Bowhunter Silhouettes

[Arrow chucker]

Nice pics!!

[Abbott]

great pics.

[Shane]

Last edit.....

What do you think about this for a poster-sized print?

[AtTheWall]

Very nice Shane!!!!

[TexasBob]

Awesome. I would love to hear any tips you want to share on how to make a shot like that. Absolutely stunning.

[mitchbcs]

I'd buy a poster or a framed print... thats awesome! Nice work!

[Hillary]

Love that!

[Shane]

I'd buy a poster or a framed print... thats awesome! Nice work!

I'll see what I can do. I want to get a print or two myself to see if they look OK first. If so, I'll let you know.

Thanks

[temple droptine]

I have a new wallpaper for my computer. I love it.
great verse.

cb

[Shane]

Awesome. I would love to hear any tips you want to share on how to make a shot like that. Absolutely stunning.

Just a little bit of thought and planning is all. Of course, you have to be there at the right time - sunrise or sunset. This was sunset. And you need clouds in the sky to really catch some pretty light. A clear sky isn't as dramatic.

Find a good spot to set things up. This is a little hill on my lease where the brush isn't real tall. Actually, it's the same spot I set the deer up for LDPs in my avatar. I put Zach on the top edge of the hill in a spot where there wouldn't be any brush in the picture directly behind him. I wanted him clearly silhouetted against the sky. Then I moved down the hill about 10-15 yards so I could shoot up towards the sky. That made sure that I didn't lose him in all the brush. I got him aimed the right direction - quartering away a little and aiming the bow towards the center of the shot while he is on the "short" side off center ("rule of thirds"-ish).

Then set your exposure on the sky. You want the sky to be properly exposed. In doing so, all the foreground stuff is underexposed so that it's just black (or near black). I moved around a little here and there on the hill to get just the right angle, and then just fired a few shots off.

Then in post processing, I cropped out some of the black foreground at the bottom. I didn't want too much of that. I just wanted the sky and the horizon silhouette to be the focus of the pic. Adjust the contrast, saturation, sharpening etc. until you like what you see, and that's it.

Timing and set up are the main things. I saw nice clouds in the sky just before sunset, so we made a dash out there real quick. I had Zach grab his bow on the way through the garage, and I thought about where to set up for the shot as we were driving. Didn't have a lot of time, 'cause the sun was close to setting. This shot was the first one we made as we drove into the place. Just good timing. You never know what the light is going to do. Sunset shots are a LOT like hunting. You have to be there to have a chance, but the chance doesn't always come along.

[Shane]

I just realized the "arrow" is missing in my last edit. I told Zach to grab his bow, and he did. He didn't grab any arrows. I had to draw in the arrow in Photoshop, and somehow I had it turned off on that last edit I guess. I'll have to add it back in. Maybe I can add a monster buck off to the left in the brush. Something like Rob's avatar....

[BowTech 4 life]

Very nice pics

[TexasBob]

Thanks for the tips Shane. I really appreciate the detail. I need to find a nice open area without so many trees around here. I have really been wanting to try some sunset shots. A good reason to slow down and enjoy nature's beauty, regardless of the final outcome.

[Oz_Ag]

Good shootin' Shane!

[Shane]

Got my poster in the mail today. It looks really nice. Hope you like yours when you get it, Mitch.