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Nature

Winterwatch

The BBC Natural History Unit is widely

acknowledged to be the best wildlife

filmmaking department in the world. The

amazing footage it captures, of everything

from soaring eagles to snakes chasing baby

marine iguanas, is taken by professionals

using the most expensive gadgetry on

the market. But you don’t need years of

experience and a state-of-the-art camera

to get great images. Sam Hume of the

BBC digital team and its YouTube channel

Earth Unplugged has found ways of filming

extraordinary wildlife shots using just his

phone and a few tricks that would make a

Blue Peter presenter proud. ‘You can get some

amazing results with a phone that spends

most of its time in your pocket,’ he says.

Learn how to build

your own budget

underwater camera,

long lens and steadicam

Smart ways

to film wildlife

UNDERWATER SHOTS

If you have a fish tank, you can simply

stick your smartphone in the water and get

close-ups of its inhabitants. ‘You don’t need

an expensive underwater housing for your

phone,’ says Hume. ‘A freezer bag and an

airlock clip will do.’ He advises checking there

are no leaks in the bag before you start, by

putting a bit of tissue in and submerging it.

‘Roll it around, move it about, leave it in there

for a good length of time. Take it back out and

if the tissue is bone-dry, you’re ready to put

your phone in. Once your phone is in the bag,

fold in the edges so the lens is close to the

bag. Clip it and put it in the tank.’ Then snap.

BIRD CLOSE-UPS

‘One of the simplest ways to get great photos

of birds is to get a bit closer with a greater

focal length, which you can do with a handy

pair of binoculars,’ says Hume. Simply

hold your phone lens up to the eye of the

binoculars. ‘It can be a little bit fiddly to line

the phone up. But I’ve got a handy trick for

that – make a little cardboard mount.' You

can see how to build it in the diagram on

the left. ‘The trouble with shooting at higher

magnification is that it can be a little shaky

freehand. But if you brace the binocular

straps, that should give you a bit of extra

stability to get a really nice shot,’ says Hume.

CAPTURING MOTION

If your pooch runs so fast that you can only

catch a blur of fur, you can make a budget

stabiliser rig for about £3 (see diagram,

bottom left). ‘It’s basically made of a plastic

golf tee and a sewing needle that acts as my

balance joint. And I use an array of coins that

act as a counterweight. It creates quite a

balanced rig, so all my movements should be

absorbed, to make a smooth film.’

TIMELAPSE PANORAMAS

Want to catch beautiful footage of changing

skies or incoming tides? All you need is a

timelapse app on your phone and an oven

timer that rotates 360 degrees. ‘Attach your

smartphone to an oven timer using lots of

gaffer tape,’ says Hume. ‘Then as the oven

timer spins full circle, you’ll get a really

smooth panoramic shot.’

Words: Matilda Battersby. Photographs: iStock, Getty, Penny Dixie, London Wetland Centre