A DIFFERENT KIND OF HUNT
  by:  Helen Nash  

Occasionally miracles happen. When they do, don't question why, just grab on gladly before it gets away.  That's exactly what I did that day in the field:

"I don't have time to think about the briars and honeysuckles tearing around my ankles, or the stabbing branches I'm ducking under as I quickly yet stealthily move in closer; there's only single-minded focus for the beautiful animal targeted in my sight. We'd been out all day and I'd been ready to give it up and go home empty-handed, when my companion called to me softly and said, "I think we've got something."  Looking quickly to the direction of the pointing hand, I see him; like a gift from heaven, standing statue-like in a small clearing at the edge of the woods, a shaft of sun hitting him square in the face. As I hurry carefully closer I can see every muscle quivering in eager anticipation with his perfect stance frozen in time, coming down through eons of breeding for this single moment. My hunting partner waits quietly with his weapon at the ready as I find my position, with heart racing in anticipation of capturing this lovely sight before me.  I can't remember when I've seen such a gorgeous head, with eagerly arched ears and sunlight piercing the eyes, setting them aglow with amber fire, so large in my lense and full of life as to seem surreal. This is perfect--exactly what I'd come for: a great-looking point with a clear shot, no tall grasses or corn stalks hiding the face...even the lighting angle is perfect; I couldn't have planned it better--that's fantastic--if I breathe it may be gone....!”
 
My finger touched the trigger once, twice, and a couple more for good measure. "That's it! I've got it!"  I finally let out my breath, and with an excited smile turned to my partner, who then moved in closer.  His excellent marksmanship quickly brought down the single Bobwhite on flushing, which was the perfect ending to this event I'd waited, planned, hoped and traveled here for. We're all pretty proud of ourselves, especially Gunner, the gorgeous white Setter who was our 'main' event in this brief episode. We're all hunters, and today, we'd all gotten our quarry, the difference being the objective and the equipment.

Of course this hadn't been our only find that day, as there'd been several, just none that would work for my purposes. With nearly 200 hundred images logged to my memory card, there had been no shortage of shots of both Tee and Gunner, the two beautiful Setters belonging to my client who’d asked me to do a painting of them.  Tee was to be the forward dog on point, with Gunner backing.  A few weeks prior, we’d set out early, spending the day walking the rolling fields of thick cover, with our first session bringing home the perfect close-up picture of our featured star attraction—lovely Miss Tee, a trusty veteran Setter, white with black head and ticking.  She has a bit of crouch when she points, looking rather like some famous Edmond Osthaus painting had just come to life, complete with her staunch, old-world majesty, intensity and pride. That’s the fun part of this business; you never know what you’re going to get when you set out, but like the kid in the candy store, you know it’s going to be something good!  This picture would be the basis for my layout idea the two of us had discussed earlier, and now all I needed was a good pose of Gunner to go with it….‘piece of cake’, right? 

"Ok, Gunner, step right over here, please sir…no, no--turn more that-a-way, into the sun better...Also, make sure your points are not in the weeds so I can see your face...OK?"
YEAH RIGHT!! Just kidding of course! 

If it were so simple as just giving instructions, it wouldn't be nearly the fun. I remember one time in Texas a client had flown me in, and had his trainer drive his two dogs several hours to meet us on his ranch.  Due to our limited time in the field, to assure my photo session would be successful, a lone quail had been staked on the bare hard ground prior to the dogs being released from the truck.  Of course the young pup, Emma, had no problem with this whatsoever, and was good to go, eagerly leaning to a quivering point just inches from the frightened bird.  Not so, their owner’s pride and joy, the 13-yr-old veteran of sage and mesquite hills, and soon-to-be-immortalized in paint--Miss Julie. No one had asked her about this arrangement, so taking one look, she just sort of hunkered over with a hang-dog expression, you know the kind they can get, looking back over her shoulder at Rusty, as though saying to him: "What kind of deal is this?...YOUR idea?!!"  It was just too funny for words--even Rusty had to laugh. He ended up taking her for a run on the nearby hillside, and thus assuage her wounded pride, before returning to the picture-taking business. Later, when she did strike a point in the shrubby mesquite brush, it was truly a lovely sight, with her wrinkled salt & pepper brow and clear, intense eyes, revealing the eager heart of a true hunter.  Even Julie knows:  there's just no room for imitations.

Each situation is different, as I was reminded, when a fella with two dogs once told me he wanted a “picture of only his good dog”.  One was a gorgeous liver & white Pointer, the other a runner-up for the Ugly Dog competition of the year; one guess as to which one he wanted the painting of! 

As the artist, this is where it begins, with discovering the concept.  What you want for your painting is discussed, such as:  how you want your dog featured—up close, or more of a distance in a hunting scene; whether or not you want a particular setting or even yourself as the hunter, included in the background.  Next it’s into the field to get all the images possible which may be helpful, including scenery, with hopefully some really great, inspirational poses in there.  You may call it luck, yet as every hunter knows, good luck is about being prepared.  I’ve found the best equipment for my purposes:  a substantial bodied camera with the highest resolution, and most frames per second in its class, the Nikon D300, together with a light-weight zoom of good range, the Tamron AF-28/300.  Garb:  good field  hunting/walking gear.  (…did I mention a Snickers bar and water?)

As for picture taking, for me, angle is the most important consideration.  I want to be located toward the business end of the dog as he points, which is not always easy or possible.  The good thing about this, and the part I love, is—these beautiful well-trained animals will hold perfectly still while I move into position, being careful not to disturb their quarry.  I’m primarily about getting their pose first, with lense extended, shooting, pausing, shooting as I move in, lest the moment is lost.  My next objective is a good, detailed headshot of the same pose, which I’ll take crouching down, keeping the camera angle level to the dog’s viewpoint.  A couple of tips I’ve learned are:  Be careful shooting too wide an angle, as this will create distortion.  (Remember that commercial where the dog’s nose was about all you could see?)  If the action moves in too close toward you, over-filling the frame, don’t zoom out to wider angle; rather move yourself back if the image needs backing off, if there’s time of course, keeping your lens extended. I also recommend investing in a large memory card, so there’ll be room for lots of pictures using the fine setting on your camera, especially since cropping most likely will be needed for the more distant shots.  Try and stay with, anticipating the action-- not always as easy as it seems.  Just when you think you’ve got all the time in the world because that wonderful crackerjack dog is doing his job, the bird starts to run on the ground, and your perfect head shot is missed, because you took things for granted.  Decide ahead of time your objective.  Keep your mind focused at all times, or you’ll just come home with wonderful memories, and a good imprint of your own boot on your backside for the great missed shot of the real hunter—the one with four legs!  

“There's a lot more to this business of good hunting dogs than I'll ever begin to know, so will leave that to you, the owners, trainers, and hunters; I’ll stick to what I do best, which is painting them.  I'm just glad and honored to be asked along for the privilege a few of you have extended me, for honing my own ‘different kind of hunting’ skills in this business of cameras, guns and noses.”