Aging night pictures

[BSK]

OK, can someone explain to me the optical illusion of bucks looking older in night photos than in day photos? I remember one of the major camera users (perhaps Ski, redblood, tellico4x4?) saying that when they age a buck from a night photo, they automatically subtract a year. I find this to be absolutely true. Age a buck from a night photo, then get his picture during daylight and he has magically lost a year of age! I don't know how this works, but it does.

 

[backyardtndeer]

I have been using cameras for a long long time, and I cannot say as though I necessarily agree with that assessment. Maybe in some instances with angles or other factors there may be some illusions, but the body shapes and features that i base my age guesstimates on do not change from day pics to night pics.

 

[Ski]

Lol it's uncanny. I assume it's because there are shadows during the day that show curves and textures so you can imagine it 3D. But with infrared flash every hair is so illuminated that it almost gives a halo making the animal appear thicker than it really is. Seems to work opposite on smooth antlers. For some reason antlers often look spindly at night, unless the deer is really close. Further away it gets, the skinnier that rack looks.

Wasn't me you're thinking of but I vaguely remember what you're referencing.

 

[megalomaniac]

I guess its just one of those things like angle... buck facing away makes rack look bigger than same buck facing toward the viewer.

But I agree, night time pics do make a buck look a little older. Not necessarily an entire year, but more often than not a buck I am torn between 3.5 and 4.5 at night is usually 3.5 when I get a daylight pic.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

It seems like I remember some talk about that. I certainly can see it being an illusion and I've been fooled before. For night pictures, I mainly focus on length of legs, brisket/neck and those seem to hold fairly true.

 

[DeerCamp]

I guess its just one of those things like angle... buck facing away makes rack look bigger than same buck facing toward the viewer.

But I agree, night time pics do make a buck look a little older. Not necessarily an entire year, but more often than not a buck I am torn between 3.5 and 4.5 at night is usually 3.5 when I get a daylight pic.

I assume it's harsher shadows accentuate muscle and mass. Plus contrast against black background.

Same way when doing portraits of people. Harsh light makes people look off