Joe and Mary Ann McDonald's

Wildlife Photography

I've often been tempted to buy a small kayak to use for photography, and recently I finally did so. Prior to doing so I borrowed a friend's two kayaks, measuring 8 ft or 11 ft, as a try-out. As it was pointed out, and as I discovered, a longer kayak runs straighter with each paddle stroke, while a short kayak has a tendency to weave left or right with each stroke. I felt, however, that I needed mobility and a short turning radius more than I needed a straight-rowing kayak, so I ended up purchasing a 10 footer.

Kayaks and canoes are stable, but they can tip over if you balance yourself incorrectly. On my maiden voyage with my new kayak, I mounted a 100-400 lens with my 1D Mark II on a small Mountaineer tripod, and positioned the tripod legs so that two tripod legs straddled my legs on the outside, and one extended toward the bow. With this setup I couldn't shoot sideways, but I had a very sturdy and effective mount for subjects straight in front of me. From previous experience, I feel a canoe may provide a bit more leeway for shooting left or right, but the weight of a kayak is so much less, and paddling it so easy, that the trade-off wasn't worth it.

My experiment went without a problem, and I felt, then, that I could probably risk mounting a 500 or 600mm lens for better reach. However, I'm hoping to use this rig to approach migrating tundra swans this March, when I'd need the longest lens possible, and where, if I'd tip, I'd not only loose thousands of dollars worth of gear, I'd also be at grave risk of dying from exposure in water that was recently ice-covered. I wasn't keen to risk that.

I figured that a buoy or stabilizing system would solve that problem, where I could place floats on either side of the kayak to prevent a tip. Doing a web search, I discovered that such a product exists, and after a bit more research, I decided to get a pair. I ordered on-line from Spring Creek Outfitters, (www.canoegear.com), the manufacturer of HD Kayak Stabilizers. You can check their website to see what they look like, but basically they look like two miniature kayaks that are secured by a rod that can be attached to a mounting clip that you install onto the deck of your kayak. Their catalog illustration shows a guy standing up, fishing, in the kayak, although there's a footnote somewhere about that not being recommended. No kidding!

Unfortunately, I'm writing this Tip right before I leave for a multiple series of trips -- I'll actually be in the office 2 days between September 10th and December 10th, so I didn't have time to do a field test and take some photos. However, I'm confident that the rig will work, and I'm adding this Tip now because if you're thinking of shooting in Florida this winter, or contemplating shooting waterfowl during the spring migration, it'd be prudent to think about using a kayak and getting everything ready months, rather than days, before a shoot.

In a later Tip I'll do a follow-up and an update on the Stabilizers, but I'm very confident that they will be the solution for safe kayaking with gear. Let me stress, however, that I'll be using my kayak on lakes, ponds, or sheltered bays where waves won't be a problem, and I will not be doing 'white-water' boating, especially if I'm carrying photo equipment. Common sense tells me that trying to do quality wildlife photography with a long lens, and boating through white water rapids just isn't compatible!