Eventually I’m going to remove its “bits”, field dress it, cut its hide off, quarter it, chop it up and package it and throw it in the freezer, but I just can’t bring myself to cut its tongue off.  Weird, I know.  I’ll stick with Carrie’s advice of hiding it.  Anyway, in the future I’ll be composing pictures differently and visiting Mpix.com and Shutterfly as well as my local camera shops to figure out the best options for preserving my memories.

Thank you to Carrie for taking the time to answer my questions and sharing with us here at dv’s Mostly Archery.  Please visit Carrie’s Fist Full of Arrows for other great resources.

happy hunting, dv

If you liked this blog you may like the following: 

• Hamming With Game Cams
• Photographing Your Hunting Trophies
• Best Of Trail Camera Photos – May/June 2009
• A dv Gear Review – Moultrie D40 Game Camera
• A dv Gear Review – Scout Guard 550 Game Camera
• Game Camera Photo Contest

Feedback, Questions & Comments

I’d like to hear your tips, feedback, comments or questions.  Please leave them below.  

Subscribe 

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You can find the original contest announcement with prizes, rules and how to enter here.

Dave from Elk River, MN submitted these great wolf photos.

Dillon from Port Orange, FL sent in this great buck picture.

Greg in Rochester, NY sent in this great sequence of a buck eating an apple.

James from London, UK (Mostly Archery goes global, Yeah!) sent this picture of a fox from his garden.

This great buck was submitted by Jeff from NH.

Gender bending?  Thanks to Kent from Ava, IL.

Nice poody-tat.  Also thanks to Kent from Ava, IL.

Matt Block of the Up North Journal Field Staff (ineligible to win) shares these next four great photos.

Rick from Niceville, FL sent in this crazy buck photo.  He had one heck of a night!

These turkeys are courtesy of Rickey from Port Orange, FL.

These sparring bucks are also from Rickey in Port Orange, FL.

These antlerless deer pictures were submitted by Sherri from Port Orange, FL.

Thanks for all the great entries, dv

You can find the original contest announcement with the prizes, rules and how to enter here.

Taylor from Park Hill, OK sent in this cool photo. 

Judy from Washington, DC, sent in this photo – since it contains a human it doesn’t count for the contest, but it is cool none-the-less.

Greg from Rochester, New York sent in the next three entries. 

Thanks to everyone for their entries, dv

What appear to be a pair of wolves.

Whaaaatt have you been eating???

A fawn nursing.

happy hunting, dv

If you liked this blog you may like the following:

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I think a lot of bowhunters focus on the bow, arrows, rest and other cool equipment, but don’t necessarily put a lot of thought into taking pictures after the trophy is on the ground.  Here it is important to note that when I say “trophy” I mean ANY animal harvested with archery equipment regardless of sex or head gear.  From a personal stand point I am very sorry I didn’t pay more attention to recording my memories.  The older I get the more important this becomes.  The three photos below represent a progression in how much attention I have paid to this.  The results are self-explanatory. 

Not so good memories...

Better...

Best of the 3.

Here are a few tips for taking that trophy photo: 

• Point and shoot cameras are easier for your friends and family to use than complex digital SLR’s.
• Put both the camera and the memory card on your equipment list. It’s easy to leave the memory card in your computer.
• Take your pictures before field dressing.
• Set up a natural background. Avoid “Back of the truck” pictures.
• If possible prop the animal up and fold the legs underneath it.
• Carry an extra rag into the field and use it to clean up any blood around the mouth and entry/exit wounds. Use it later to wipe your hands during field dressing.
• If you mainly hunt by yourself consider carrying a tripod like the Grypton Portable.  The North American Hunting Club  magazine recently profiled a do-it-yourself fixture made from a binder clip and a few screws that will attach to an arrow to form a mono-pod. I’ll feature that in a future blog.
• Verify your camera’s compression (picture size) is still on your desired setting. Bigger is better. Digital photo sizes can be reduced on the computer later. 
• The trophy and hunter should face the sun with the photographer’s back to it.
• Fill the frame with you and your trophy.  
• Take pictures with and without flash. Even on a sunny day the flash can fill in shadows from a ball cap or tree limb.

By keeping these tips in mind you hopefully won’t look back and wish you had better memories of that great hunting trip. 

Feedback, Questions & Comments

Have tips of your own?  Please leave your feedback, comments and questions below.

Coming up on Mostly Archery

• Outfitter Reports – Why we should be doing them.
• Overhauling My Bow
• Outfitter Report – Javelina and Hogs in Texas.