2019-06-01 Outdoor Photographer

Wher e

Wildlife Gathers

Using a blind near a water source will provide excellent

opportunities for capturing animal behavior

Text & Photography By Dave Welling

I

t’s a quiet morning in my photo

blind at a waterhole on a ranch in

Mexico. Suddenly, a troop of coatis

wander down for their morning drink.

Quickly, I’m composing, focusing and

firing away. Coatis, especially in a group,

are not a common sight. The coatis leave

and the calm returns. Welcome to the

quiet valleys and the panicked peaks of

wildlife photography.

You can improve your success rate for

photographing unique wildlife species like

coatis by using photo blinds near water

sources. Wildlife, from insects to mam-

mals, need water, so setting up an incon-

spicuous photo blind at a water source can

greatly improve your chances to photo-

graph portraits, behavior and interaction

of animals when they come to drink.

To set up your own blind, first research

the area. Make sure you have legal

access, and certainly don’t interfere

with the animals’ ability to reach water.

Done responsibly, your photo rewards

can be outstanding.

Setting up blinds takes forethought

and work. Scout your locations for light

direction and background clutter. Avoid

wildlife access points to the water, make

the design compatible with the surround-

ings and provide plenty of room. Allow

for easy viewing and setting up your gear.

Also be sure to account for the weather.

To capture great images, especially

with smaller animals, arrange your blind

to photograph at eye level. This may

mean laying in a bag blind (not fun for

several hours at a stretch) or digging a

trench to lower your viewpoint.

An easier route is to find a location

offering established blinds. Several pri-

vate ranch owners in south Texas, for

example, have specially designed photo

blinds at waterholes on their proper-

ties and offer wildlife photographers

the opportunity to capture spectacular

images. Most blinds are on the property

of landowners who are either wildlife

photographers themselves or work with

wildlife photographers who help set up

the blinds and offer guide services. Some

properties even offer lodging and meals

so you can stay on site, minimizing travel

time and other inconveniences. I’ve vis-

ited many of these ranches. The blinds

are well-established, and the wildlife is

acclimated to their presence.

Ranch owners charge daily fees for

the blinds but offer many benefits for

photographers. The blinds are oriented

for best light. Backgrounds are clean and

devoid of hotspots. You may not have

the ability to get these conditions with

your own setup. Backgrounds are also

typically set back from the plane of the

subject, allowing images that isolate the

animal with a more pleasing backdrop.

Blinds are usually designed with plenty

of room for large lenses on tripods with

Coatis on a ranch in northern Mexico.

outdoorphotographer.com June 2019 59