This is a photo of a buck I shot in 2005 at Lone Elk Park in St. Louis County. It is a 550 acre high fence park that is ran by the St. Louis County Parks Department. Within the park's fences there are "free roaming" elk and bison, as well as whitetail deer and turkey. I am convinced that the deer are not in the property 100% of the time, as I have seen one of the bucks both inside and outside of the property as well as having witnessed several doe jump the fence in certain locations. For me shooting whitetail bucks and turkey here is no different than shooting them inside of Jefferson Barracks National Cemetary in St. Louis, or in the suburbs of St. Louis (e.g. Town and Country) and there is no ethical delima. I am curious as to what others think on the ethical issue of this location, as well as welcome any suggestions for the image.
Posted by Wayne Rhodus on July 6, 2006 at 10:48 PM
First of all you've done a real nice job with the photo. I like the new rack, fun pose with the tonge action, nice bg and even soft light. I'm in a quandry about the centered "feel" of the buck but having some space for him to move into is good too.
Now as far as shooting "controlled" subjects I have no problem with it because you've stated right up front exactly what we are viewing. If you were trying to pass this as a wild (non-controlled) image of a buck then that would create some gray area of intrepretation.
Enough said, Matt I like this shot a lot, well done!
Thanks for the comments Wayne. The "centered" feel to my images is something that I am really struggling with. Alot ot times the scene is happening at a pace and I am emersed in it and just trying to capture the image and not even thinking about the rule of thirds or anything else. I know that is one thing that really separates a good / great photographer from a hobbyist like me. It is also an area that i am working on in 2006. If any of you have any suggestions on getting the rule of thirds down while shooting wildlife I would love suggestions.
Matt, Wayne is right. Your approach in presentation is where the ethical question is raised. You've done exactly as you should, and posted a great photo in the process. I really like its whimsical nature, and though I normally prefer a slightly off center subject, I think the buck's position works well here. Conveying humor in wildlife photography is pretty rare. You've done well!. Thanks for posting.
Matt - as far as ethics go, I think Wayne's comment is shared by a lot of photographers, including myself. Honesty is always a good policy.
One thing that took some time for me to learn about composing a photograph is to remember that you'll be cropping a good bit from the long dimension of what you see in the viewfinder if you plan on printing 8x10s, or any multiple thereof. Nowadays, I try not to be too concerned about filling the frame with the subject because I know I'll decide on the comp when the image is cropped, and then plan accordingly. You might try a square crop on this shot by coming in from the right, which would position his head a little better in the frame.
This is a great shot - thanks for posting!
Posted by Wayne Rhodus on July 7, 2006 at 12:04 PM
Hey Matt, I shoot very little wildlife myself, in large part due to not having suitable equipment to accomplish the task. So I can't give you any specific advise on this subject.
But it sounds like you are on the right track, you have identified and understand the concept and you have a focus to eliminate centered images during 2006. Just keeping that thought in mind when composing your images will ultimately lead to it becoming second nature for you.
That being said, don't be afraid to break the rules sometimes!
Discussion
5 repliesThanks,
Matt Tucker
http://www.PhotographyChronicles.com
Now as far as shooting "controlled" subjects I have no problem with it because you've stated right up front exactly what we are viewing. If you were trying to pass this as a wild (non-controlled) image of a buck then that would create some gray area of intrepretation.
Enough said, Matt I like this shot a lot, well done!
One thing that took some time for me to learn about composing a photograph is to remember that you'll be cropping a good bit from the long dimension of what you see in the viewfinder if you plan on printing 8x10s, or any multiple thereof. Nowadays, I try not to be too concerned about filling the frame with the subject because I know I'll decide on the comp when the image is cropped, and then plan accordingly. You might try a square crop on this shot by coming in from the right, which would position his head a little better in the frame.
This is a great shot - thanks for posting!
But it sounds like you are on the right track, you have identified and understand the concept and you have a focus to eliminate centered images during 2006. Just keeping that thought in mind when composing your images will ultimately lead to it becoming second nature for you.
That being said, don't be afraid to break the rules sometimes!