Duck Hunting Photography

Duck Hunting Photographer

Views From The Duck Blind

People that have never been duck hunting probably picture something much different from the reality. I was certainly guilty of that myself. From the first time I pushed off a canoe into a marsh, those preconceived ideas were changed, and I was hooked. Being cold and wet doesn’t appeal to most, but wind and storms generally produce the most action, so you learn to love it. If you’re lucky enough to be in a marsh during a storm, and have the patience to put your gun down, you’re in for a beautiful show. The familiar landscape in front of you can change by the minute, producing colors and textures you just can’t find anywhere else.

These images were made in Turkey Point, Ontario, Canada.

Click here to see more of my duck hunting photography

Duck Hunting Photography

A couple photographs from a recent duck hunting trip to Ontario, Canada. What a pleasure it is to spend time with friends in places like this. The best weather for duck hunting is what everyone else would classify as bad weather. It increases your chances of getting ducks, but visually, it also puts on a show. During a storm, the way a marsh looks can change a hundred different times in one sitting, if you’re lucky. And for someone who has the patience to not hunt, watching mother nature is just as much fun as the hunting itself. There really is nothing like it.

Click here to see more of my duck hunting photography

Duck Hunting Photography

Waterfowl Hunting - Photography

It’s strange the way timing works in the world. We were working on the Carved in the Chapel documentary with my buddy Zach Benson for a few years and when it was finally set to be released on December 22nd, we happened to be together for a hunt on one of the Finger Lakes near Geneva, New York. Grateful for that.

It has to be about more than the hunt. Same goes for everything I do, but this is a hunting post, so we’ll stick to that. If your only reason for hunting is to kill an animal, then you don’t deserve to be out there. Sure that’s part of it, but there’s so much more than that. You have to like the journey and the effort. The Suffer Fest. I personally love all the other aspects surrounding a hunt just as much as the hunt itself. The anticipation. Getting there. Waking up early and not knowing if you’ll even be lucky enough to see a duck, let alone get one close enough where you have the opportunity to shoot it. If the kill were guaranteed, all the fun would be gone. There are a million things I could add to this list, like camaraderie, but we’ll leave it there for now.

Good times that day. Looking forward to the next one.

Gun Dog Magazine

Duck Hunting Photography

Zach Benson - Duck Decoy Carver

Seems like personal projects are a constant topic here, but it doesn’t matter because it’s something I’m very passionate about and want people to hear. For photographers, there is nothing more valuable than the personal project. Nothing. I love shooting for certain commercial clients, but put just as much if not more time into personal projects. What you see here is a piece I’m honored to post because it involves time spent with people I care about. I’ve known Zach Benson since elementary school where we were close friends. He’s an extremely skilled hunter and an even better artist. Nick Yetto is my cousin, but also happens to be a brilliant writer. The three of us grew up in the same town and went to the same schools. Then life, as it tends to do, sent us all in different directions. Fast forward to last year around this time, I was fortunate to spend 4 amazing days with Zach documenting his hunts, the creation of his beautiful decoys, ate lots of good food, had lots of laughs, and drank plenty of booze. Then I teamed up with Nick to write a piece that would tell Zach’s story along with my images. To be clear, my intention first and foremost, was to hang out with Zach while also having fun with the camera. Being in these situations I find it impossible not to document what’s happening. I also appreciate his lifestyle and enormous talent as an artist. A person that others with shared interests should know about. And I feel a responsibility as a photographer to help others learn about him.

Back to the personal project. It’s important as photographers that we don’t feel as though we need permission to do what we love. We don’t need to sit around waiting or begging for a dream client to hire us. That’s nonsense. Photographers should go out on their own and create exactly what it is they feel drawn to. Worry about everything else later. Just go out and have fun with the camera. Then, if it turns out the way it’s supposed to, the work will find a home. But you can’t worry about the home in the beginning. Just shoot for yourself and you’ll find that the images will turn out better. I’m really honored toothat the good times had with Zach and Nick wound up in Gun Dog Magazine because his story will be read by those that appreciate him the most. It also feels good to do these things with people I care about in our own way and on our own terms. Nobody hired me to do this or told me how to do it. This collaboration is something that continues between Nick and I. Something I’m also grateful for because it brings me closer to my cousin, who I’ve been apart from for so long. We currently have another piece (unrelated to duck hunting) due to come out at the beginning of 2021, and he also wrote the intro for my soon to be released Hoops book.

You can follow Zach on Instagram @benson_decoys

Click here to check out Nick Yetto’s novel Sommelier of Deformity