Hunting Moon Pow Wow Photography Guide

Pow wows celebrate Native American culture and tradition and are filled with movement, energy, and handmade regalia – perfect for photographers.  As we prepare to celebrate the annual Hunting Moon Pow Wow, we wanted to provide you with a guide to capture the moments and memories.

Finding the Right Settings

If you use a DSLR camera or a newer smartphone, you can manually adjust the ISO, aperture, and shutter speed, or you can stay on Auto and let the camera adjust everything. If you choose to adjust manually, here are some suggestions.

ISO determines the camera's sensitivity to light. In brightly lit or sunny areas, you want a lower ISO number. To take images at the Baird Center for the Hunting Moon Pow Wow, we suggest using an ISO of 800.

Aperture determines what part of your photo is in focus. To create a blurred background effect and highlight the dancers, we suggest using between f/1 and f/5.

Notice in the picture below, the subject is clear while the background is blurry drawing your eyes to focus on the dancer.

Shutter speed determines how quickly the picture is taken. Adjusting the shutter speed to be faster or slower can create two specific effects. With a slower shutter speed, you stop or freeze motion. Alternatively, you will get a blurred motion effect using a faster shutter speed. Adjust your camera between 1/40 and up to 1/200 for a slower shutter speed. For a quicker shutter speed, use 1/4 to 1/15. Try taking pictures with both settings to see the difference.

Notice that on the right-sided image, the dress appears slightly blurry. That is the effect that you are going for with a faster shutter speed.

Slower shutter speed         Faster shutter speed

Using the Flash

In certain instances, you may want to use the flash function on your DSLR. If the pow wow is outside, the sun can create shadows, and the flash can help fill in those shadows. However, using the flash on a phone can give the photos a strange fluorescent light.

Capture the Right Angle

Now that you know about camera settings, let’s talk about angles. Although taking photographs from a higher angle can capture more subjects, we suggest being at eye level with the competitors or lower. This angle will provide a more dramatic composition and allow you to capture all the details in the regalia and emotions of the dancers.

High Angle                                                            Lower angle

Composition Using the Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds is a composition guideline where you place the subject in either the right or left third of the frame. Some DSLRs show guidelines to make lining up your subject easier. Of course, rules are meant to be broken, so experiment with the composition a little!

Cell Phone Photos

Nowadays, cell phones can take pictures at a high quality, and some people prefer using a cell phone instead of a DSLR camera. Here a few tips specifically for taking photos on your cell phone.

• Clean your lens. By cleaning your lens, you can make sure your pictures are clear, and free of smudges.
• Don’t zoom in. Zooming in can make your picture blurry or grainy reducing the quality of your photo. Instead, we suggest moving closer to the subject if possible.
• Avoid filters. If you plan on editing your photos later, we suggest applying a filter after taking the picture to get the best results.

Two Final Tips

Be respectful. Pow wows celebrate Native American culture and tradition and it is important to know when not to take pictures. Avoid taking pictures during prayers, flag songs, or other ceremonies or when the Master of Ceremonies forbids photos.

Ask permission – if possible. Dancers have spent hours creating their regalia; some may not want their beadwork photographed.

Want to enjoy the pow wow and not worry about taking pictures? Throughout the Pow wow, Potawatomi Casino Hotel’s social media team will capture video and photographic content to share. Clarissa Friday of Native Clarity Photography is a professional photographer and member of the Forest County Potawatomi Community. Visit her booth during the pow wow to get your commemorative photo.

We cannot wait to see you at the Hunting Moon Pow Wow, October 17–19, at the Baird Center in Milwaukee. Follow Hunting Moon Pow Wow on Facebook to stay up to date on event information such as shuttles to and from the casino, vendor applications and more.

Immerse yourself in Native American culture and traditions and have fun taking photos.

Share your pictures with us using #HMPW25

To view Native Clarity Photography images, visit her webpage here.

To see images on our social pages, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok.