How to STAY HIDDEN while PHOTOGRAPHING WILDLIFE. Camouflage basics and TIPS to get CLOSER TO ANIMALS
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 มิ.ย. 2021
- Wildlife photography can be tricky, especially when it comes to backcountry wildlife. How do you get close enough to get your image without stressing the animal out? How do you hide and remain undetected by your subject? Properly using camouflage together with a few tips that I'll share in this video can greatly increase your chances of successfully photographing a wild animal.
Come along this week as we talk about some different types of camouflage you can use and as I share some things I've learned over the years while photographing some pretty skittish and elusive species.
I've used camouflage for years, but I still have so much to learn. Please let me know in the comments if I've forgotten to mention something. Let me know what you do to stay hidden and move about the forest unseen, I'd love to hear what you have to say.
Thanks so much for the constant support! Until next week's video, have a great week and we'll see you then!
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![BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY in the forest [Behind the scenes] - 3D camouflage and Nikon Z6](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/zSU-c3ppN6g/mqdefault.jpg)
My favorite line you said was "--a walking bush that's stalking them." I laughed pretty hard. The littles watched it with me. When the flicker was feeding the baby, Evie said that they were fighting. 😂 I love all of these tips and information. It was a fabulous video! Keep 'em coming!
Thank you,. Mary! I'm glad you enjoyed the bush comment, I thought you might 😆 It's so fun getting all the content for these, I'm glad I have a place to share it!
Everybody gangsta until the bush starts walking.
birnam wood to dunsinane...
Great video and experience, thank you for sharing this amazing knowledge
Thanks so much for watching, I really appreciate it!
thank you for the great tips
Thanks for watching!
Fantastic video! Especially loved the visual examples, thank you for sharing your knowledge! :)
Great shots at the end, too!
Thanks so much, I'm glad you enjoyed and I hope you found it helpful! I appreciate you looking 😁
By the way, I love that image of the badger shifting the stone.
Thank you! He spent a while rolling different rocks around that day, it was interesting behavior to watch and I've never seen it again.
Add some camo gloves & a balaclava/hat combo to reduce skin reflection & head/hand lines would be a huge help with what you have said. well done
Great tips, thanks so much for the feedback! I've got the gloves, just need to add the camo hat/balaclava combo. Thanks again!
Thanks for another chapter in the story, Jimmy. Great information.
I appreciate that, always grateful for the support!
Great tips and advice, thanks for your time and effort
Thanks, I hope you enjoyed! Have a great week!
Great vid your passion shines through, in my opinion you've got it correct totally keep up your great work it's a credit to you
Thanks a bunch, I appreciate you watching and your kind words!
Good Morning, Great Camouflage Video, thanks for sharing, have a great week
Thanks so much for watching, Tony!
Once again, sound advice. I particularly agree with your comments about slowing down. I remember as a young lad becoming impatient with an old sage I was out in the countryside with when he spent what seemed to be forever leaning on every gate we came to. I was soon to learn that stopping to just look usually meant we saw so much more and time spent motionless was never wasted time. Another tip I soon picked up when in the presence of wildlife is to learn to move just your eyes and not your head. It is surprising how even a slight movement of the head / face can put an animal on alert. Further to your advice about moving the camera would be to watch the animal and only move when you know it isn't watching you.
Thanks so much for the feedback and additional tips! I'm glad you mentioned moving the camera when the animal isn't looking, that can be hard to do when something awesome is happening in front of you, but the extra time and patience usually pays off! That's great advice on just stopping to look as well, sounds like a wise man who taught you that!
Thank you ! a good film , thanks for sharing !
Thanks for watching, I appreciate it!
Stumbled on your video and decided to watch and glad I did. Very well done! I’ve been taking my photography into birding and have learned a few things about clothing and sudden movements, but most of all patience. I need to invest in some sort of camo and possibly a blind as well. I look forward to future videos and looking through some of your past videos.
Thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoyed the video and hope you continue to enjoy the new content each week 😁
Always enjoy your adventures Jimmy. I know that you covered the subject of covering your face, etc., I had it 'drilled' into me over and over again by professionals, that there is absolutely nothing in the bush that is 'skin' colored, it is a unique tone that animals are well aware of and as such, all skin must be well covered! Bruce.
Thank Bruce! I will admit, I need to be better at covering my face when I'm not using the ghillie suit. I've got gloves I wear a lot and a camo face cover in the winter, but I can definitely do better in these spring and summer months. Thanks again for the feedback, greatly appreciated!
Thank you for this nice video
Thanks so much!
Great Video Jimmy…..Have you actually done a video on the making of your blanket?
Thank you so much, no I have not. It's pretty basic, just an old fishing net and some dyed burlap all strung together.
some great info
Thank you 😊
Good information. I couldn't agree more on every aspect of the camouflage that you mentioned 👌
Glad to hear it, one of the most fun methods of photography if you ask me!
@@JimmyBreitenstein ain't it the only way brother 🤔😎
Great video going to have a go at making a blanket thanks
Thanks for looking! Best of luck, I hope it turns out well!
I'd love if you could show us how you made your Ghillie Blanket!
I'll have to put something together for you, thanks for the recommendation!
Great great video Jimmy! And adding myself here, I’d love to see how you made the Ghillie (I’ve tried a few ways, but like the idea with net and burlap). Thanks!
Good info Jimmy. I sometimes forget to use the shadows myself. But how about winter time when the cover has all fallen off and I buried under snow. Your light skin is now a positive.
Winter presents its own challenges, probably my favorite season to find animals though! I hope my skin's not that white 😂
I like being in the shade because the pictures or videos are much better looking but make sure the subject you are focus on is out in the sun for good light
Good points, lighting is so vital and something we (I) forget to think about so many times beforehand, haha 😆
Thanks
Thank you!
For smell, I use scent free detergent for my clothes. I'll also put some pine bows in a bin that only has my photography clothes. Other mammals will smell us long before they see us.
I've used the scent free detergent, but haven't tried the pine bow truck, I'll have to give it a try! Beats spraying my clothes with diluted Skunk spray or something like that 😆
@@JimmyBreitenstein lol. Yes, it beats skunk any day :).
I have been using a diy paracord-jute ghillie net for my bird photography and I recommend threading vegetation threw your net in order to add 'Nature' to your camoflauge.
That's fantastic advice, thank you! Do you remove the vegetation after each use?
@@JimmyBreitenstein thankyou for replying! Yes, remove vegitation after use
@@guineagirl3710 thank you! I sure appreciate it 😁
I like to try to keep myself as camouflaged as possible, even while moving through the forest. Where I am, there is very little wildlife and I cannot simply walk to a good spot and wait. Much of what I see, I run into as I'm walking. So I always keep my arms covered and wear a camo cap so I can dip the beak of the hat down to obscure part of my face should I see anything. But the best is to simply drape my camo net over my shoulders to help break up my form. However this REALLY makes it impossible to not snag the net on everything around me if I'm walking through tight vegetation. It's a huge pain as it rips up the net, slows me down and makes noise. Also, any synthetic clothing or camo makes a lot louder rustling noise than those made of natural fibres.
Thanks Scott, great tips and advice! I liked what you said about synthetic clothing being noisier. I'm still on the search for some lightweight, comfortable, water-resistant clothes 🥴 Have you thought about using or do you ever use a camo balaklava to help obscure your face? I wonder if that might be advantageous over a cap so your vision isn't obscured when trying to look up. Just a thought 🤔
@@JimmyBreitenstein Hi Jimmy, Yes, I have a few different balaclavas and tube-scarves. These do work well for helping hide the face, but definitely make it difficult to stay cool. Also, as a glasses wearer, any impediment to breathing - even slight - can cause my glasses to fog up. So it depends on the weather and whether there's a breeze, or bugs (there are some good camo mosquito-net head-coverings). I usually carry something with me and take turns using and storing it.
As a teenager in Canada (where there IS a lot of wildlife), I sometimes used military face-camo and went all-out using actual branches and grass on my clothing.
Once, after a day trying to get shots of bears (and seeing nothing) I began hiking out and encountered a black-bear walking directly toward me. I alternately stopped, stepped off the path, waved my arms and finally spoke out loud because the bear absolutely did not recognize me as human, left the path and approached me in great curiosity ... until I spoke. Then it stood up, cocked its head to one side, turned and ran.
I never did get a shot - ha ha.
So face paint works well!
@@scottgarriott3884 Wow, that Bear story is crazy, sounds like a lot of fun! Few people these days are very practiced in the art of camouflage, so hats off to you. Thanks so much for the tips and advice, they're greatly appreciated!
Thank you for a another great video. Question, what changes/precautions do you take during hunting season? In NJ they say never wear brown in the fall for that reason. Thx.
Ya know, I'm probably not the best person to answer this because I don't do anything differently. I tend to be pretty remote that time of year and don't run into many hunters, but I should start thinking about this because it's just a matter of time before a careless hunter gets me... If you have any advice, I'd love to hear it. Sorry I'm not more helpful on this topic 😑
@@JimmyBreitenstein I think wearing hunter orange is an approach to consider. In my opinion I’d rather be able to capture photos another day than get shot while trying to get the shot haha.
Another approach would be to shift photography to more protected lands such as state or national parks.
One final idea I have is to look at your state hunting regulations, some areas will have areas that hunters have to draw tags for (at least in the mountain West states). These tags are limited in number so you are less likely to see as many hunters than areas without these draw limits
@@brandtbennett1478 All very good ideas/tips. I need to do so much better with hunter awareness throughout the year. Like you said, I would much rather get the shot another day vs getting shot one day, haha!
Great tips Jimmy! Those are all techniques that I used as a hunter. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Jon! It's amazing how much crossover there is between hunters and photographers 😁
@@JimmyBreitenstein except the one difference... the pristine spirit of one of them ;)
What size of a fishnet/ghillie blanket do you recommend? I'd like to use it for all configurations you've mentioned.
Mine is approximately 3x7 feet. You want one big enough to cover all you need, but small enough so it's not too bulky and doesn't get tangled in everything.
Thank you, Jimmy. What about camouflage on your lens? I use a typical white Canon, and I think it's too visible. At the same time, I'm a bit unsure if I want to grlue some camo adhesive on it. Do you know any kind of non-permanent camo for lenses, or how could I improvise one? Great images and footage on the final part of the video, certainly a great source of inspiration for us.
Thanks so much, greatly appreciated! Personally, I like to use lens skins from lenscoat. They're non-permanent and can be taken off quite easily and are also slightly weather resistant. In a pinch I have also taken some camo fabric and lightly tied it around my lens. Personally, I would never glue something onto my lens like you had mentioned, I also don't like the idea of having something permanently fixed to my lens.
@@JimmyBreitenstein Thank you, Jimmy! I'll look for the one from Lenscoat or a similar brand. Cheers!
I can only do such in Alaska or the two poles, because all that gear simply gives too much heat and irritation 😬 hiking pants, hiking shoes, no sleeve shirt and my cap 🧢. That's my wildlife outfit 😅 yet I still managed to get bit my a tick on my leg, yesterday 😅
Sounds like you visit some amazing places! Thanks for the input and comment, stay safe from those ticks out there, nasty little guys 😬
Great tips, and very beautiful shots! Did you also experience with hides? Or only with these types of camouflage?
Thanks so much! I do quite a lot with hides, many of my previous videos have different types of hides in them. I will be making another video soon that covers many of the different types of hides I use.
@@JimmyBreitenstein Sorry, i'm new subscriber and did not see them, i'll search for them :) I was asking because we also bought a hide, we used it once at a bird place that we used to go and it was for the first time when we didn't take not even a shot
@@miranatureandwildlife8486 No need to apologize for anything ☺️ thanks so much for subscribing and following along, glad to have you! Yeah, photographing with hides can be tricky and time consuming. You can walk away with some amazing imagery, or you can spend hours in the hide and not get a thing. I did a series of videos on some grouse, the 1st and 2nd parts explain a bit about using hides for photography. If you ever have any questions about hides or anything, just let me know and I'll try my best to help!
@@JimmyBreitenstein Thanks a lot, i found them and started to watch! 👍🙂
When you make something that helps you succeed with your hobby, it just makes perfect (common) sense. Saves money and just makes you "blend in" the hobby that much more.
Paying hundreds of dollars on something that will make both your pocket book as well as yourself sweat , just really kills the enthusiasm regardless of what hobby you're interested in.
Well said, I agree wholeheartedly! It's always fun to make gear that I use regularly, it builds the enthusiasm, saves you money and allows you to customize!
@@JimmyBreitenstein yep, it sure does.... having to spend 100's of dollars on something that one could definitely compromise on (and no doubt, the quality is or could be much better) without spending a week's pay, is the way to go!!
Now, to get out there and find some fishnet and burlap!!
Great tips. I‘m also suffering with the Problem of wearing glasses. Maybe lasering will solve that 😬. Or are there other tips.
I switched from glasses to contacts myself, makes things a bit easier. If you're properly hidden, especially using the shadows, glasses shouldn't be an issue.
What material did you use to make the blanket? Do you have a tutorial?
No tutorial yet. It's just an old fishing net and some burlap that I dyed.