Purple-Bladderwort-From-Kayak

While I have taken some nice photos from the kayak or canoe (especially of birds), I recently decided to get out of the boat for much better pictures of some bladderworts and water lilies. It is difficult to hand hold or use a long lens from a boat that doesn’t really stop moving. The desired angle can also be difficult to achieve and how close can you really get while setting in a boat? The photo above was taken from my kayak. Not terrible and maybe usable until you compare it with the ones taken from a tripod. So after not being satisfied with images like this I decided to go back the next morning and wear hip boots to keep the leeches of and stay somewhat dry. Since my new and best tripod should be taken all apart and cleaned after being in the water or mud, I decided to pull out the old aluminum tripod. It doesn’t have a ball head but much less mess and work to clean, plus it is considerably heavier which helps with stability when sitting on the lake bottom. I could now us my macro lens and get the affect I was after. Oh yea, don’t forget to remove the strap if you try this.

Purple-Bladderwort-From-Tripod

White-Water-Lily-From-Tripod

Sometimes the right equipment isn’t just camera gear, but appropriate clothing to keep us safe and give some versatility to working in different environmental conditions. Muck and hip boots can also be good for those muddy areas along the shoreline. Also if the older tripod or other equipment is still usable it may be worth keeping around. I currently have 3 tripods at my disposal due to upgrades over the last 10 or 12 years and they all have a specific purpose of possible use while my newest and best tripod is my main go to tripod.

Over the coming months I plant to share tips to help with getting better nature images (especially flowers). I am also looking at giving a combination “photo/interpretive” eco-tour in the spring which will give instructions on flower photography and information about the subjects. Details will be posted when available.