What Makes a Good Trophy Photo?

“We’re middle-aged and (these photos) bring us back to our roots,” says Bone Collector co-host Travis “T-Bone” Turner. “There have been so many high-end pictures taken in the field, and some beautiful photography. But to share a picture of a deer on the tailgate or skinning pole makes you proud of your heritage.”

Co-host Nick Mundt adds, “For me, the hunt is about the animal. I still like the in-the-field trophy shot, but that old-fashioned, back-of-the-truck throwback is valuable too. In the end, [just] have a good picture to remember the animal by.”

“Michael has a bunch of old hunting photos laying around,” says Ryan Wakenigg, Bone Collector’s social-media marketing manager. “Some of them are with Mr. Edwin ‘Pawpaw’ Waddell in Booger Bottom back in the day. I wanted to recreate some of those today with better camera equipment. We still want nice, clean shots. We obviously want to promote hunting the best we can. This is just our way of keeping it real.”

Here's a throwback for you. A 12-year-old Michael Waddell poses with his first buck, taken in Booger Bottom, Georgia. 

Fast-forward a few decades. Waddell is still proud of his bucks. Here, he shows off a stud taken with a rifle. 

Plenty of hunters use walk-in freezers. If they were good places for young Waddell to show off a nice buck and a pink tank top back in the day, they're good places to take a picture today. After all, freezers mean venison. 

Getting a deer with a bow and arrow was a challenge in 1987 (that's when Edwin Waddell shot this doe), and it's still a challenge today. Nothing wrong with showing that off, although the chest hair is optional in 2020. 

Back in the day, trophy photos happened around the skinning pole. Pawpaw shot this buck back in December of 1984 — the same year Bill Jordan began sketching drafts of the first Realtree Camo pattern.  

The skinning shed is still a great place to take a memorable photo. Here, T-Bone shows off a tank of a buck. 

Sometimes the location is the most significant part of the hunt, and a pic with the right background will always take you back. Tag one on public land? Don't leave without a shot of the sign. 

There’s a reason the back of the truck is such a classic place for a photo. It's the natural place for hunters to gather and relive the story. Here, Christie Waddell and her son pose with a great buck on the tailgate. 

Hunting photos are supposed to be fun. Here, T-Bone shows off a great buck, right there on the tailgate. Is that a sprig of wheat in his mouth? 

Sometimes, it's best to let the scenery tell the story. Here, Nick Mundt shows off a huge, full-velvet muley with a timeless western backdrop. 

Packing out an animal the size of a moose is not something you'll soon forget. Be sure to capture that moment. Here's Mundt with the rack of a huge bull, on the pack frame and ready to haul. 

Hunting is always better with family and friends along. Here, the Waddell family shows off Meyer Waddell's big buck in a classic deer-camp shot. 

A good many deer hunters are also farmers — and the front-end loader of a tractor makes for both a convenient skinning pole and a great place to snap a photo. Here, Michael and Edwin Waddell show off a nice Georgia buck on the front end of a tractor. 

It's OK to take a picture of something other than a turkey fan. Waddell likes to sling gobblers over his shoulders. Back in the day, people hauled deer out of the woods like this, too. You can try that as well — but there's really no need to bulge a disk in your back. Remember, trophy photos are supposed to be fun.