My New Mobile Blind
Plus some tips on what features to look for and which ones to avoid in a vehicle that will be used as a mobile blind for bird photography.
Tag: lens caddy
Tips, Tricks and Strategies For Using Your Vehicle As A Mobile Blind
Depending on the types of locations where you typically shoot, using your vehicle as a mobile blind for photographing birds may be a viable, even perfect option for you.
Lens Caddy – An Invaluable Tool For Photographing From A Vehicle
The perennial problem for those of us with long, heavy and very expensive lenses who shoot from our vehicles is how to stow our gear where it is readily and instantly available for use but also protected from crashing to the floor when you hit the brakes for an unexpected photographic opportunity or run into rough, washboardy roads that bounce your camera and lens all around. Many of us have 5 – 10 thousand dollars (or more) tied up in just one camera and lens combination and that investment must be protected. But if your gear is safely tucked inside a padded case you’re guaranteed to miss many wonderful shots as your subject (birds or wildlife) scoots away while you’re retrieving your camera and lens. For me the perfect solution to that dilemma is my homemade “lens caddy”. I’ve been using it for years now so it’s a little beat up (though I did give it a new paint job and replaced the felt recently) but for my purposes it’s invaluable. I made it in my wood shop. It’s secured to the seat console by extensions on the bottom that fit very tightly into the cup holders. Felt pads protect both camera and lens where they meet the wood, though the pads up front for the lens are probably unnecessary because I have a protective lens coat on my lens. The lens plate fits tightly and securely into the slot on top of the caddy. Here you see the camera and lens in place. When I need it everything simply lifts out in one…
How I Photograph Birds
Tripod shooting at the Great Salt Lake wetlands Tripod shooting is certainly not my typical method of photographing birds. My best estimate is that less than 10% of my bird photography is from a tripod. When circumstances demand it however there’s simply no substitute for a sturdy but relatively lightweight tripod and a gimbal style head, especially for shooting birds in flight with my large, heavy lens. Some folks are able to hand hold this lens for hours on end and get spectacular results. I can’t, partly due to back problems. Lens Cart Because of back problems I can’t carry my heavy lens, camera body, tripod and associated gear further than about a mile. To help solve that problem I came up with this lens cart. It’s a pull-type golf cart that I modified to be able to carry my heavy 500mm lens with attached body in the pack and my tripod with Wimberly head attaches under the “tongue” of the cart. There’s room in the pack for other assorted gear and I often hang a water bottle and extra body with my 100-400mm zoom to the pack. It’s very light and pulls effortlessly. The wheels are large enough to handle fairly rough terrain. The main limitation of this outfit is that it can’t negotiate tall vegetation or narrow paths between trees. Without this cart some of my favorite birding spots would be unavailable to me. My typical method of photographing birds This is how I do most of my shooting – from…
-
Tips, Tricks and Strategies For Using Your Vehicle As A Mobile Blind
Depending on the types of locations where you typically shoot, using your vehicle as a mobile blind for photographing birds may be a viable, even perfect option for you.
Lens Caddy – An Invaluable Tool For Photographing From A Vehicle
The perennial problem for those of us with long, heavy and very expensive lenses who shoot from our vehicles is how to stow our gear where it is readily and instantly available for use but also protected from crashing to the floor when you hit the brakes for an unexpected photographic opportunity or run into rough, washboardy roads that bounce your camera and lens all around. Many of us have 5 – 10 thousand dollars (or more) tied up in just one camera and lens combination and that investment must be protected. But if your gear is safely tucked inside a padded case you’re guaranteed to miss many wonderful shots as your subject (birds or wildlife) scoots away while you’re retrieving your camera and lens. For me the perfect solution to that dilemma is my homemade “lens caddy”. I’ve been using it for years now so it’s a little beat up (though I did give it a new paint job and replaced the felt recently) but for my purposes it’s invaluable. I made it in my wood shop. It’s secured to the seat console by extensions on the bottom that fit very tightly into the cup holders. Felt pads protect both camera and lens where they meet the wood, though the pads up front for the lens are probably unnecessary because I have a protective lens coat on my lens. The lens plate fits tightly and securely into the slot on top of the caddy. Here you see the camera and lens in place. When I need it everything simply lifts out in one…
How I Photograph Birds
Tripod shooting at the Great Salt Lake wetlands Tripod shooting is certainly not my typical method of photographing birds. My best estimate is that less than 10% of my bird photography is from a tripod. When circumstances demand it however there’s simply no substitute for a sturdy but relatively lightweight tripod and a gimbal style head, especially for shooting birds in flight with my large, heavy lens. Some folks are able to hand hold this lens for hours on end and get spectacular results. I can’t, partly due to back problems. Lens Cart Because of back problems I can’t carry my heavy lens, camera body, tripod and associated gear further than about a mile. To help solve that problem I came up with this lens cart. It’s a pull-type golf cart that I modified to be able to carry my heavy 500mm lens with attached body in the pack and my tripod with Wimberly head attaches under the “tongue” of the cart. There’s room in the pack for other assorted gear and I often hang a water bottle and extra body with my 100-400mm zoom to the pack. It’s very light and pulls effortlessly. The wheels are large enough to handle fairly rough terrain. The main limitation of this outfit is that it can’t negotiate tall vegetation or narrow paths between trees. Without this cart some of my favorite birding spots would be unavailable to me. My typical method of photographing birds This is how I do most of my shooting – from…