NZPhotographer Issue 21, July 2019

I HAD A BOARD ACROSS THE POND TO
SUPPORT MY ELBOWS AND THE LENSHOOD
IN THE WATER TO GET THIS SHOT.
I have no chance of getting close enough to the bird
life on the lagoon without wearing camouflage – Duck
shooters have left them understandably nervous! But
it’s not just the birds where camouflage comes in
useful… when wearing my old Swan-Dry jacket (frog
colours), some of the little frogs that would normally
scatter when they saw me, will come over and jump
on my arms to check me out.
On my wish list, as soon as the weather provides, is
getting the water birds at ‘first light’, in a cloud of
radiation fog (which on rare occasions happens)
across the lagoon. In recent months any chance of
fog has been lost to the morning wind. This is where a
one-man, portable (photographers) hide with a builtin
seat, works very well and spending 2–3 hours is not
too uncomfortable. I have to be in there well before
sunrise and wait for daylight – Thick socks to combat
frozen toes is high on my checklist, for early morning
shoots in Winter!
If you’re wondering which camera you should get for
wildlife photography, different camera models and
brands often bring different advantages to the table,
but the brand/model that feels most intuitive and
comfortable to use, (in my honest opinion) will get
you shooting better and faster. My favourite lenses for
critters are my Canon 200/2 and Sony 400/2.8 GM and
Sony 90/2.8 macro (400mm still is too short for most
bird shots, but is fast enough to allow converters and
still maintain high shutter speeds during early morning
and evening when the light is most beautiful but
scarce).
You can see more of my critters on Excio along with
my travel and street photography collections.
albums.excio.io/profile/GregA
10 NZPhotographer