Better Summer Wildlife Photos: 10 Reasons to Float Your Boat!

The dog days of summer can pose challenges for any wildlife photographer. Heavy foliage reduces visibility, mosquitoes, ticks and flies rule many areas and wildlife is much harder to find. Summer also brings hot, humid weather to much of the country, making the prospect of hauling your gear through the woods less than appealing.

Fortunately, summer is still a great time to photograph wildlife if you make one change to your recipe for success: Just add water.

Shooting from a kayak creates many photo opportunities that land-bound photographers will never encounter. Here are ten reasons to take to the water to improve your wildlife photography

1. Don't be bugged by insects. Flies, ticks and mosquitoes can drain the patience (and blood!) from even the most dedicated photographer. It's also tough to blend in while swatting and waiving off insects. Bug shirts and head netting help. Repellant offers some relief, but it's also hazardous to your equipment. Why bother with these annoyances, when getting out on the water reduces or eliminates most biting bugs? It also allows any available breezes to be most effective in keeping bugs at bay.

2. To see or not to see. As foliage grows denser throughout the summer, visibility in the woods is often limited to very close range, making wildlife encounters difficult. Most sitings are fleeting glimpses that seldom result in photos. A kayak, however, affords sweeping views of shoreline, unobstructed by other trees or brush. Wildlife can be seen far enough away to carefully approach and photograph them.

3. No 'Fear Factor.' Many animals rarely encounter predators that approach from the water. As a result, they tend to linger and watch a kayak with curiosity rather than immediate fear. A slow, steady paddle stroke sometimes seems to hypnotize wildlife if all other movement is minimized.

4. Flight Done Right. One of the challenges of photographing birds in flight is their tendency to appear underexposed against a bright sky. Shooting over water often eliminates this problem. The water surface reflects light upward, illuminating the underside of a bird in the flight and providing the detail needed for a great shot.

5. It all comes down to water. All creatures need water to survive and many come to rivers and lakes to get their fill. With a little scouting into their routines, it's possible to position your kayak to be ready to take advantage of their daily appearance.

6. Stay on Track. Scouting locations for wildlife should always include a slow cruise along the shoreline. The shallow draft of a kayak provides passage in only inches of water, allowing a good view of the shore and any animal tracks. Animal tracks are the logbook of wildlife in an area, revealing the decency and frequency of their visits to the water.

7. Boldly go where few have gone before. Find a place only accessible by kayak and you're almost certain to find wildlife there. Marshes, small streams, reedy backwaters and shallow weed-choked lakes are all gateways to places seldom visited by people. Openings a couple of feet wide and only inches deep will comfortably get you and your gear into wildlife-rich habitats that are accessible only by kayak. 8. Silence is golden. With most animals off nests or out of their dens, finding wildlife at this time of year often involves moving around through the woods. Maintaining silence while maneuvering your gear through brush and heavy foliage can be a daunting task. A kayak, however, can move you and your gear over great distances in prime shooting areas with little more noise than the sound of a few drops of water.

9. Blind luck. Good nature photographers know the value of using a blind. They're great for 'staking out' a known den or nest. The realities of summer shooting, however, require more mobility. A kayak makes a perfect mobile blind. Using netting or camo clothing and setting up in reeds, cattails or other vegetation is effective but not as versatile as your 'blind' that easily and silently moves along with your subject.

10. Be ready, be steady. Have you ever noticed that wildlife has the uncanny ability to appear right after you've taken down your tripod to move or when you're hiking with your gear slung over your shoulder? Like most accomplishments in life, great wildlife photography occurs when preparation and opportunity meet. It's frustrating to tell stories of great shots that didn't happen because the subject fled before the camera could be set up. Wouldn't it be great if you could have your camera steady on a tripod, right in front of you at all times, even as you moved around? With the right kayak, you can do just that.

Shooting from a kayak is effective at any time of year, but in the summer it's an essential tool to achieve the images we all dream of capturing. My Native Watercraft Elite 12 is the perfect craft for photography. I didn't choose it by accident or chance. Next time, I'll take you through the steps of finding your ideal boat for wildlife photography and bird watching.

--John Van Den Brandt