Eventful morning kayak outing

[Mr.Photo]

Went out this past Saturday 8/24 to a local reservoir in hopes of seeing some interesting wildlife and I was not disappointed. Saw a Great Egret, Great Blue Heron, and the highlight of the day was when I got to check off one of my Bucket List items and photograph an Adult Bald Eagle in the wild.

All photos were taken with my Nikon D7200 and the Nikon AF-S 200-500mm 5.6E VR lens.

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[denum]

Very nice shots. Love the eagle taking off!

 

[Jeff15]

Some very good shots ...

 

[Digger...]

You photograph while in the yak? I hate doing that, as soon as i lose sence of the horizon i get bloody wobbly especially while looking through the view finder.

I want to get a stabiliser kit for mine to do water bird photography, it may look wimpy but id rather not risk a drowned camera.

 

[MitchP]

Beautiful Bald Eagle shots!

 

[Bill in Texas]

Nice series.

 

[jeffashman]

Wonderful set of shots! Congrats on catching a bald eagle!

 

[Mr.Photo]

You photograph while in the yak? I hate doing that, as soon as i lose sence of the horizon i get bloody wobbly especially while looking through the view finder.

I want to get a stabiliser kit for mine to do water bird photography, it may look wimpy but id rather not risk a drowned camera.

It was a bit awkward and nerve wracking the first few times, but with careful practice it becomes easier. One of the kayaks I own is what is referred to as a "recreational kayak" and as such is extremely stable almost to the point one could possibly stand up in it. The stability of this boat is good enough that I physically have to lean most of my upper body a good half a foot or so beyond the side of the kayak to essentially "force" it to flip over. The small movements that do occur, my body simply has learned to compensate for it and I just naturally move my hips to stay as steady as I can while shooting (VR also helps). I can also use my peripheral vision to look below the viewfinder and I'm able to look down at the kayak to determine how I'm sitting help keep my bearings if I feel "out of whack".

I also have a touring (aka. sea kayak) that is considerably less stable in order to glide more effortlessly on the water during longer trips. In this boat, I'm not able to use my Nikon 200-500mm lens mostly for that reason as it makes me too top heavy and my sense of balance is not good enough to "catch" the boat if I happen to get too far off the centerline of the kayak, which is much easier to do without realizing it until it's almost too late. Secondly, unlike my recreational kayak mentioned above, the cockpit opening in this boat is considerably smaller and I have no easy way of securing that sized setup. If I am using this boat, I will mount up my Tamron 100-400mm 4.5-6.3 VC lens which is considerably smaller and I am then able to use this setup with little difficulty and maintain my balance pretty easily. Additionally the whole rig is small enough that it easily fits inside a waterproof "deck bag" I have mounted on top of the kayak just forward of the cockpit opening and within easy reach when needed.

Here's a photo a friend took of me last week in my touring kayak. The camera and lens can be seen partially sticking out of the deck bag directly in front of me. We were watching (photographing) a Juvenile Bald Eagle by its nest and I we were more or less done, and just simply sitting back and watching it. When I get underway, I move the camera fully in to the bag, and there it sits until needed again.

As mentioned, my friend took this photograph with his Nikon D7100 and Nikon 70-300mm VR lens. This was his first ever time in a kayak with his camera. He felt a bit uneasy at first, but he simply took things slow and deliberate and quickly discovered it wasn't as difficult or as scary as he had initially thought.

 

[KJ_North]

Great set

 

[Digger...]

Here's a photo a friend took of me last week in my touring kayak.

Looks as narrow as mine she a 14 footer?

Ive only owned the 1 kayak and didn't know anything different about these crafts because this all new to me. If i could do it over again i would've gotten something a bit wider.

One thing i cant do is sit in them for long, got a messed up back and constantly rocking the boat moving and twisting and stretching .I think the outrigger stabiliser will be a good thing for me and be more comfortable hey.

 

[Mr.Photo]

Looks as narrow as mine she a 14 footer?

Ive only owned the 1 kayak and didn't know anything different about these crafts because this all new to me. If i could do it over again i would've gotten something a bit wider.
View attachment 279070
One thing i cant do is sit in them for long, got a messed up back and constantly rocking the boat moving and twisting and stretching .I think the outrigger stabiliser will be a good thing for me and be more comfortable hey.

My touring boat pictured above is 16 feet long. My recreational boat is 14 foot and has a similar squared off side in the middle area similar to your kayak which is the reason it's so stable. However, sit-on-top kayaks like yours (especially ones with a raised seat) move your center of gravity a few inches above the waterline which will make it feel slightly less stable. A "sit inside" kayak usually has your sitting slightly below water level and can feel more stable depending on the hull design.

 

[jeffashman]

Mine is an origami kayak...
aug27202202 by Jeff Ashman, on Flickr

Fairly stable, but swamps easily due to how the sides are, and is for still water only.

 

[PJM]

Great shots. I love going out in my kayak with my camera.

 

[Digger...]

Mine is an origami kayak...
aug27202202 by Jeff Ashman, on Flickr

Fairly stable, but swamps easily due to how the sides are, and is for still water only.

How terrifying jeff. Didn't know man could made such things... had a look on google just now because i was intrigued. You think you'll get 20.000 folds out of the seams?

 

[jeffashman]

How terrifying jeff. Didn't know man could made such things... had a look on google just now because i was intrigued. You think you'll get 20.000 folds out of the seams?

I don't know. I probably won't get 20,000 outings with the kayak, that's a lot of outings, it would take 55 years if I went out on the water every day.