70 Nebraskaland • June 2022
By Jeff Kurrus
BACK OFF
From time to time I'm asked to shoot stock photographs for
our marketing department. Not only do we want to portray
hunters, anglers and other outdoor enthusiasts in a good
light, we also want to photograph folks in good camera light.
These shoots also allow us to capture images without
interrupting the weekend ventures of our users. If you've
ever been photographed by one of our Nebraskaland staff
members, it wasn't for long. We try to get what we can
quickly, then disappear so you can enjoy your day.
So we hire models. Sometimes these are from talent
agencies, and other times they are people we know personally
who fit the criteria we need.
Whether the model is a professional or first-timer, it's the
photographer's job to get them comfortable. My tactics to do
this include silly jokes and stories, commands "not to smile"
and self-deprecating humor.
But on this particular day, I was failing. The photo subject
was someone I knew. She worked tremendously hard and
smiled every time I asked her to, but I kept telling myself
those weren't the smiles I was used to seeing away from the
camera.
So I tried to put myself in the mindset of a teenage girl on
her first photoshoot, with some gray-haired family friend
on the other side of the camera click-click-clicking his way
through hundreds of images.
What would I want if I was her? Probably to be left alone
for a minute or two.
So that's what I did. I asked her to walk to the other side
of a field, about a hundred yards away. I swapped my wide-
angle lens for my telephoto and asked her to return.
Her face during that walk back was of pure happiness.
She was simply moseying her way through the field after a
"turkey hunt," and the genuine smile I had sought for had
been found.
Photographing people is no different at times than
photographing wildlife. You have to constantly adjust,
keeping in mind the reason we use camo and our hide when
shooting wildlife is the same reason we take a few steps back
when photographing people.
We simply want them natural.
Time Outdoors is
Time Well Spent
THE LAST STOP
It's never a bad time
to take a young person
hunting.
The memories, and
smiles, you'll remember
will last a lifetime.
