Sometimes when doing wildlife photography, we have to hide from our subjects. Photography blinds allow us to remain concealed while photographing wildlife and can open up opportunities that would otherwise be difficult to achieve.
Over the years, we’ve used many different types of portable blinds, from simple bag and chair blinds to larger two-person setups and even a floating blind.
Many of the portable blinds we use are particularly useful for bird photography, whether we’re working around a nest site, photographing waterfowl or waiting for birds to come into a particular area.
Different wildlife photography blinds work better in different situations, so let’s take a look at the ones we use, why we use them and where each works particularly well.
Don’t miss our video on this topic over on our YouTube channel too – simply click below!
Which Type of Photography Blind Should You Choose?
1. A Bag Blind
A bag blind is one of the simplest options and comes in incredibly handy.
They’re small, lightweight and very easy to deploy. Ours rolls up to about the size of a loaf of bread and can be set up in around 15 seconds.
There’s no separate structure holding the blind up — we are the structure. I normally have the camera on a tripod and sit on a bucket, although you could just as easily sit on a rock or log.
I particularly like having a bag blind with us when we’re traveling somewhere such as Yellowstone. If we come across a situation where a blind would be useful, we have one ready to go without carrying a lot of extra equipment.
It’s a simple portable photo blind for wildlife photography that’s incredibly handy to have with you.
2. A Chair Blind
Another quick-to-deploy option for a single bird or wildlife photographer is a chair blind.
The one we use is made by Ameristep and is essentially a camp chair with a blind that deploys over it. You sit inside with your lens pointing through the opening at the front.
These blinds were originally designed for hunters, and there are different versions available with various-sized openings.
For wildlife photography, a chair blind can work very well when you know you’ll largely be pointing your lens in one direction. If you’re working around a den or nest site, for example, your lens is likely to remain trained on a fairly specific area.
It’s comfortable, straightforward to use and doesn’t require a complicated setup.
3. A Two-Person Wildlife Photography Blind
If we’re going to spend a lot of time in a blind, our go-to blind is made by a company called Tragopan.
These blinds are designed by photographers for photographers, so they’re very well thought out.
We use their two-person blind, although they also make a one-person blind and a ground blind. There’s plenty of room inside for two photographers and their equipment.
One particularly useful feature is a slit that allows one tripod leg to extend through the front of the blind. This allows the other two legs to sit right up against the wall of the blind, which means you can get much closer behind your camera.
There are also different possibilities for positioning your lens. The snoot uses a Velcro system and works well with a large lens, while other openings can accommodate different setups. There’s even a way to use fill flash through the front of the blind.
Despite offering considerably more space, it’s still relatively quick to deploy. I can usually set ours up in around five minutes.
If we’re planning to spend significant time photographing from one location, this type of wildlife photography blind gives us much more room to work.
How to Introduce a Photography Blind to Wildlife
Critical to your success when doing this kind of photography is how you introduce your blind to the site you’re going to photograph.
If you’re working around a nesting or denning situation, we want to be respectful of those animals. Their welfare has to be our first priority.
With nesting birds, rule number one is to make sure the chicks have hatched. You can tell when this has happened because the adults will start bringing food to the nest.
I initially set my blind up around 75–100 yards away from the nest or den area. It’s within the animals’ territory, so they’ll see it as they go about their daily activities, but it’s far enough away that it shouldn’t immediately raise alarm bells.
After it has been there for a couple of days, I’ll move it closer — usually about half the distance.
At this stage, I’ll pull back with a pair of binoculars and watch the birds carefully. I want to make sure both parents are continuing to feed normally.
I’ll then leave the blind there for another day or two before moving it into its final position for photography.
Taking this extra time at the front end, and introducing the blind gradually, allows the animals time to accept it.
I’ve photographed dozens of nest sites and den sites using this method of introducing a blind, and I’ve never had an animal abandon its nest or den because of my activity.
That’s got to be our first priority.
Using a Floating Blind for Wildlife Photography
My absolute favorite blind is also the most mobile of them all: the floating blind [link to blog].
Mine is based on a design by my buddy Al Charnley, and I use it mostly for photographing migrating waterfowl during the spring.
The thing I love most about a floating blind is the beautiful low-angle perspective it gives you. You can get right down to eye level with ducks and other waterfowl, creating a really unusual perspective.
My floating blind uses a boat deck with a hole in the middle for me, PVC pipe and aluminum rods to keep everything nice and stiff. A cover goes over the frame and is held in place with Velcro.
It’s a fairly simple design, but it’s an incredibly effective way to photograph waterfowl and is absolutely one of my favorite ways to photograph during the spring.
We’ve also put together instructions showing you exactly how to build one, including a materials list.
[Link to: How to Build a Floating Blind for Wildlife Photography]
Which Photography Blind Should You Choose?
There’s no single photography blind that’s going to be right for every situation.
- A bag blind is incredibly portable and useful when you want something you can carry with you and deploy very quickly.
- A chair blind provides a simple setup for one photographer, particularly when you’ll be working in one direction.
- A larger photography blind gives you more room for equipment and can accommodate two photographers when you’re going to spend significant time in one location.
- And a floating blind provides a completely different approach for photographing waterfowl from a beautiful low perspective.
For us, the important thing is choosing the blind that suits the subject and situation, and then introducing and using it in a way that puts the welfare of the wildlife first.
Portable photography blinds can give you access to photographic opportunities and perspectives that would otherwise be extremely difficult to achieve. Used thoughtfully, they’ve become an incredibly useful part of our wildlife photography toolkit.
Good Luck and Good Light!
Steve & Nicole
Related: Floating Blind Photography: A Unique Perspective of Birds on the Water