Social media has become home to hordes of hunters. A few minutes spent on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter will yield countless pictures and videos of wild landscapes, grip-and-grins, and other images depicting – and celebrating – the hunting and outdoor lifestyle. From the western backcountry to deer camps all over North America, the imagery jumps off the page – or more accurately, your smartphone. And this is from the viewer’s side. What about the many hunting and outdoor creators providing the visual content we regularly ingest as sportsmen?
There are the Jimmy’s and the Joe’s that just like posting pics of their hunting excursions and lifestyle. More and more often though, there are those creating content in support of their outdoor brand. Hunting outfitters and gear companies; photographers and videographers; bloggers and vloggers. The list is long.
While there are a lot of outdoor creators in the digital world, the fact is most of them don’t have fancy cameras or video equipment. They depend solely on their smartphone camera to capture outdoor footage – and inspiration. Here is where the art of digiscoping can super-charge your content.
What is digiscoping?
In short, it’s the process of using an adaptor to pair your smartphone and optics. The result is magnified images and video that can be captured – and used for myriad purposes. A growing number of hunters use digiscoping as part of their hunting arsenal, including scouting and inventorying deer, elk, and other wild game. However, for those running an outdoor business or simply wanting good ways to express their creativity, the process is a huge opportunity.
Here are a few ways outdoor brands can leverage digiscoping to capture the moment and enhance their brand.
Documenting the Hunt
Hunters are typically good storytellers. Digiscoping is an effective and entertaining way to take your audience along on your hunting journey. Ways include capturing images during scouting sessions. Ridges, valleys, ag fields, and pinch points are already popular glassing locations.
Pairing your binos or spotting scope with your smartphone camera with a Phone Skope adapter kit allows you to take it a step further and capture your images and video. And when you do, you’ve got parts of your journey ripe for sharing on social media, blogs, or YouTube.
The same goes for your hunts.
Trail camera images on social media are cool. Real images that you created in the field are way cooler. Take for example the magnified video of a bull elk answering your call. He appears just inside a tree line below the ridge at 200-yards. You take several pictures and even a little video. He appeared and you were there to see it – and capture it. This is righteous footage perfect for illustrating this niche we call hunting.
A hunting lifestyle brand and full-service media company in the hunting industry, the crew at Revolentertainment depends on digiscoping for their content. More specifically, Phone Skope’s offerings represent their go-to gear.
“Digiscoping is a go-to tool for telling our visual outdoor stories”, said Clint Easley, Founder of the company.
Digiscoping means you can capture footage in support of your brand while actively enjoying the outdoors.
He continued stating, “Phone Skope digiscoping gear, in particular, is an essential tool for capturing content in the field. We depend on their products for identifying game and judging animal size”.
What about your hunting cohort that’s 100-yards away calling, glassing, or simply walking the terrain. Digiscoping affords you the ability to capture the moment. No, digiscoping for hunting doesn’t only involve the animals you hunt. It can tell the entire story of your excursions.
Saving Money
As mentioned, digiscoping is done with your smartphone camera making it ideal for seamless image creation on the run. Translation; no expensive cameras or video gear necessarily need apply. The result is saving thousands of dollars without sacrificing great photos and video that capture the essence of the outdoor pursuits of your hunting brand. And remember, smartphone cameras are pretty awesome these days – and they’re improving.
Utilizing digiscoping equipment is a great way to maximize your bottom line- especially for brands operating on a shoestring. Still, accomplished photographers can use digiscoping in support of their camera footage.
Creative Outlet
Being sportsmen themselves, those tied to outdoor brands like to be in wild places. Also, many folks in the hunting and outdoor space are naturally creative. Digiscoping adds another way to garner content and tell the tale. While it’s not difficult, there is an art to it. It’s challenging. It means traversing different terrain, being stealthy, and patiently waiting for good shots. It also entails being ready at a moment’s notice when a good shot presents itself. These are good things for the hunter-creator.
Digiscoped images and videos pair well with articles, social media content, and other digital forms of promotion.
It’s a lot like hunting. It’s organic.
Therefore, capturing, editing, and sharing images and videos of the game and territory they hunt is gratifying. When achieved, it effectively depicts the hunting culture and, more importantly, their brand. When it comes to lifestyle brands, creating through digiscoping is a homerun.
“We have a primal passion for the great outdoors connecting to nature in its purest form. We aim to document and use it as outdoor ambassadors and mentors”, said Johnny Mack, Founder of the Washington Backcountry and Soulful Hunter Podcast.
“Digiscoping has proven to be an amazing means of getting the images and videos we need to transform lives through primal adventure.”
Practicality
Digiscoping adapters are lightweight and small in size.
The hunting lifestyle is unique. It’s not like the fashion, food, decorating, and other popular niches. Rather, it typically involves large expanses of landscape and far away animals. Those associated with hunting brands spend a lot of time outdoors either hunting or seeking content for their digital channels. Heck, they often do both at the same time. They not only need gear that brings distant subjects closer, but can create media for their use on their platforms. Cameras, lenses, and video equipment are akin to carrying a car battery around your neck.
Conversely, a digiscoping adapter is small in size, lightweight, and practical to carry wherever your adventure takes you. Remember, you are probably already carrying your optics and smartphone. Especially the latter, if you’re honest.
A Turnkey Solution
Hunters see some pretty remarkable sights on their hunts. With a digiscoping mindset, it’s easy to bring your adapter,
Digiscoping for content creation means you can edit your images and post them on social media right in the field.
optics, and smartphone. Perhaps the best part is that, once you’ve gathered your footage, the final product is on your phone.
There is no downloading of images or videos. They are right there on the very vessel used to capture them. This means you can edit and share them from the field. For example, the Phone Skope Video Editor App is a great tool for filtering and editing your still or moving footage.
The Cool Factor
“Do you even digiscope bro?”
Okay, nobody says this. Nonetheless, digiscoping is a unique tool and activity for collecting and creating digital content for your outdoor company or other venture. I can’t count the number of people who have asked me, “You did that with your phone?”
Digiscoping is not only a different way to promote, it’s a skill in and of itself. That’s pretty cool.
The Washington Backcountry brand relies heavily on digiscoping to tell their stories and fulfill their mission.
So, why not make the ordinary extraordinary.
There are stories to be told about our outdoor adventures. Grip and grins and game camera pictures are okay. But tell your visual stories with flair the digiscoping way.
Use this method to not only capture, record, and share – utilize it to promote your outdoor brand.
