Whenever you need to get near water birds, there’s no substitute for being out on the water.
Personally, I exploit a kayak designed for fishing as a result of it’s a little wider and extra steady. It has extra open house across the sitting space too, which permits me to simply carry alongside and use my digital camera gear. I will likely be writing from the context of photographing from a kayak, however in fact, small boats or canoes can work too.
What are some great benefits of photographing from a kayak?
You may get nearer to your topic
When photographing water birds from the shore, you might be severely restricted in just a few methods. You may’t merely get nearer to your topic. Suppose you might be photographing swimming geese. If the geese resolve to swim away, you’re out of luck. Even when a chook merely modifications route, it could make capturing a pleasant shot from land unattainable.
The low capturing angle is nice for wildlife
The pure seated place in most kayaks could be very low, which makes for a superb perspective for wildlife images on the water. With a bigger water chook, corresponding to a heron or loon, the pure capturing place from my kayak is near stage with the topic’s eyes. This affords an excellent capturing angle.
You may silently wait on your topic
A bonus of one thing like a canoe or kayak is that you would be able to transfer round on the water very quietly. With apply, you’ll be able to paddle almost silently on the water, which supplies you the power to get pretty shut with out disturbing wildlife. Alternatively, I generally discover an space with a pleasant background and good gentle and easily look ahead to a topic to come back towards me.
A kayak is agile and maneuverable
Considered one of my favourite topics to {photograph} is loons. They’re photogenic birds, for starters, however they’re additionally an thrilling and attention-grabbing topic. They’re unbelievable swimmers and might cowl nice distances whereas underwater. A kayak is a fast and maneuverable craft, which gives me a great alternative to be in the suitable place when a loon breaches the water. Even performing a 180-degree rotation is kind of straightforward in a kayak, which isn’t so with bigger, heavier watercraft.
Accessible gear
I maintain my gear in a water-resistant bag between my knees within the kayak. When actively capturing, I go away the bag open. Bringing the digital camera as much as shoot could be very fast from this place. The broader backside of a kayak designed for anglers makes it fairly steady as effectively, which is sweet when altering route to get in a greater place to {photograph} a shifting topic.
Suggestions and tips
As is at all times the case with wildlife images, respecting the animal is of utmost significance. It’s necessary to pay attention to your environment and your location, particularly if you’re busy capturing from the kayak.
You have to be cautious to not drift too near a topic. When photographing from a kayak, it could be tempting to get nearer than you need to to your topic. When doubtful, it’s at all times greatest to be overly cautious. It’s additionally necessary to pay shut consideration to your topic and search for indicators of misery, which can point out that you’re getting too near a nesting space or {that a} potential predator has an animal on edge.
So far as sensible suggestions are involved, it’s necessary to maintain your gear dry. There could also be some splash as you paddle, which might simply land in your digital camera and lens contained in the kayak. I at all times carry some small towels to dab water off the gear, paying particularly shut consideration to the world across the reminiscence card and battery compartments. And naturally, being secure on the water, generally, is necessary, so make sure to take correct precautions.
I often exit round dawn, as that is the time when the water is almost definitely to be calm. Whereas no climate forecast is one hundred pc correct or dependable, it’s significantly necessary to test for wind pace and route. Relying upon the form of the pond or lake and surrounding topography, sure wind instructions could also be favorable.
Non-wildlife images
Whereas I’ve been primarily discussing wildlife images, a kayak can be helpful for normal panorama and nature images. You should use your kayak to get completely different angles on attention-grabbing areas round a lake or pond. You can too use the kayak to get near sure vegetation for close-up pictures, corresponding to water lilies. Any time you will get a unique perspective on a topic, you introduce the chance for attention-grabbing pictures.
In the end, one of the crucial helpful instruments in my wildlife images package is just not a digital camera or lens, it’s my kayak. It has given me photographic alternatives I might in any other case not have had. It’s good train, too, which is a bonus.
I feel that it’s usually the case that the distinction between a great wildlife picture and an ideal one is how a lot the topic fills the body and which angle you had been in a position to seize the shot from. When photographing water birds, utilizing a kayak ticks each containers.
