Kayak-nature shooting question

dbaker1221 · July 17, 2007

any body do any kayak shooting? I'm looking to get one to shoot from & wondered about it

& I'll throw in a bird to look at.:D

Albert Dickson · July 18, 2007

Well yes I have done some Kayak Shooting
It realy depends on the type of water you paln on paddling. I have a tandem inflatable Manf. by "Aire" It is awsome for white water up to class 4 and also for one person on multiple day trips. Very stable boat. The down side is I've lost two cameras to white water rivers and now only carry modest P&S digitals on these trips. I do carry a DSLR with me on overnighters but keep it in a pelican box until on shore. If you are looking at paddling flatter water, than this is of much less concern of coarse and you would not realy want an inflatable boat. In the hard shell boats there are several great models out there designed for fisherman and even scuba divers. These are great photographer boats because they are made to handle a variety of gear and some even have built in dry storage. Hobbie company makes some and also look at Bicsportkayaks.com. When we paddle slower or flat water and photography is on the schedule a 17 foot canoe is our choice. Our ancient "Old Towne" canoe is rated to 1200 pounds payload and is darn near bomb proof. Great Paddling to you.

Me on the Payette River

On Bear Valley Creek

Anita and I on the Snake River

dbaker1221 · July 18, 2007

thanks Albert.....I'll be using it on flat water..small lakes. I know where there are alot of crains & stuff but you need some kind of boat.

Ric Grupe · July 18, 2007

Is that the same as the Flaming Gorge reservoir? I was there in.....gulp....'84!

Albert Dickson · July 18, 2007

Nope, Shoshone Falls @ low flow.

Ric Grupe wrote:

Is that the same as the Flaming Gorge reservoir? I was there in.....gulp....'84!

On the Snake near twin falls.

Albert Dickson · July 18, 2007

dbaker1221 wrote:

thanks Albert.....I'll be using it on flat water..small lakes. I know where there are alot of crains & stuff but you need some kind of boat.

Cool. Then checkout Bicsportkayak.com, or wildnet.com, or maybe Hobiekayaks.com.

Let me know how it goes.

raptorcaptor · July 18, 2007

I shoot from a Feathercraft Kahuna kayak. This is a folding kayak that uses an aluminium frame and urethane skin, and weighs about 35 lbs. It comes with its own backpack. These are probably the most comfortable kayaks I have been in. They are very stable and perform really well in rough water.

I am thinking of taking it to Salton sea sometime this summer.

http://www.feathercraft.com/kayaks/traditional/kahuna/index.php

I use my older 10d with my 300 F4 IS L lens for shooting. On the water birds don't feel as threatened by your presence as they do on land. when I am not shooting I keep the camera in a drybag. An anchor is also handy especially when there is a current. A piece of rope tied to a rock works great.

sskoutas · July 18, 2007

raptorcaptor wrote:

I shoot from a Feathercraft Kahuna kayak. This is a folding kayak that uses an aluminium frame and urethane skin, and weighs about 35 lbs. It comes with its own backpack. These are probably the most comfortable kayaks I have been in. They are very stable and perform really well in rough water...http://www.feathercraft.com/kayaks/traditional/kahuna/index.php

Thanks, Glenn... I was running out of ideas on how to spend my money

These things look AWESOME

sskoutas · July 18, 2007

sskoutas wrote:

Thanks, Glenn... I was running out of ideas on how to spend my money

These things look AWESOME

Glenn, in looking at these models, I see they all state an "assembly time." I assume this is the time from removing it from it's backpack to setting sail, in other words, every time you want to sail right? It's not just the first time set up time is it?

JohnDC · July 18, 2007

raptorcaptor wrote:

I shoot from a Feathercraft Kahuna kayak... On the water birds don't feel as threatened by your presence as they do on land...

Just to document up what Glenn says here, I watched this pair of photographers take their kayak into a rookery of herons and egrets. Some were incubating eggs and shading young from the desert sun. I was ready to get real mad and turn the photographic evidence over to California Fish and Game--I was expecting these guys to flush the birds. But it didn't happen. The kayakers approached very slowly. Any time a bird even looked up, the kayakers froze or very slowly backed off. But the birds just dozed and preened, as though the photographers were not there--even when they were less than 10 feet from the birds.

raptorcaptor · July 19, 2007

JohnDC wrote:

Just to document up what Glenn says here, I watched this pair of photographers take their kayak into a rookery of herons and egrets. Some were incubating eggs and shading young from the desert sun. I was ready to get real mad and turn the photographic evidence over to California Fish and Game--I was expecting these guys to flush the birds. But it didn't happen. The kayakers approached very slowly. Any time a bird even looked up, the kayakers froze or very slowly backed off. But the birds just dozed and preened, as though the photographers were not there--even when they were less than 10 feet from the birds.

I just wanted to add that you should not kayak in areas that are protected.

raptorcaptor · July 19, 2007

sskoutas wrote:

Glenn, in looking at these models, I see they all state an "assembly time." I assume this is the time from removing it from it's backpack to setting sail, in other words, every time you want to sail right? It's not just the first time set up time is it?

It takes about 30 minutes to put them together, and about 20 to take them apart and store them in their backpacks. If you have ample storage room you can leave them assembled and use a car rack just like a regular kayak.
Feathercraft recommends that you take them apart every several months and clean/lubricate the joints.

LCD · July 19, 2007

Great question - and nice gf - I appreciate the answers too.

Kayak-nature shooting question

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