Like Water off a Long-toed Stint's Back

[Craig Brelsford]

Here's proof of concept for the mattress technique. This long-toed stint found Daniel Pettersson's and my presence so bearable that he decided to take a bath just 7.9 m from us. Daniel and I were half-floating on an air mattress in one of the many brackish pools just inland from the East China Sea in Yangkou, Jiangsu. Keeping low and gliding smoothly, we were soon paid little attention to by the numerous shorebirds in the area.

Device: Nikon D3S
Lens: VR 600mm F/4G
Focal Length: 600 mm
Aperture: F/5.6
Shutter Speed: 1/2000
Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority
Exposure Comp.: +0.33
ISO Sensitivity: ISO 1250
Metering Mode: Center-Weight
Subject Distance: 7.9 m
Photoshoppery: Sharpened bird, noise-reduced everything but bird. Crop hefty, but not enough to influence IQ.

Other notes: For this shot, I had the camera resting on the mattress. My head, arms, and upper torso were on the mattress. The water here was shallow; my legs were dangling over the side and my feet were planted in the mud. Daniel Pettersson says that he invented the mattress technique, and though he may not have been the only photographer in history to have used the technique, I am certain that he made his discovery independently. I eagerly adopted Daniel’s technique in Yangkou.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Yes, the mattress technique looks to be working quite nicely. It gave you a nice low angle from the water. I love the bathing pose with the flowing water on the sandpiper's back. Nice flying water drops too (although I'd personally eliminate the OOF one near top of the frame). Some fill would have helped here, and looks like the image could use a bit of CCW rotation.

P.S. The pano crop works very nicely, well thought out!

[Nancy Bell]

I would love to see a photo of the mattress technique in use! Is the water warm or do you need to wear something special? Wonderful photos with this technique. You captured a great moment with the water flow off the back of the stint. A bit of catch light in the eye would be nice.

[Craig Brelsford]

I would love to see a photo of the mattress technique in use! Is the water warm or do you need to wear something special?

Nancy, hi, in another thread the other day I supplied a photo of us in the water. Scroll down a few panes after you click here:

http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php/88839-Theme-Curlew-Sandpiper-Moving-into-Winter-Plumage?highlight=curlew

In late August, it was hitting 30 to 35 Celsius (86 to 95 Fahrenheit) every day. (Yangkou is at about the same latitude as Savannah, Ga.) The shallow water is as warm as the air. We were fine uncovered, but yes, clothing is something Daniel and I are going to have to meditate on. At even a few degrees below 30 and with a little wind, it can get chilly. Migration season is still in full swing, and I'm planning on returning to Yangkou soon, and the weather surely will no longer be as warm as it was in August. We're thinking maybe wet suits.

[Arthur Morris]

Here's proof of concept for the mattress technique. This long-toed stint found Daniel Pettersson's and my presence so bearable that he decided to take a bath just 7.9 m from us. Daniel and I were half-floating on an air mattress in one of the many brackish pools just inland from the East China Sea in Yangkou, Jiangsu. Keeping low and gliding smoothly, we were soon paid little attention to by the numerous shorebirds in the area.

Other notes: For this shot, I had the camera resting on the mattress. My head, arms, and upper torso were on the mattress. The water here was shallow; my legs were dangling over the side and my feet were planted in the mud. Daniel Pettersson says that he invented the mattress technique, and though he may not have been the only photographer in history to have used the technique, I am certain that he made his discovery independently. I eagerly adopted Daniel’s technique in Yangkou.

Not to be a pain, but it is not too difficult to get within 15 feet of shorebirds when crawling. (See what Dan Cadieux does with his 100-400 lens). Don't get me wrong, it's a wonderful technique, as sort of poor man's floating blind. But as I said in the other post, you ain't floating when your feet are on the ground. :)

As for the image, I love everything about it but for the matted feathers just behind the bird. Another killer species. I have never seen this one.

[Craig Brelsford]

Not to be a pain, but it is not too difficult to get within 15 feet of shorebirds when crawling. (See what Dan Cadieux does with his 100-400 lens). Don't get me wrong, it's a wonderful technique, as sort of poor man's floating blind. But as I said in the other post, you ain't floating when your feet are on the ground. :)

As for the image, I love everything about it but for the matted feathers just behind the bird. Another killer species. I have never seen this one.

Artie: Of course mattressing isn't the only way. We lay in my hide, too, and got good results. Crawling, however, is the least attractive option at Yangkou. On the tidal flats, the ground is pure mud--actually, wet dust, very fine. I've crawled on it; the going is slow, and you end up covered with the wet dust. Not good for the equipment. Inland, the land is a maze of pools and boggy ground that is solid enough to support a bird but not a man. Even if the ground were suitable for walking, there would be the further problem of approaching the birds, which forage along the shoreline. A photographer crawling would be shooting at a slightly downward angle, as he would have to be up on the bank. Finally, the mattress isn't just a photographic platform; it's a mode of transportation. We were spotting birds at the edges of pools that would have been very difficult to walk to.

In the original post above, I used the word "half-floating" to describe our position, in which the mattress was atop very shallow water, not touching bottom, and only our legs and feet were over the side. You still aren't satisfied with that choice of word?

[Arthur Morris]

Still not satisfied! Half floating is like being half pregnant--no can do. You are supporting your gear and the upper parts of your bodies with the mattress, the mattress is floating, but with your feet on the bottom you are neither floating or half floating. But it does not matter; it is a great technique that is working perfectly well for you where you are so keep on getting those really good images.