Bag hides. OK, first things first. To any non-wildlife photographers this will all just seem weird, so maybe stop reading now... And even to wildlife photographers who live in countries where the animals are used to people and don't run away as soon as they spot you, this might seem a bit odd. But here in the UK, many animals have been hunted or persecuted for hundreds of years, so they normally disappear at the first sign of people.
Sometimes you have to be a bit clever so that you can get close enough to an animal to take a photograph, and a bag hide can help...
Sometimes you have to be a bit clever so that you can get close enough to an animal to take a photograph, and a bag hide can help...
A bag hide is very simple really: it is a piece of camouflaged material that goes over your head so that it completely covers you - you are usually in the sitting or lying position rather than standing. It has one hole for the camera lens to poke out of, and another (plus a sort of hood) for your head. The bottom is open, so you can get up and walk around, though not very far as you will probably trip over it!
The 'flight' response in many animals can be triggered by the shape of a standing person and/or by their smell. A bag hide disguises your shape, and to some extent will also prevent your scent spreading. As soon as you move it is likely that the animal will realise what you are, although often you can get away with the small movements involved in zooming or focusing your lens for example. Using a bag hide has sometimes gained me 5-10 seconds before an animal has run off, which is enough time to get some good shots. In some cases an animal has even hung around for several minutes. Sometimes an animal like a deer will release that you are something a bit odd that it hasn't seen before, but it will not immediately see you as a threat and will actually come closer to get a look at you and try and figure out what you are.
The 'flight' response in many animals can be triggered by the shape of a standing person and/or by their smell. A bag hide disguises your shape, and to some extent will also prevent your scent spreading. As soon as you move it is likely that the animal will realise what you are, although often you can get away with the small movements involved in zooming or focusing your lens for example. Using a bag hide has sometimes gained me 5-10 seconds before an animal has run off, which is enough time to get some good shots. In some cases an animal has even hung around for several minutes. Sometimes an animal like a deer will release that you are something a bit odd that it hasn't seen before, but it will not immediately see you as a threat and will actually come closer to get a look at you and try and figure out what you are.
You can see this in the following sequence showing a male fallow deer (buck) in a West Sussex wood, that I shot while using a bag hide (click on thumbnails to see them at larger size). It realised I was something strange, but it didn't run away from me, it just moved off gradually, looking back as it did so. With luck, and if you play it right, you can have a great wildlife encounter without scaring the animal.
My bag hide is from Wildlife Watching Supplies, a company that I would thoroughly recommend. It is made of tough material and is waterproof (which can also be handy), and I have also found that as an extra layer it can help keep you warm! They also make a non-waterproof one, which has the advantage that it is lighter and will fold up smaller.
Verdict
If a bag hide sounds like it could be useful to your wildlife photography, I'd definitely recommend one.
Pros
+ With luck and good judgement, you can get really close to wildlife.
+ Fairly small and light in weight, so you can carry it around with you on the off-chance that you may want to use it.
+ Can double up as a poncho in case of rain!
Cons
- Involves sitting in one place for ages, waiting for something to come along, sometimes pleasant but sometimes boring...
- You have to sit very still, or animals may still spot you.
- Very embarrassing if someone walks past and sees you while you are sitting in it!
- Doesn't work with all animals. I've seen it said that they won't work on foxes because they will figure out too quickly that you are inside.
If a bag hide sounds like it could be useful to your wildlife photography, I'd definitely recommend one.
Pros
+ With luck and good judgement, you can get really close to wildlife.
+ Fairly small and light in weight, so you can carry it around with you on the off-chance that you may want to use it.
+ Can double up as a poncho in case of rain!
Cons
- Involves sitting in one place for ages, waiting for something to come along, sometimes pleasant but sometimes boring...
- You have to sit very still, or animals may still spot you.
- Very embarrassing if someone walks past and sees you while you are sitting in it!
- Doesn't work with all animals. I've seen it said that they won't work on foxes because they will figure out too quickly that you are inside.