FLOATING HIDE FOR PHOTOGRAPHY

This year I have been testing floating hide technique for bird photography. I must admit that I have been amazed how close to the birds you can get with floating hide! Obviously it is the same reason why all hide photography makes the difference- when man shape disappears, birds are much more relaxed and they behave much more naturally. It is also great to be able to move close to the birds in really shallow water (even less than 20 centimeter).

To keep me warm in water for couple of hours I have been using 7 mm thick wetsuit. Drysuit might be better, but it is also more expensive. In deep water I use flippers to be able to move. In shallow water divers shoes are better- with those you can walk and move fairly easily by walking along the bottom

Construction of the hide is fairly simple. There are two floats and a table for camera between the floats. On the table I have just a bracket to attach the lens. I don´t use tripod head to be able to keep camera height low. Few centimeters lift above the water surface can make big difference to the angle and also to the background! So my lens is only about 10 centimeter above the water and the bottom of the camera is even closer of the water. I have to be careful not to get camera wet and I have used the hide only in windless conditions. If there is any waves at all water easily start to move up and down between the floats and there is a big danger to get camera wet. Maybe I will try also to use waterproof housing around my camera to keep it dry?

Also there is a framework on top of the structure where camouflage net and some vegetation can be attached. Now I have put a place for electric outboard motor to the hide, but I haven´t test it yet, so I don´t know does it work? Please have a look of some of the photos taken with the floating hide this year!

Look for more pictures taken from Floating hide:
http://finnature.fi/photo_album.html.29.html