Photographing Wildlife from a Canoe
The boat
It is from the canoe that I do most of my photographing. In fact, I learned to use my SLR cameras
on the water. My boat is a solo canoe, a Wenonah Vagabond made from lightweight Kevlar
material. It is 14 1/2 ft in length and at its widest, about 29 inches. The advantage of a solo
over a tandem canoe is it is easier to maneuver and it is much lighter. I've had only a couple
experiences photographing in a tandem while sitting at the bow and frankly, it just doesn't work.
The only way it could work is if the other person is serving only as your engine; but still, you do
not have total control of the boat. Having total control of your boat is essential to photographing
from a canoe and the solo canoe is the only way to do that. You could go out by yourself in a
tandem, but you have a cumbersome boat that is much more difficult to control and maneuver
around tight spots.
The other advantage of a light solo canoe is that you can get into very shallow water without
getting stuck. This became very clear to me on Florida Bay near Flamingo, which is a big mud
flat at low tide. The mud is like quicksand and you can sink in it up to your neck, so getting out
of the boat is not an option. This is why you never want to get stuck. If you do, you have only
the option of waiting for an incoming tide, which can take hours. In the solo canoe, I can drift in
1/2-in water, allowing me close access to the birds that feed on the mud bars.
Canoe vs kayak
The boat you feel the most comfortable being in is the right one. However, the canoe provides
some advantage over the touring sit-inside kayak. The canoe is roomier and I can have all my
camera equipment in front of me safely inside a large pelican case. The high profile of the canoe
and the canoe paddle minimize the water contact. In the kayak, you are closer to the water and
kayak paddles are drippier. In addition, the canoe paddle is easier for maneuvering in tight areas
and when I am holding the camera in one hand and needing to shift the boat slightly with the
paddle. On the other hand, the kayak feels more stable, which may be where you draw the line.
The bottom line is, you can photograph from either, depending on you.
For photography, the kayak might have one advantage over the canoe and that is the low sitting
position. The low vantage point is a nice touch especially for photographing wading birds. But, I
often get into areas with wading birds where I can park the boat in one spot for a length of time.
Whenever possible, I simply seat myself on the hull, giving me that low perspective, just like in a
kayak. On the other hand, I often photograph birds nesting in trees. For these subjects, I want a
higher perspective and the canoe offers me a bit more of that than a kayak. Thus, the canoe
provides me options that the kayak does not.
The paddles
Not only is the vehicle important but your paddles are crucial to good photography. I use a very
light weight 10-oz (Kevlar) bent shaft ZRE paddle. For long paddles and for maneuvering into a
position for a photograph, the light weight paddle is perfect. The best part is that it is silent when
passing through the water. This is key to getting close to your subjects. I carry an extra paddle
and often use a cheap plastic retractable paddle for pushing off sand or oyster bars. Another
important point to make about paddles is that they scare birds. I find this to be the case when
the paddle is held up, as when switching sides. When approaching wildlife, keep the paddle low
and if you need to paddle, do so carefully and raise the paddle just enough to clear the
gunwales. Also, turn the paddle so that the edge of the paddle, not the wide side, faces the
animal.
Advantages of photography from a boat vs land
The advantages of photographing from a canoe, compared to land are many. Some of these
advantages are specific to my situation, but they may apply to you as well:
Keeping the equipment safe
Frankly, I am more scared for my lens and camera’s life on a beach than when in my canoe.
Sand is lethal to a lens and I don’t care how careful you are, your lens and camera will come in
contact with sand. I suppose the greatest fear anyone has concerning photography in a boat is
dropping the camera in the water. No doubt, if I drop my camera or lens into the salt water, they
are pretty much history. But, what are the chances of that happening? Here are some
possibilities to help put this into perspective:
Tongue firmly in cheek, my point here is that any risk of losing your camera from a watery death
is almost always the result of severe human error. Yes, we do make mistakes and sometimes we
make them in our zealous attempts to photograph something special. I have learned a few rules
along the way and here they are:
Know your tides
Most of the areas I paddle are tidal. The tides greatly affect the currents and the wildlife. At low
tide early in the morning, the birds will be out feeding in the shallow flats and this is when I want
to be on the water. Tides will have a great impact on your ability to photograph wildlife from
optimal points of view. In a nutshell, I want low tide for wading birds and high tide for nesting
birds.
Work the currents or let the current (and the wind) do the work for you
Be mindful of the direction of the current and the wind, and set up your photo opportunities
accordingly. This is a bit tricky to describe, but I’ll use one example. After launching I
immediately head south in the bay toward an oyster bed full of white pelicans. I know that the
tidal current is moving westerly so I stay a few hundred feet east of the birds. Before getting
directly in line with the birds I stop paddling and get my camera ready. The morning sunrise is
perfectly located to my back as I direct the bow of my canoe in the direction of the birds and start
drifting forward with the current. I allow myself enough distance so I have time to get my camera
ready as the current brings me closer to the birds. I line up the canoe so that I don’t drift directly
toward the skittish birds, but off about 20 or so feet so that I can drift at a comfortable distance.
As soon as I am close enough, I anchor. To move in closer, I keep my paddle low profile and
basically use it only to change direction ever so slightly.
When you are working with the current, always get into a position that provides you the best
lighting. Using the diagram below as a reference, what would I do if the current was heading in
the opposite direction? Because I want the sun to my back when I am shooting birds on the
water, I would line myself up north by northwest of the bird and paddle directly south until I reach
a comfortable distance. Then I would allow the current to move my boat backward to keep the
sun behind me. This is when anchoring would be the best option.
Sometimes you have the wind that overrides the tidal current. If that’s the case, you will likely
have choppy water as well, making photographing very difficult. I typically avoid those days
when the wind will be greater than 10-15 knots. If the wind and tides are working together, the
current can sometimes be too fast depending on the water depth, making it impossible to
maneuver the boat to an optimal spot. If I can, I often use both a stake out pole and an anchor,
adding more stability to the boat.
Summer storms, the bugs and the heat
It always feels cooler when you are on the water but the summer days can be very hot and humid
here in south Florida. Subtract any amount of breeze and it can be miserable by late morning,
even when you are in the middle of a bay. If you are doing this in the summer, plan on getting
out on the water at sunrise and be off the water by noon.
Likewise in the summer, you typically have less of a breeze which means more opportunity for
mosquitoes and no-see-ums. You generally don’t have a problem with them while on the water,
but get close to the mangroves and they will be there more often than not. Where they do let
their presence known is at the launch site, so be prepared when unloading your boat and gear. I
use Deet, but I never spray directly on my skin. I always wear long sleeves, a bandana to cover
my neck (sometimes a buff to cover my face), long pants and shoes to cover my feet. I wear
quick drying nylon clothing and always have a couple of pockets to stash lip balm and a lens
cloth. The nylon (fishing clothing) keeps me cooler, and protects me from the sun and the bugs.
Likewise, I always wear a wide-brimmed hat. Sunscreen is essential and I usually re-apply after
a few hours.
Approaching wildlife
In addition to keeping your equipment dry, there are other challenges that come with
photographing from a canoe, some of these are specifically related to wildlife. Not unique to
photography from a canoe is the inherent rule to know your subject well. Sometimes, you have
to spend hours in the field observing and not photographing. Patience is a necessity to good
wildlife photography.
Unique to photography from a canoe is that to a wild animal, you and your boat become one
large predator. Approaching animals in a boat is a skill and quite often, I cannot approach an
animal without scaring it away. Many times, my decision to photograph is based entirely on the
ethical treatment of the animal. If there is any indication that a bird will fly off (and thus, provide
me a beautiful flight shot), I will hold back. I have learned many things about various types of
birds and other wildlife; which are most easily spooked, under what conditions wildlife are more
likely to scare off, and so on. Part of the learning is to simply let go of a photograph for the sake
of leaving the animal be. On the other hand, the learning process has provided me so many
more wildlife encounters and better shots of wildlife behavior that I would not be able to capture if
it were not for this learning process and the innate desire to simply observe wildlife for hours in
their habitat.
As soon as the animal notices you, it may fly or run away; this depends on how close you are
and what the animal is doing. On many occasions, I see yellowcrown nightherons feeding on
bait crab in the shallow flats. They generally let me get relatively close (sometimes within 20-25
ft). Ibises, which are usually in numbers, are similar in that way. To the contrary, the great blue
heron and great white egret seem to spot a moving canoe a mile away and will promptly fly away.
I find that the amount of distance I need to keep between my boat and my subject depends on
the subject and what it is doing at the time. If wading birds are feeding, often times you can get
relatively close if you stop frequently, are very quiet and move slowly. The birds will notice you
and will move away from you, but often, they will get use to you and eventually come back. The
key is to wait them out, silently. They are hungry and will continue feeding as long as they do
not feel threatened by you. I know very little about wildlife, but what I do know for sure is their
behavior can be unpredictable. For instance, I came up on a great white egret fishing the
shallow flats on Biscayne Bay. I was using a prime lens at the time and positioned myself about
75-ft or so away from it. All of a sudden, the bird came toward me and got right up to my boat to
check it out. If I had used a zoom lens, I might have captured the unusual scene!
If you approach a flock of birds that are simply resting on a mud flat or oyster bed, or in the
mangrove trees, they are more easily scared away. One or two of them will notice you right
away and will alert the others by flying away. You may find yourself approaching a flock of white
pelicans but the closer you get, the fewer the number of birds in your sight as they begin to fly or
swim away. On these occasions I paddle up to the edge of the flock's comfort zone; as soon as
one or two fly away, I stop and wait. Please, do not use fear as a means of capturing birds in
flight!
Without going into too many details, here are some good tips for helping you to get some close
up wildlife shots from a boat:
Use an anchor when possible
I use both a stake-out pole and an anchor. Often, I use only one or the other. In Chokoloskee
Bay, I'm usually needing to anchor on an oyster bed, which makes use of the stake out pole near
impossible. I cannot get enough ground to anchor the pole because of hard oyster shells or the
water may be too deep for my 4-ft pole. This is when anchoring becomes necessary. I have a
tow line on the bow and another on the stern of the boat. Before launching, I connect the two
lines. I keep the line somewhat slack so that I can raise it over my head from side to side. I
attach the anchor, which has two carabiners to the line. Ideally, I want the bow to be heading
toward the subject. Depending on the current, I may attach the anchor in front of me if I want the
anchor off the bow end, or attach it behind me if the anchor will be on the stern side. And I have
a choice to attach from my left or my right. For increased stability with tricky currents and wind, I
may be able to use both anchor and stake out pole. Using the anchor and stake out pole to
position a canoe for photographing takes practice and often, more than one attempt to get it
right. Yet another option is in the case when it is shallow enough that I can plant a foot on the
ground to hold the boat in place.
Use continuous focus
Most of the time, you and your boat are moving. When I am focusing on a subject, within a
fraction of a second it will be out of focus as long as my boat is moving. Using continuous focus
helps the focusing. In continuous focus mode, I am also ready for those frequent flight shots that
seem to come out of nowhere. When I am not moving, I will switch to auto focus. This happens
occasionally in shallow waters when my boat is on ground or the water is calm enough that there
is no movement.
The other challenge is getting a straight horizon. This can be corrected with software, but I
prefer to minimize the amount of cropping and try to get that straight line while shooting. When
you look on the horizon and you have mangrove shorelines to your left and right converging
toward a middle point, it is quite difficult to make the photo look right when there is really no
straight line in front of you.
Stay comfortable while out there
I already mentioned the type of clothing I wear and that the goal is to protect my skin from bugs,
sun and heat. I also like to stay relatively dry, so nylon clothing is essential for that. My feet will
not stay dry for obvious reasons but I always wear rubber-soled water shoes that cover my toes.
I do that for 2 reasons; to protect my feet from the sun and to protect them from the oyster shells
on the occasion that I step out of the boat.
I bring a small cooler with beverages and snacks, and eat frequently throughout the day. Staying
hydrated and maintaining blood glucose are two important considerations when you are out there
paddling for several hours in the hot sun. Remember, low blood sugar and dehydration can
cause you to shake, not conducive to sharp focusing! One last point, I wear polarized
sunglasses, which protect my eyes from the sun but also allows me to see into the water.
Getting quality photographs
Will I ever capture a National Geographic photograph from a canoe? All else being equal, the
chances of that happening from a boat are less than from land, as illustrated in the bell curve
graph on the right,
Consider the following points:
Once you accept these challenges as part of the uniqueness to photographing from a canoe, you
begin to figure out ways to overcome them. Here are some ways that I have done this:
It is from the canoe that I do most of my photographing. In fact, I learned to use my SLR cameras
on the water. My boat is a solo canoe, a Wenonah Vagabond made from lightweight Kevlar
material. It is 14 1/2 ft in length and at its widest, about 29 inches. The advantage of a solo
over a tandem canoe is it is easier to maneuver and it is much lighter. I've had only a couple
experiences photographing in a tandem while sitting at the bow and frankly, it just doesn't work.
The only way it could work is if the other person is serving only as your engine; but still, you do
not have total control of the boat. Having total control of your boat is essential to photographing
from a canoe and the solo canoe is the only way to do that. You could go out by yourself in a
tandem, but you have a cumbersome boat that is much more difficult to control and maneuver
around tight spots.
The other advantage of a light solo canoe is that you can get into very shallow water without
getting stuck. This became very clear to me on Florida Bay near Flamingo, which is a big mud
flat at low tide. The mud is like quicksand and you can sink in it up to your neck, so getting out
of the boat is not an option. This is why you never want to get stuck. If you do, you have only
the option of waiting for an incoming tide, which can take hours. In the solo canoe, I can drift in
1/2-in water, allowing me close access to the birds that feed on the mud bars.
Canoe vs kayak
The boat you feel the most comfortable being in is the right one. However, the canoe provides
some advantage over the touring sit-inside kayak. The canoe is roomier and I can have all my
camera equipment in front of me safely inside a large pelican case. The high profile of the canoe
and the canoe paddle minimize the water contact. In the kayak, you are closer to the water and
kayak paddles are drippier. In addition, the canoe paddle is easier for maneuvering in tight areas
and when I am holding the camera in one hand and needing to shift the boat slightly with the
paddle. On the other hand, the kayak feels more stable, which may be where you draw the line.
The bottom line is, you can photograph from either, depending on you.
For photography, the kayak might have one advantage over the canoe and that is the low sitting
position. The low vantage point is a nice touch especially for photographing wading birds. But, I
often get into areas with wading birds where I can park the boat in one spot for a length of time.
Whenever possible, I simply seat myself on the hull, giving me that low perspective, just like in a
kayak. On the other hand, I often photograph birds nesting in trees. For these subjects, I want a
higher perspective and the canoe offers me a bit more of that than a kayak. Thus, the canoe
provides me options that the kayak does not.
The paddles
Not only is the vehicle important but your paddles are crucial to good photography. I use a very
light weight 10-oz (Kevlar) bent shaft ZRE paddle. For long paddles and for maneuvering into a
position for a photograph, the light weight paddle is perfect. The best part is that it is silent when
passing through the water. This is key to getting close to your subjects. I carry an extra paddle
and often use a cheap plastic retractable paddle for pushing off sand or oyster bars. Another
important point to make about paddles is that they scare birds. I find this to be the case when
the paddle is held up, as when switching sides. When approaching wildlife, keep the paddle low
and if you need to paddle, do so carefully and raise the paddle just enough to clear the
gunwales. Also, turn the paddle so that the edge of the paddle, not the wide side, faces the
animal.
Advantages of photography from a boat vs land
The advantages of photographing from a canoe, compared to land are many. Some of these
advantages are specific to my situation, but they may apply to you as well:
- Living in Miami, I am surrounded by water. You can easily find accessible areas to explore
by boat. - I like being alone when I photograph. While dozens of photographers with their tripods and
bazooka-size lenses are lined up along the Anhinga Trail, I am wandering around Biscayne
Bay surrounded only by the birds and other wildlife. Don’t get me wrong, photographing at
hotspots like Anhinga Trail and Fort DeSoto is fun and offers fantastic photo opportunities.
But what I see on the water has a unique quality to it. - I can explore and photograph at the same time. When I am not photographing, I am
paddling around looking for photos. I can see most of the Everglades or I can explore the
entire coastline of Biscayne Bay from my canoe. - I am comfortable in the canoe while sitting when photographing. I often use a monopod that
takes the pressure off my shoulders and arms. - I can sit very low in the canoe, which provides me appealing low angle shots for water birds
and other wildlife in the water. - I don’t have to lug all my equipment around on my back or shoulder. I have everything I
need within reach and have access to water and food at all times. - Simply being on the water is soothing and peaceful.
Keeping the equipment safe
Frankly, I am more scared for my lens and camera’s life on a beach than when in my canoe.
Sand is lethal to a lens and I don’t care how careful you are, your lens and camera will come in
contact with sand. I suppose the greatest fear anyone has concerning photography in a boat is
dropping the camera in the water. No doubt, if I drop my camera or lens into the salt water, they
are pretty much history. But, what are the chances of that happening? Here are some
possibilities to help put this into perspective:
- You are paddling in > 2 ft waves and a rogue wave comes up over the bow and crashes
down on you and your camera. - You are paddling in > 2 ft waves and a rogue wave comes out of nowhere and tips your
boat over. - You are attempting to photograph a roseate spoonbill as your boat passes it. As you float
further away, you stretch over the side of the boat in attempt to photograph the bird, thus
causing the boat to tip over. - You see a nesting osprey and her two young chicks high above in the mangrove canopies.
In an attempt to get a better angle shot, you stand up in the canoe and promptly lose your
balance and tip over into the water, with camera and lens in hand.
Tongue firmly in cheek, my point here is that any risk of losing your camera from a watery death
is almost always the result of severe human error. Yes, we do make mistakes and sometimes we
make them in our zealous attempts to photograph something special. I have learned a few rules
along the way and here they are:
- If the waves are high, put away the camera; you can’t really take serious photographs in
such conditions anyway. - Have the camera strap around your neck at all times when the camera is out.
- Use a lens hood at all times, it helps shield it from water spray.
- Know your boat intimately. Know what it feels like to lean heavily over to the side, or to shift
your weight forward or backward. Remember, the weight of your camera and lens shifts
your center of gravity. - Use a pelican case. My experience with dry bags on multi-day paddling trips is that they do
not keep the camera equipment completely dry, moisture does get inside the bag. - Keep a couple lens clothes on hand, one in pocket, one in pelican case. If the cloth comes
in contact with salt water it’s no longer useable, so have a spare available. - Know when not to photograph. Because of a potentially precarious situation, sometimes
you have to let some photo opportunities go.
Know your tides
Most of the areas I paddle are tidal. The tides greatly affect the currents and the wildlife. At low
tide early in the morning, the birds will be out feeding in the shallow flats and this is when I want
to be on the water. Tides will have a great impact on your ability to photograph wildlife from
optimal points of view. In a nutshell, I want low tide for wading birds and high tide for nesting
birds.
Work the currents or let the current (and the wind) do the work for you
Be mindful of the direction of the current and the wind, and set up your photo opportunities
accordingly. This is a bit tricky to describe, but I’ll use one example. After launching I
immediately head south in the bay toward an oyster bed full of white pelicans. I know that the
tidal current is moving westerly so I stay a few hundred feet east of the birds. Before getting
directly in line with the birds I stop paddling and get my camera ready. The morning sunrise is
perfectly located to my back as I direct the bow of my canoe in the direction of the birds and start
drifting forward with the current. I allow myself enough distance so I have time to get my camera
ready as the current brings me closer to the birds. I line up the canoe so that I don’t drift directly
toward the skittish birds, but off about 20 or so feet so that I can drift at a comfortable distance.
As soon as I am close enough, I anchor. To move in closer, I keep my paddle low profile and
basically use it only to change direction ever so slightly.
When you are working with the current, always get into a position that provides you the best
lighting. Using the diagram below as a reference, what would I do if the current was heading in
the opposite direction? Because I want the sun to my back when I am shooting birds on the
water, I would line myself up north by northwest of the bird and paddle directly south until I reach
a comfortable distance. Then I would allow the current to move my boat backward to keep the
sun behind me. This is when anchoring would be the best option.
Sometimes you have the wind that overrides the tidal current. If that’s the case, you will likely
have choppy water as well, making photographing very difficult. I typically avoid those days
when the wind will be greater than 10-15 knots. If the wind and tides are working together, the
current can sometimes be too fast depending on the water depth, making it impossible to
maneuver the boat to an optimal spot. If I can, I often use both a stake out pole and an anchor,
adding more stability to the boat.
Summer storms, the bugs and the heat
It always feels cooler when you are on the water but the summer days can be very hot and humid
here in south Florida. Subtract any amount of breeze and it can be miserable by late morning,
even when you are in the middle of a bay. If you are doing this in the summer, plan on getting
out on the water at sunrise and be off the water by noon.
Likewise in the summer, you typically have less of a breeze which means more opportunity for
mosquitoes and no-see-ums. You generally don’t have a problem with them while on the water,
but get close to the mangroves and they will be there more often than not. Where they do let
their presence known is at the launch site, so be prepared when unloading your boat and gear. I
use Deet, but I never spray directly on my skin. I always wear long sleeves, a bandana to cover
my neck (sometimes a buff to cover my face), long pants and shoes to cover my feet. I wear
quick drying nylon clothing and always have a couple of pockets to stash lip balm and a lens
cloth. The nylon (fishing clothing) keeps me cooler, and protects me from the sun and the bugs.
Likewise, I always wear a wide-brimmed hat. Sunscreen is essential and I usually re-apply after
a few hours.
Approaching wildlife
In addition to keeping your equipment dry, there are other challenges that come with
photographing from a canoe, some of these are specifically related to wildlife. Not unique to
photography from a canoe is the inherent rule to know your subject well. Sometimes, you have
to spend hours in the field observing and not photographing. Patience is a necessity to good
wildlife photography.
Unique to photography from a canoe is that to a wild animal, you and your boat become one
large predator. Approaching animals in a boat is a skill and quite often, I cannot approach an
animal without scaring it away. Many times, my decision to photograph is based entirely on the
ethical treatment of the animal. If there is any indication that a bird will fly off (and thus, provide
me a beautiful flight shot), I will hold back. I have learned many things about various types of
birds and other wildlife; which are most easily spooked, under what conditions wildlife are more
likely to scare off, and so on. Part of the learning is to simply let go of a photograph for the sake
of leaving the animal be. On the other hand, the learning process has provided me so many
more wildlife encounters and better shots of wildlife behavior that I would not be able to capture if
it were not for this learning process and the innate desire to simply observe wildlife for hours in
their habitat.
As soon as the animal notices you, it may fly or run away; this depends on how close you are
and what the animal is doing. On many occasions, I see yellowcrown nightherons feeding on
bait crab in the shallow flats. They generally let me get relatively close (sometimes within 20-25
ft). Ibises, which are usually in numbers, are similar in that way. To the contrary, the great blue
heron and great white egret seem to spot a moving canoe a mile away and will promptly fly away.
I find that the amount of distance I need to keep between my boat and my subject depends on
the subject and what it is doing at the time. If wading birds are feeding, often times you can get
relatively close if you stop frequently, are very quiet and move slowly. The birds will notice you
and will move away from you, but often, they will get use to you and eventually come back. The
key is to wait them out, silently. They are hungry and will continue feeding as long as they do
not feel threatened by you. I know very little about wildlife, but what I do know for sure is their
behavior can be unpredictable. For instance, I came up on a great white egret fishing the
shallow flats on Biscayne Bay. I was using a prime lens at the time and positioned myself about
75-ft or so away from it. All of a sudden, the bird came toward me and got right up to my boat to
check it out. If I had used a zoom lens, I might have captured the unusual scene!
If you approach a flock of birds that are simply resting on a mud flat or oyster bed, or in the
mangrove trees, they are more easily scared away. One or two of them will notice you right
away and will alert the others by flying away. You may find yourself approaching a flock of white
pelicans but the closer you get, the fewer the number of birds in your sight as they begin to fly or
swim away. On these occasions I paddle up to the edge of the flock's comfort zone; as soon as
one or two fly away, I stop and wait. Please, do not use fear as a means of capturing birds in
flight!
Without going into too many details, here are some good tips for helping you to get some close
up wildlife shots from a boat:
- Water moves. Know your currents and set up your shots accordingly. Sometimes you are
pushed toward a subject, sometimes you are pushed away from it. Learn how to maneuver
your boat to work the currents for the best shots. - If you spot an animal from a distance and want to approach it, stop and watch for a minute
before approaching. Get your equipment ready (metering, etc) before approaching the
animal to minimize noise and movement. Get yourself oriented to the best position
according to water current and lighting. Most of the time, the best way to approach your
subject may not be the shortest straight line. - Minimize your paddle use and keep a low profile as you approach the animal.
- If the current is drawing you toward the animal, begin your approach at a far enough
distance to allow a safe and slow approach. Likewise, if the current is taking you away from
the animal, paddle around to the other side giving the animal a wide enough berth. - Here in Florida, many wildlife shots are wading birds in shallow water. This affords me the
opportunity to anchor the boat and stay in one spot.
Use an anchor when possible
I use both a stake-out pole and an anchor. Often, I use only one or the other. In Chokoloskee
Bay, I'm usually needing to anchor on an oyster bed, which makes use of the stake out pole near
impossible. I cannot get enough ground to anchor the pole because of hard oyster shells or the
water may be too deep for my 4-ft pole. This is when anchoring becomes necessary. I have a
tow line on the bow and another on the stern of the boat. Before launching, I connect the two
lines. I keep the line somewhat slack so that I can raise it over my head from side to side. I
attach the anchor, which has two carabiners to the line. Ideally, I want the bow to be heading
toward the subject. Depending on the current, I may attach the anchor in front of me if I want the
anchor off the bow end, or attach it behind me if the anchor will be on the stern side. And I have
a choice to attach from my left or my right. For increased stability with tricky currents and wind, I
may be able to use both anchor and stake out pole. Using the anchor and stake out pole to
position a canoe for photographing takes practice and often, more than one attempt to get it
right. Yet another option is in the case when it is shallow enough that I can plant a foot on the
ground to hold the boat in place.
Use continuous focus
Most of the time, you and your boat are moving. When I am focusing on a subject, within a
fraction of a second it will be out of focus as long as my boat is moving. Using continuous focus
helps the focusing. In continuous focus mode, I am also ready for those frequent flight shots that
seem to come out of nowhere. When I am not moving, I will switch to auto focus. This happens
occasionally in shallow waters when my boat is on ground or the water is calm enough that there
is no movement.
The other challenge is getting a straight horizon. This can be corrected with software, but I
prefer to minimize the amount of cropping and try to get that straight line while shooting. When
you look on the horizon and you have mangrove shorelines to your left and right converging
toward a middle point, it is quite difficult to make the photo look right when there is really no
straight line in front of you.
Stay comfortable while out there
I already mentioned the type of clothing I wear and that the goal is to protect my skin from bugs,
sun and heat. I also like to stay relatively dry, so nylon clothing is essential for that. My feet will
not stay dry for obvious reasons but I always wear rubber-soled water shoes that cover my toes.
I do that for 2 reasons; to protect my feet from the sun and to protect them from the oyster shells
on the occasion that I step out of the boat.
I bring a small cooler with beverages and snacks, and eat frequently throughout the day. Staying
hydrated and maintaining blood glucose are two important considerations when you are out there
paddling for several hours in the hot sun. Remember, low blood sugar and dehydration can
cause you to shake, not conducive to sharp focusing! One last point, I wear polarized
sunglasses, which protect my eyes from the sun but also allows me to see into the water.
Getting quality photographs
Will I ever capture a National Geographic photograph from a canoe? All else being equal, the
chances of that happening from a boat are less than from land, as illustrated in the bell curve
graph on the right,
Consider the following points:
- It is more difficult to stabilize a camera in a boat than to stabilize it on land. Despite Sony's
high quality in-camera image stabilization system, I will never achieve the same consistency
in high quality sharpness that a photographer shooting from land and using a heavy tripod
can achieve. On average, land shots have an advantage in my opinion. But, if you examine
the curve above, you can see from the hatched area that a high percentage of quality
photos can be shot from the canoe. However, to achieve these high quality photos, I have
to overcome some extra obstacles and practice more! Photographing from a canoe has
forced me to practice my skills and systemically find ways to improve them. - I often cannot get the best perspective or field of view that I could on land. For instance,
sometimes we want the lowest angle for shooting a shore or wading bird. From my canoe, I
cannot get as low as a photographer laying on the ground. - I sometimes cannot control the boat for optimal photos. This is usually due to water current
and wind but also the fact that the boat takes up space or the water is too shallow.
Whatever the reason, I sometimes cannot get close enough, or into the best lighting or field
of view for the best shot. It’s easier on land when it is just your body and you can stand
firmly on ground.
Once you accept these challenges as part of the uniqueness to photographing from a canoe, you
begin to figure out ways to overcome them. Here are some ways that I have done this:
- I began using a monopod which seems to help with focus and sharpness and I have learned
to brace myself better and stay within the center of the boat for increased stabilization. - I have learned to work with my anchor and stake out pole which help to minimize movement
of the boat. - I spend a great deal of time paddling the waters in south Florida throughout the entire year.
This has given me insight into wildlife behaviors and locations for photographing them from
the water. For instance, I found a brown pelican and great white egret rookery coming back
from one of my camping trips in the Everglades. Since then, I have visited the rookery
several times.
| All Rights Reserved. Copyright Constance Mier, 2007-11 |
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