I captured this image of a wading Great Blue Heron on Faylor Lake near Beaver Springs, Pa. from my kayak. I used a Nikon D70 with a Tamron 200-500mm lens. I used AV mode at f6.3, 1/350 second with the ISO at 400. I have primarily shot landscapes in the past and have just entered the challenging field of bird and wildlife photography. I love shooting from my kayak as I feel I am entering into the natural world on an entirely different level. I have tried using a tripod and a monopod in the past but neither has been very effective as a shooting platform. I'm thinking of using a bean bag from the bow on a future trip. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. This is my first post and I would greatly appreciate any feedback.
Welcome to the amazing world of Avian & wildlife photography. NPN's Avian critique forum is a great place to learn if you are serious about bird photography and have a fun time learning too. The members will be very helpful not just about your technique but the bird species too.
Hi Michael, I too am a wildlife photographer, mostly from my kayak. Enjoy it very much, love the low perspective shots I get being low, near the water level. I started, using a 170-500mm sigma lens a few years ago and found that, with the movement in the kayak, I had to keep my shutter speed very fast to get sharpness. ( 1/800 or faster) I did reasonably well as long as I had the defused light to support that. Most times I would find myself shooting in too much light that would wash out the whites.
So I mad a step to a Nikon VR lens. That has made a world of difference for me.
My camera is pretty heavy. I keep it in a dry bag, wrapped in a towell to keep it from getting wet. When I see a photo op coming up I take out the camera and shoot handheld.
I personally don't use a tripod in a kayak because of the danger of tipping with the extra weight at eye level in a kayak. Once you go past the primary stability of your boat and enter the point at SECONDARY STABILITY, there is no recovery with the extra weight of the camera at eye level. So, In my openion, Hand held VR is my best approach.
Thanks, Mia. I'll keep the critique forum in mind for future submissions. Ken, I really appreciate your insights into kayak photography for birds. Which VR lens are you using? I have had my eye on the 80-400. Would love the 200-400VR but the expense is prohibitive. I, too, have found that good light and higher shutter speeds are key with the bigger lenses on the boat. Also, what type of dry bag have you been using? Thanks!
I have the 80-400mm VR and the 200-400mm VR, I used the 80-400mm VR as my primary lens in FL because I didn't really need the extra reach there as many of the birds are used to human presence, but I also preferred it because of the light weight, I always shot handheld there. The 200-400mm VR is substantially heavier and yes, quite a bit more expensive so if you get one, be sure to have insurance, especially for shooting from a kayak. You'll hear negative things about the 80-400mm VR but I felt for the price that a little slowness wasn't a huge issue.
Thanks, Mia! I'll put the 80-400 on my short list of potential purchases. Your gallery is very inspiring. Can you tell me some of the images you shot with the 80-400? Thanks so much.
Discussion
6 repliesWelcome to the amazing world of Avian & wildlife photography. NPN's Avian critique forum is a great place to learn if you are serious about bird photography and have a fun time learning too. The members will be very helpful not just about your technique but the bird species too.
I think you meant to post this for critique, so you might want to repost it in the Critique forums here: http://www.naturephotographers.net/imagecritique/ic.cgi?a=vg1&ns=1
Looking forward to critiquing your work and helping when I can.
So I mad a step to a Nikon VR lens. That has made a world of difference for me.
My camera is pretty heavy. I keep it in a dry bag, wrapped in a towell to keep it from getting wet. When I see a photo op coming up I take out the camera and shoot handheld.
I personally don't use a tripod in a kayak because of the danger of tipping with the extra weight at eye level in a kayak. Once you go past the primary stability of your boat and enter the point at SECONDARY STABILITY, there is no recovery with the extra weight of the camera at eye level. So, In my openion, Hand held VR is my best approach.
I have the 80-400mm VR and the 200-400mm VR, I used the 80-400mm VR as my primary lens in FL because I didn't really need the extra reach there as many of the birds are used to human presence, but I also preferred it because of the light weight, I always shot handheld there. The 200-400mm VR is substantially heavier and yes, quite a bit more expensive so if you get one, be sure to have insurance, especially for shooting from a kayak. You'll hear negative things about the 80-400mm VR but I felt for the price that a little slowness wasn't a huge issue.