Photographing Wildlife/Birds From Your Car

Animals are skittish around other creatures with legs, but not so skittish with cars. I’ve been in situations where approaching certain birds for instance, I can’t get within 200 feet before they flush. But if I drive into the middle of the flock in a car, none of them moves an inch. For whatever reason, most animals are not wary of cars.

By using a window mount with a ball head or a bean bag to support your lens, your car can easily become a comfortable and portable blind. Not only does this make it easier to photograph the wildlife without scaring the subjects away, it’s sometimes safer. You wouldn’t want to actually be toe-to-claw with a lion or a tiger – especially one that is hungry!

The easiest way to use a window mount is to have it attached to your car window and drive slowly, looking for wildlife. Once you spot something, mount the lens to the head and slowly move in to the best shooting position. Be sure to turn off your engine, or you’ll transmit vibration to your images. I usually use this setup on the driver’s side, but there’s no reason not to move it to the passenger side if your quarry is on that side of the car.

My preferred tool for this is the Kirk Multi-Purpose Window Mount. http://amzn.to/1loCRXw You can mount it to anything but it was designed to be used in a car. It has retractable feet you can adjust to add stability for ground use. You will still need a ball head or a gimbal head to mount your camera. So it’s $250 PLUS the cost of a head.

I use a towel over my window to protect it from scratches and to further dampen the mount. Look at the picture below to see how the clamp fits on the window and you’ll see why.

I’ve driven countless miles with the Kirk mount already mounted to the head and affixed to the window with my camera nearby for easy access. (NOTE: Don’t drive with the lens mounted on any window mount for more than a few feet at a time – and I only do this on private roads, dirt roads, or anywhere that you can drive without impeding traffic.)

If you want to save money, use a bean bag. Here’s the cheapest one I like, the MegaGear Camera Support Bean Bag. My preferred bean bag is the Apex 898159002194. It’s expensive but more durable and flexible and offers more support. It also comes with an optional 3/8-Inch-16 stud for a ball head / or gimbal head. In either case, you have to fill the bag with peas, beans or my favorite – rice – to stabilize it. You can fly with it empty, get to your location, go to a grocery store, buy the cheapest rice you can find, fill it and away you go.

Just as was the case with the window mount, you won’t want to set your lens on a bean bag while driving. Some of the larger bean bags are large enough to handle at least a 500mm f/4 lens with camera attached. If you buy or make a beanbag, make sure it will effectively cradle the lens and that it offers enough area so that if you need to let go of the camera or lens, your gear won’t go crashing to the ground.

CONCLUSION

Wildlife photography is one photographic pursuit where the right gear can really make a difference. If you’ve been having trouble getting close enough to your subjects on foot, try your car. It works for me. Good luck.

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Filed under: Gear, Photography Tagged: Photographing Wildlife/Birds From Your Car