CAMERA SETTINGS The previously mentioned AUTO setting will get you
decent pictures. Most cameras have it marked in green letters and you just set it, then point and shoot – the camera does all the thinking for you. However, to kick up your photos a notch, you’ll have to move beyond that basic level. The first thing you need to learn is how to add flash to
just about every picture you take – even those outdoor ones where that AUTO setting tells you no flash is required. Try a flash in those circumstances and you’ll see how it illuminates the shaded area under hat brims and separates the subject from the background. Photographers call it “fill flash” and you’ll find it makes a huge difference in your photos. Another setting you should experiment with is white
balance, usually abbreviated as WB, with numerous sub- options marked by icons in the shape of light bulbs, sun and clouds. Typically there is an automatic setting for white bal- ance and it’s this one your camera defaults to when you let it do all the driving. However, if you manually set the white balance to a cloud or shade position, your pictures will take on a warm tone that most people find more attractive. Give it a try. Experimenting with different settings and being able to see immediate results is one of the big advantages of a digital camera. And last, you should try playing with the saturation
settings. These can be hidden rather deeply in some cam- eras’ menus, but are worth finding and setting to a position slightly higher than the factory defaults. Doing so, will give you brighter, more vibrant colors and your pictures will really “pop.” Don’t go crazy and set the saturation too high; doing so makes people look orange and landscapes artificial. A gentle touch is all that’s needed. PHOTOGRAPHER SETTINGS
Just like your camera, the photographer has settings too
– only your settings are located between your ears, making them more difficult to adjust than the camera’s. However, a little training and self-discipline will reprogram them ef- fectively. And the first thing you need to adjust is the button in your brain labeled Location. If you photograph an animal in exactly the place he fell, you’ll be historically accurate but creatively bankrupt, because animals rarely expire in a location suited to a good photograph. I have it happen about once every hundred coyotes. Instead, whenever I want to photograph a coyote I’ve just shot, I stand beside where he fell and turn a complete circle, looking for an interesting background that conveys the essence of this hunt. If I shot him in an open field, I’ll move him up onto a rise and try to capture the feeling of a vast expanse in the background. If I took him in or near brush, I’ll look for an unusual tree or log to use as a prop, thus adding interest to the photo. Pay atten- tion to the background and your photo will be better for it. The next photographer setting is called the Pose but-
ton. This is where the hunter rearranges the dead animal to make it look good. All those photos of monster deer you see in newsstand magazines were carefully posed to look great, and if you want your varmints looking their best, pose them. This means hiding blood and positioning the animal to look natural with the face clearly visible. Sometimes, hanging the animal from a tree or fencepost can be effective, but pay at- tention to the side visible in the photograph.
This is more like it; the photographer has moved down to the coyote’s eye level and positioned himself obliquely to the animal. The rifle, a T/C Icon, is subtly behind the coyote and there’s some background to give context and in this case, color, to the picture. Compare this to the first photo.
Using a flash, even in daylight, is effective at visually separating objects in the foreground from the background.
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