Useful camera accessories that I think are worth knowing about:
Cool (& Somewhat Unknown) Camera Accessories Worth Knowing About
The Rue Groofwinpod
Getting
close to birds and animals is probably the toughest part of getting
good wildlife shots. Most animals see us as predators and so at the
first sign of a human being, they're gone.
But most animals,
interestingly enough, don't see automobiles as a threat and so you can
get much closer to animals if you shoot from inside your car.
Fortunatley too, many wildlife sanctuaries have wildlife drives that
traverse wildlife areas. The photo here, for example, was shot on the Blackpoint Drive at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
in Titusville, Florida. Using a 400mm lens (on a Nikon body) I was able
to approach within about 20 feet of this egret hunting. More
importantly I was able to photograph the bird for more than an hour
from the front seat of my car.
The key to using your car as I
blind is to find an active area and then shut the car off and settle in
while the wildlife comes to you. The longer your car sits and the less
movement there is near the windows, the more comfortable the birds or
animals will become. I often mount my camera in a rear window and then
when I get to likely location, I sit still for a few minutes, then
quietly get into the back seat. Shore birds like egrets and herons tend
to return over and over to a small feeding area (what might look like a
small tidal puddle to you or I) where they can confine their food. If
you park next to one of these areas you'll find the birds returning
there over and over again.
The only problem with shooting from a car window is keeping a
long lens very steady. Yes, you can probably roll up a sweater or use
an impromptu beanbag to keep the camera steady, but if you're using a
very long lens, 300mm or longer, you need a serious camera support.
The best window tripod that exists is called the Groofwin Pod
(ground-roof-window) and it was designed and manufactured by the
legendary wildlife shooter Leonard Lee Rue. This uniquely named and
odd-looking camera support has multiple uses: it can be used as a
low-level tripod for macro or wildlife work by just laying it on the
ground, it can be used on the roof of your car, or it can be used as a
window pod. These pods are extremely popular among safari shooters in
Africa because they can be used on the roof of a Land Rover while the
photographer stands up through the sunroof.
When used in a car
window, the pod uses a 9" x 1" lip that can either be slipped into the
window groove when the window is down, or catch onto the window itself
if the window is partially raised. I've been using my Groofwin for
several years (usually in a rented Ford Explorer in Florida) and it's a
joy to use. There is a sliding bolt (it sits in a slot so that you can
adjust the forward/back position of the camera) that accepts a standard
ballhead and you can adjust the height of the camera platform. When
used with my heavy duty Canon ballhead I've used lenses up to 600mm and
they are held rock solid. As I said yesterday, this is one of the best
camera accessories I've ever owned.
I go way out of my way to
never endorse or appear to endorse any photo products, but I'm always
happy to find one that I can just recommend without hesitation. The pod
sells for $259 directly from Leonard Rue Enterprises.
If you're a wildlife or macro shooter, you will never regret owning
this unique camera support. (Photo courtesy of Leonard Rue Enterprises)
(Note: This tutorial also appears in the Tutorials II section.)
