Being a cameraman is hard work! You grab a few winks whenever you get a chance.

8. Once in the field, cameramen are " at work."
There's no down-time for cameramen. From the time they leave home, they are on the job. They have to be sharp at all times, fully conscious of their responsibilities to capture all of the video needs on their shot list. And they're constantly looking for opportunities to get a shot at just the right moment, before the light fades, or the subjects move, or it begins to blow or rain or snow, or all of the above. In the field, a hunter concentrates on hunting and at some point slips away, enjoying the hunt and sometimes even forgetting about the camera. But the cameraman is on the job, never forgetting about the hunter and knowing that at the moment of truth, he has to somehow control the course of events and get the shot. That's challenging work.

7. Cameramen are creative people; they're the artists behind the scenes.
Cameramen are keen observers, and it's their job not only to tell the big story of the hunt but to video all the small details, the little things that make a hunt special and memorable. That focus makes them a little strange sometimes. While hunters might just take in a beautiful sunrise and smile, you can bet a cameraman will be videotaping the colors of the sky or rays of sun slicing through leaves. These guys will wander off by themselves to video something in camp or pause suddenly in the field to video some little bit of flora or fauna. Equipment Editor Curt Wells told me about one hunt when the sun cast a perfect shadow of him against a thick-barked oak. When Curt turned to point it out, the cameraman was already on it. Cameramen have sharp eyes. They're visual artists.

6. They're your "partners in crime."
Taking an animal on video with bow and arrow is no easy task, and likely it won't happen if hunter and cameraman don't work together. It's called teamwork. When you have a cameraman with you in the field, you're never really alone. He's got your back; you've got his. Whatever happens, good or bad, you're in it together.

5. They've got all of the outtakes.
Think we nail our lines every time? That we don't stumble, get tongue-tied, or get frustrated and say something inappropriate? Think that our hunting prowess isn't a little less than spectacular sometimes, or that we don't ever fall completely apart? Not hardly. Cameramen have the video that reveals the truth, and sometimes the truth can be humbling, even a little embarrassing. After all, we're trying to present bowhunting in the very best light.

Continued -- click on page link below.