Wildlife Photography across the Water: Gear Reviews

Sunday 23 May 2010

Gear Reviews - Bean Bags

Now I guess nearly all wildlife photographers are used to having and using a bean bag to rest the camera and long lens on to help those awkward moments, support the weight and help when shutter speeds are low.

I bought my original double bag a number of years ago from Wildlife Watching Supplies. It has seen plenty of action and different refills from time to time. I had noticed it was starting to emit dust so time for a clean and refill. I also was most impressed when I went out on a day trip with Robbie that he had a funkyshoulder strap fitted to his. So on the basis that we needed to get another one to avoid any fights between me and Jac, I ordered another one from Kevin at WWS, this time with the strap.

This is my original bag, emptied and with the liners, after a good wash out.

New bag with shoulder strap attached

New bag filled

A nice little 'over the shoulder' number

Previously I have filled bags with a mix of rice and bird seed. Heavy and gets damp and then mouldy, and then dusty. Good stability though. Not easy for portability.

The last fill I used less rice and added some polystyrene chips and chopped up bubble wrap strands. This gave a much lighter bag for ease of carrying, but there was still dust eventually. This mix was not quite as stable as the rice/seed only, but a good compromise for the loss of weight.

The new bag is excellent with the strap for carrying so I can highly recommend this option.

So for this mix I bought a large bag of polystyrene balls from Amazon - links below for UK and USA, and used about a 50% : 50% by volume mix of rice and balls.

If you do this a word of warning - the poly balls go everwhere, so have the vacuum cleaner to hand.

Also don't put in half the rice followed by the balls or vice versa. Make sure you put in some of each in alternate quantities so you get a good mix in the liner. This provides for better stability and weight spread.

Martin

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Bio's

David Courtenay, a self taught wildlife and nature photographer, has been capturing images for over 30 years. He has had a passion for wildlife since early childhood and remembers being glued to the television whenever Survival, Wildlife on One and other natural history documentaries were shown. In the 2006 he swapped his established career for the life of a wildlife photographer, such a move demands a measure of uncompromising passion and commitment.

David has travelled extensively throughout Europe as well as spending more than 7 months in India working with local guides and trackers in search of Bengal Tiger, Asian One horned Rhino and Asian Elephant. He has also photographed Wildlife in Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sumatra, Africa, Canada and America. Working closely with Conservation companies he tries to raise funds to help Wildlife that has been put on the endangered list by poaching and habitation loss

Martin Dyer has had a passion for avian wildlife since childhood, particularly raptors. Photography was also another keen interest and it was with the specific availability and control of the whole process that digital offers that Martin was then able to combine the two in 2003. Based in the UK, Martin is a regular visitor to Scotland, specifically the Isle of Mull to watch the Eagles resident there. Other trips to Europe and around the UK are usually part of Martin’s agenda in a typical year.

However, as a firm believer on making the most of the local patch, Martin has spent a lot of time and hard work creating a wildlife garden which is reaping the rewards with many new species and varieties of wildlife. A keen member of a number of wildlife photographic groups, Martin is keen to expand his portfolio into other areas of wildlife, and has already established a wide portfolio of images of fungi.