Hi all,
I was just wondering what the consensus was on wearing camouflage clothing for bird photography. Is this something that a fair few of you do? Just interested to know your views.
Thanks, simon
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Hi all,
I was just wondering what the consensus was on wearing camouflage clothing for bird photography. Is this something that a fair few of you do? Just interested to know your views.
Thanks, simon
I generally wear subdued colors but nothing special like camo clothing. However I do not wear white. More important, I keep my movements to a minimum. I think it is difficult to fool animals and birds about your presence. Their lives depend on noticing anything out of the ordinary. But if I stay still long enough, the animals no longer see me as much of a threat. Plus I do try to use natural things such as brush or trees to help break up my outline so any motion is not as obvious.
No camo for me either. I just wear something somewhat dark in color, like maybe a dark green or brown.
Doug
No camo for me either, but I do wear neutral colours or darker tans, greens. I avoid white or very bright colours. Being careful with sudden movements and noises is key no matter what you wear, even camo...
Two sides to this discussion for me - I wear camo because I'm pretty sure it helps me blend into the background or at least be so unobtrusive that I'm non-threatening, when I am not moving. And when I am keeping still, I don't want to get cold.
So, the other side of it is that some of the warmest, most comfortable and practical gear for getting out in the weather has been developed for and by wildfowlers and hunters, and comes in camo patterns. A lot of the alternative serious, high-performance outdoor clothing is designed/coloured for high visibility for climbers, skiers and walkers, so isn't really what you want for wildlife photography.
But I would also say that if I was to wear my camo jacket down the street, my wife would pretend she didn't know me!:c3:
I rarely do any bird photography without wearing camo (or subdued colors) of some sort. I have several pair or quick dry pants of different greens, grays and browns. I try to wear neutral tops. One color I never wear is red. Some shorebirds are extremely sensitive to red. Many birders swear birds don't see color. I disagree b/c I watch birds react. The more I blend in, the closer I can get or the closer the subjects get to me.
Earth colored clothing is typically all that is necessary for most species. However, there are quite a number of species where a blind will help. Low and slow is the way to go. Most birds spook from movement....over sound and/or color.
Chas
Thanks for all the replies. I did treat myself to a camouflage jacket. Well it all helps..
I wear a long sleeve camo tee shirt and a camo hat to cover my blond hair when photographing wildlife. Case in point, I hunt and the closer you get to your subject the better... and like one poster noted..low and slow :bg3:
camo that is just color does not work with most birds especially raptors, their eyesight is better than us and they are not stupid ;) For camo to have an effect it needs to be 3D camo like a full ghillie suit, even with that you have to plan and be very careful with your movements
Not a problem with Realtree AP camo. I have had Turkeys walk within 5 yards of me and never saw me unless I moved to get the to leave, not to mention the pair of redtail hawks that reside in my woods behind my home. Never had a issue with deer, hogs, bear or people.Quote:
Originally Posted by arash_hazeghi
It makes 0 difference for hawks if you were wearing something else, just go try... hawks can see small gophers from 50 yards away, it is naive to think they can't see a 6ft two-legged object that is moving. Alan Murphy who is a master of camo can comment on this more...Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Poole
Quote:
Originally Posted by arash_hazeghi
To each their own. I just indicating what works for me for the last 50 years.
You cannot compare the sight of birds to mammals. Birds see much better and many more colors than mammals.
For Nancy, there is actually a book entitled "Real Birders Don't Wear White." :)
