Bulletins and Notes Archive

First, while remaining a good distance from the birds, I search for an attractive subject or subjects.  Then, I take my big lens off of the tripod and mount it on the ground-pod. Next, I hang my vest atop my tripod; a Wimberley head makes a great clothes horse.  I generally mount a tele-converter on my lens and stick an extension tube or two, a few rolls of film, and a blower brush in a pocket or a fanny pack.  Some folks use Velcro to attach a small kit bag to their lenses.  If you’ve remembered a small towel, simply drape it over the lens barrel.  Even with my chin on the ground, my head will be at an angle to the viewfinder when working at ground level, so I place a Hama Double-Bubble level in the camera’s hot shoe so that a quick glance will ensure that my subjects are square to the world.  (The hot shoe is the slot on the top of the camera that accepts the electronic flash.)  How anyone can make a square-to-the-world image without a bubble level when working on the ground is beyond me.

I begin my approach on foot, usually trying to reduce the distance between the birds and myself by about half on my initial approach.  Then I’ll slowly get down on my knees and again try to cut the distance in half.  By this time I am generally within 30 to 50 feet of the birds. I will place my rig out in front of me and painstakingly get down on the ground; any quick movements at this stage are sure to flush the birds. For my final approach, I utilize several styles of advancing.  One is to crawl directly towards the birds like a marine while cradling the lens in my arms.  Another is to lift the lens slowly, place it out in front of me, and then crawl forward to catch up with it.  You will be crawling on all fours, supporting all of your weight on your knees and elbows.  Be sure to stay low and keep your butt close to the ground (lest you scare off your subjects). By crawling sideways like a crab, I find that I can move along a lot more quickly. And when you get really close to your subjects (which you will do regularly when photographing at ground level), simply push the lens ahead of you and then pull yourself forward with your elbows.

It is important to keep your hands absolutely clean and free of any sand or mud.  This will be difficult to do at first.  Here are a few tips.  When you are yourself to the ground, rest your weight on your elbows if possible.   If not, pull your long sleeves down over your hands, put your hands on the ground for support, and then, once you are down flat, pull the sleeves back up.  Your hands will be clean and dry.  Another option is to place a hand atop the lens barrel for support while lowering yourself.   (Be careful not to knock your lens over into the mud!)  If you are using a splayed out tripod, you can use one of the tripod legs for support, but make sure to place your hand on the lowest leg section near to where it is touching the ground, else you might damage one or more leg sections by bending them. (I speak from experience here…)  If you do get your hands dirty, that is when you hope that you have remembered the towel!  If your hands are dirty when you change film, you are headed for trouble in the form of getting sand or grit inside the film chamber.  This often results in scratched slides.  I use my blower brush to clean the inside of the camera during most roll changes when I am working on the ground.

You will, obviously, wish to wear old pants and a long-sleeved shirt is pretty much imperative.  A nice, soft sweatshirt offers enough cushioning to save your elbows. Knee and elbow pads can ease the pain when working on less forgiving surfaces.  When working in mud or on wet sand, I sometimes wear fisherman's rain pants (skins), but still manage to get good and messy.  When I am finished, I will back up a bit by crawling in reverse in an effort to minimize disturbance of the resting birds when I finally do stand up.  Almost nothing makes me happier than spending an intimate hour with a flock of roosting shorebirds and then crawling away and leaving them exactly as I found them.   (Carrying a small whiskbroom in your vest allows you to brush sand or dirt from your equipment before re-mounting the lens onto your tripod.)

After major spinal surgery in 1990, I shied away from ground-level photography for many years, but returned to my roots (so to speak) about five years ago and have loved every minute of it.  Getting down and dirty is one of my very favorite photographic techniques, and the results make all the mud, muck, and skinned elbows and knees well worthwhile.  Whenever I encounter birds in flat, open areas, I get right down on the ground, approach them carefully, and begin making wonderful images. And, if you are physically able, so should you!