22nd April 2024
I love my floating hide and have been regularly using it for a few years. In this article I will cover the major benefits of this approach and some of the risks, both to you, your equipment and to the wildlife you are photographing. I will also, hopefully, include a few tips for getting the best from this sort of photography.
So what is a floating hide?
It is a floating platform to support the camera above the water with a means to conceal the photographer. They come in a number of forms and are made by a few different manufacturers. You can even design and build your own, with a number of good designs to be found on the internet. Personally, I use a Jan Gear hide that has two inflatable tubes and a scaffold arrangement to hold the camera. Whilst this may look precarious, I have been very happy with mine, and I wouldn't be taking risks with a 600mm F4 lens if I felt it wasn't safe. The hide doesn't support the photographer, instead I stand in chest waders or occasionally a dry suit (more on this later).
The floating hide allows me to get images that would otherwise be very difficult to get. For a start, having my lens just off the surface of the water means that I am at eye level with the subject, something I am aiming for in the vast majority of my wildlife photography. Being at eye level gives more connection with the animal and therefore generally a more compelling image. Secondly, being low to the water allows for more background separation. When a shot is taken looking down on the subject, the background normally ends up being the water some short distance behind. Thirdly, I find a lot of waterfowl are very comfortable with a floating hide and will pass close to it, even though it is a new addition to their habitat. On a recent trip, a diving cormorant got so close I was worried it might join me inside. Minutes later, I had a tired early migrant Sandmartin sitting on top!
The Jan gear hide
(I am not sponsored in any way by Jan Gear and I believe they have now stopped making this version anyway)
When I was looking for a floating hide, I did quite a bit of research. As an engineer, I also considered making one. What I like about this particular hide is how portable it is. It packs away into a small bag (similar to that for a 2-3 person tent). It also has a huge amount of buoyancy and the redundancy of two tubes, which makes it pretty safe for the photographer. The tubes and their covers are well made and I have no fear of puncturing them on something in the water.
I use my hide with a Wimberley gimbal. I lock off the pan and tilt adjustment adjustment when I am setting up and getting into position. Once I am settled, I will then loosen both adjustments. That way I can photograph flying birds from the hide, as well as stationary targets. Obviously, with the tilt not locked off there is a risk of knocking the body of the camera into the water and this is something I have to be really mindful of. So far I have thankfully not made this mistake!
What do I wear?
I personally don't want to chase the wildlife around to get the photo. Instead, I position the hide for the lighting and the background and then wait for the wildlife to come to me. I think this nearly always results in better images anyway. As a result, I am stood still for long periods of time, often in cold water. Even with chest waders or a dry suit, if the water is cold I need plenty of insulation in my base layers. If I am in chest waders, I also account for getting a little wet.
So waders or dry suit? I generally wear waders, even though I have a dry suit. In order to have good control of the hide, I want both feet solidly on the bottom and I never want to be swimming with the hide. Using waders allows me to better adjust the insulation of my upper layers in the summer. The downsides to the waders is two fold. Firstly, when you bend down to look into the viewfinder it is very easy to get water into the top of the waders. Secondly, if you don't know what to do if you loose your footing in waders there is a significant safety risk!
If you are going to use waders, learn how to safely float in them. I also recommend adding a tight belt around the waders which will reduce the in-wash of water if you do take a swim.
Finding a site and getting permission
This is probably one of the hardest parts to this style of photography. You need a site that:
- Has enough interesting wildlife to photograph
- Has enough parts that are at a suitable depth for using the hide (too shallow is awkward in the hide. Too deep does not need explaining)
- Is ideally not too large. You don't want to chase the wildlife around - a moving hide is not really a hide! Smaller bodies of water are also less likely to have waves.
- Has a decent backdrop to use as a background, or at least pleasing colours when blurred out by a shallow depth of field.
- Is ideally sheltered. Wind is a real pain. It blows the hide around, making composition and focus more challenging. This is only amplified by any waves. I also think reflections on still days makes for good images.
- You have permission to photograph.
Getting permission is not easy in the UK. There are not many bodies of water where you can find the above conditions and a willing landowner. I've been lucky to be granted permission on a private site, but I would recommend finding a suitable site before buying the hide.
Ideal conditions
Like most photography, the best conditions are the conditions you have. You get no photograph if you don't try. Having said that, my first priority is to answer the question 'Is it safe?' If not, I'm not going out. I won't photograph in high winds or lightning.
Ideally I want minimal wind, offering me the chance to get reflection shots. I am also more picky over the light than for other photography. That is because the water reflects the sky. A bright overcast day makes for white water, which is not attractive. The perfect conditions are still water, nice warm light on the subject and a background in shade. Adding early morning mist can give atmosphere. I also like photographing in the rain on a still day, where the droplets interact with both the subject and the surface of the water.
