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In general, questions and answers here are specific to photographing from a kayak or in transporting photo gear by kayak, whether you shoot film or digital. Digital has surpassed film (more on that below), and in 2006 I revised my gear to accommodate the Canon 5D for extended paddling and backpacking trips (see also Tools).

If you don't find an answer here or have additional questions, send me an e-mail at:   gluhm@comcast.net . I'll respond to reasonable questions as they pertain to on-the-water photography.

Last update: 6/8/07

What camera do you use?
What lenses?
How do you manage your digital workflow?
Why don't you use a waterproof camera?
What about digital cameras for use on the water?
How do you keep your camera equipment dry?
Your pictures look so crystal clear. How do you achieve that?
How do you get sharp pictures?
What kayak do you use?
Any suggestions for wildlife photography?
What would you choose for a wildlife lens?
What about bigger lenses, like a 500mm or 600mm?
Any other advice?

What camera do you use?

I'm shooting with a Canon 5D, a 12.7MP, full-frame sensor dSLR now 2-1/2 years old (as of 2/20/08). High ISO performance is still impressive, but I believe other cameras have matched or exceeded it for noise. To take a Canon example, I also have a 40D—introduced two years after the 5D—with the smaller 1.6x multiplier and 10.1MP. One would expect more noise due to the smaller pixel size, but I’m finding the noise levels to be close to the 5D, so it’s now my wildlife body whenever I can’t get as close as I’d like to take advantage of the full-frame 5D (i.e. most of the time). The 40D also shoots over 6 frames/sec., compared to 3 frames/sec. for the 5D, giving me more chances when action happens. I regard both cameras as superior to film. It’s amazing the pace digital is marching.

The 40D has a few other features that the 5D lacks, like automatic sensor cleaning and live view. The LCD is bigger as well, and it’s multi-controller works better at selecting focus points then the one on the 5D, so Canon made some improvements here as well.

The 5D is a superior camera for general shooting, though, because of the extra megapixels and the full-frame sensor. For me this is critical for my kayak photos and scenics. Many folks don't realize the value of full-frame for selective-focus images with poster-like backgrounds. It's tougher to get that with the smaller sensor digitals.

Both the 5D and the 40D cameras are fairly light for backpacking, although the entry Canon Rebel series, with its smaller lenses, and a new 12MP model due out in April, 08’, is looking great for that.

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What lenses do you use?

For on-the-water shooting, I keep the camera gear in a dry bag in the cockpit, with the lens I'm most likely to use mounted on the 5D. In 2008, the lens will be either a 17-40mm f/4L or a 70-200mm f/4L. I may also mount a longer telephoto—most likely on the 40D—if I'm photographing wildlife. For longer kayak trips, that lens would be the 300mm f/4. When photographing wildlife locally or when car camping, I mostly use the 500mm f/4L.

I try to avoid it, but I switch lenses in the cockpit if the situation warrants. While ashore, I often use a 24mm Tilt/Shift (T/S) lens for scenics. Most of the images on these webpages were taken with the above lenses, or with a 28-135mm IS or 75-300mm IS, though those two lenses have been sold. The teles often had a 1.4x attached.

If you're shooting from a kayak the image-stabilized (IS) lenses are a godsend. Space in a sea kayak cockpit is limited. Shoulder stocks, mono-pods, or string-pods can't easily be used—and none work in ocean swell, where IS performs superbly. A tripod is out of the question in a kayak, unless maybe you're paddling one of those fat plastic rec boats, but those aren't sea kayaks.

For a long time, the Tilt/shift lenses have been kind of a trademark for me. I would go off on early morning shoots or day hikes in the Cascades with the 24mm T/S and the 90mm T/S, plus extension tubes. They are so great for scenics, but can be useful for action as well, any time you can pre-focus. For example, the "Discovery" intertidal shot was made by tilting the 24mm T/S, for extreme depth-of-field, but retaining a high shutter speed to freeze the motion of the kayaker. The 24mm T/S is my favorite scenic lens - especially for wildflowers - where the tilt allows fast shutter speeds while retaining depth-of-field to freeze the flowers when it's breezy.

Most kayakers will find the new digitals even more useful for kayaking than the weatherproof film point-and-shoots. They take excellent pictures, they're versatile, they're fun. The instant feedback alone will push your photography to new levels. I love not having to glue my eye all the time to the viewfinder to accurately frame a picture. Put the camera at arm’s length—or plunge it into the water (if waterproof)—you can still view the scene in the LCD. Then there's the Quick Time movies—great for stroke analysis and rolling critiques.

If you want to snorkel as well as kayak, pretty much all the manufactures offer either waterproof cases rated up to 140 feet for some of their digital point-and-shoots, or waterproof cameras with depth ratings of 10-33 ft. It's great to get waterproofing without a case, which saves on bulk so you can stow it in a PFD pocket. The 7.1 Megapixel Olympus Stylus 770 SW is waterproof to 33 ft, and the 7.1MP Pentax Optio W30 is rated to 3 meters for 2 hours. Both zoom internally, which helps make the waterproof rating possible.

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How do you manage your digital workflow?

This is a great question, an evolving one, and one I wouldn’t have had a good answer for a few months ago (I’m writing this on 6/7/2008). I manage workflow with Adobe Lightroom, where I process images, search its database, and collect and process submissions.

Lightroom is a metadata-driven image editor and catalog. It’s a database—not a file browser like Breezebrowser, or Canon’s ZoomBrowser. You have to import your images into it (actually just the locations of the images, so you don’t have to disrupt your existing file system). Once in the catalog, RAW files especially can be manipulated non-destructively, with results saved in metadata as a “recipe” that takes just a few bits of hard drive. These “recipes” can then be applied to the whole shoot: optimize one image, then press Ctrl A (Windows) and Sync, and you’ve optimized the whole lot. Lightroom doesn’t replace Photoshop because for individual pixel work, Photoshop fills the need, but my Photoshop use has now dropped 90% (I use Photoshop Elements 6). Lightroom contains five task-oriented modules, each with appropriate options. Most work is done in Library and Develop, but for specific outputs, there are some basic SlideShow, Print and Web modules. Overall, it isn’t a one-stop shop, but it’s close.

Briefly stated, after a shoot I put the CF card into the reader slot on my desktop (or, when in the field, on my laptop). I’ve set up Lightroom preferences to detect the card, and the images show up automatically, in date folders, in an import dialog box. Within a keyword box I add general words applicable for the shoot, and select a custom processing preset. I shoot only RAW images, and the preset is a great timesaver that adds a recipe of enhancements—stuff like vibrance, sharpening, a little fill light, etc.—and attaches it to each file as it enters the Lightroom Library. I don’t do a backup on import, like many folks advocate, because I prefer to purge the junk first. After throwing away 80-99% of the images, I do a group rename, add more specific keywords, rate a few of them (1-5 stars), convert them to DNG (Adobe’s open source Digital Negative format) and burn a DVD backup. Lastly, I put the CF card back in the camera and reformat. This all goes quickly unless I have lots of similar images of good quality and I feel the need to pare them down.

On import, the new images go into my Pictures folder, organized by the year-month-day labeled folders. What I’m doing is tacking the new folder of images at the end of the list, making backups easier. For example, my date folder label is 2008-06-07, for a June 7th, 2008 shoot. I don’t care if the morning shoot was birds in Seattle, and that evening was historic buildings in Sitka, AK. The images are text (keyword) and/or date searchable using the Find box. I’ve completely gotten away from grouping images by location, or trip, or subject. Digital is a different animal. It makes little sense to file images like we did with film.

However you do it, it’s important to be consistent whatever your workflow, so you don’t, for example, get out in the field and discover you have a card full of images, and then wonder if you’ve backed them up. Too, Lightroom isn’t for everyone. It works on the Mac or PC, but for Mac users there's Apple Aperature. And if you only work on select images for optimization and printing, or perhaps for web publishing, or perhaps you only shoot jpg’s, you may have little reason to go the Lightroom route.

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Why don't you use a waterproof camera?

The 35mm SLR and dSLR are so versatile nothing else holds up comparatively. The digital point-and-shoots don't have the picture quality or focal length range, and continue to be plagued by shutter lag. My dSLR system has a focal length range from 17mm to 700mm, no shutter lag, and the ability to shoot at far higher ISO’s and produce sharp, noise-free images.

Many people have said they wouldn’t shoot from a kayak with their SLR. Paddling experience is key to knowing when you can take the SLR out of its dry bag without trashing it. For example, what happens to the kayak when you inadvertently drive the bow up on a submerged log? Or when a wave breaks unexpectedly over a submerged rock (boomer) when a bigger than normal wave set moves by?

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What about point-and-shoot digital cameras for use on the water?

Canon, Sony, Nikon, Casio and Olympus offer waterproof cases for many of their digicams. The cases are rated to a depth of 100 feet or more, with full or nearly full control of camera functions through o-ring sealed buttons on the outside of the case. All are quite compact, and are the way to go for many people, especially considering use for digital slide shows, which don't require a high pixel count like prints, a point that bears repeating. A typical digital slide show requires 1024x768 pixel dimensions. That’s less than 1MP. In it’s waterproof case, the digicams are as small or smaller than a 35mm SLR with a small lens attached, and close in size to a Nikonos V. You can wedge the camera inside your PFD, like you might with waterproof binoculars. The cameras are lighter than the Nikonos, and will hang easily around your neck. Many paddlers simple stow them under deck bungie. Most of them float, too, but barely.

I chose a Canon S70 for a digital point-and-shoot in 2004 because it offers full control, has an interval timer, a 28mm wide angle and, of course, the waterproof case WP-CD40. The 28mm isn't 20mm, but hey, it sure beats the 35 or 40mm wide end of most digicams. It allowed some pictures I couldn't get otherwise, like the picture here taken the day after I took it out of the box.

I like the digital point-and-shoots that accept AA batteries, allowing the use of NIMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) AA's. The battery compartment adds a little bulk, but it also gives you a better grip. More important, I'd like to be able to bring a simple NIMH solar charger, or a pile of spare AA's, for a kayak expedition. Olympus, Pentax and Canon have cameras that offer this solution. My Canon S70 had a lithium-ion battery, not my first choice. I solved the problem by buying (3) extra NB2L batteries from Sterlingtek.com for $7/each. This is a low-cost, low-bulk solution, though not as cool as a solar charger would be.

My choice for an on-the-water point-and-shoot today is the 7.1MP Pentax Optio W30. Its lens zooms internally, and Pentax claims it's good for a 3 meter immersion for 2 hours. So you can snorkel with it without a case, and it fits in a PFD pocket!

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How do you keep your camera equipment dry?

In almost all paddling situations, my SLR sits in a dry bag that's located between my legs and under my spray skirt when not in use. I pop the skirt and open up a dry bag to use the camera. My pick for camera dry bags is Sagebrush Dry Goods. Sagebrush bags have a tough urethane skin, all-welded seams and a reliable waterproof zipper - not a roll-up closure that will leak if submerged. Their larger camera bag is big enough for a 35mm camera body with 28-135mm zoom and lens hood mounted for action. A pro camera body with a motor drive takes some effort to squeeze in, and could even pull the zipper apart, but if that's your need Sagebrush will make a custom bag to your specifications. I have a lot of confidence in them [Disclosure: Sagebrush has given me a number of bags to test]. Water can of course get in if you open the bag to shoot - from splash, wet hands or from the lip of the zipper if the bag itself is wet. In that it's comparable to a dry box, but with less bulk even with padding. In addition, you don't have a rigid dry box lid to lift up that then gets in the way.

I have enough confidence in the Sagebrush bags that I've begun using a custom bag from them to stow my 500mm f/4 with the 5D (or 40D). The bag sits between my legs in my Mariner Max or Necky Chatham 17, but I've even used it in a Necky Tahsis - not a big cockpit kayak. To use the big lens, I pop the skirt, un-zipped the bag - pull out six grand worth of camera - and fire away. If you want something similar, I suggest contacting them and perhaps get their "Plain Jane Duffle", or the "Midship", sized for your needs.

Extra lenses, filters, and film are kept in a hard plastic waterproof (Pelican) case that I only open on shore. I also carry silica gel, a desiccant that I keep in double zip-locked bags. If moisture gets on the camera or in the dry bag, I open the ziplocks and let the desiccant dry things out. The drying power of the silica gel can be renewed by putting it in an oven at low temperature for a hour. It can also be rejuvenated with a camp stove if you really need it in the field. When the gel turns color from pink to blue it's good to go again. I have also used a microwave to rejuvenate gel, but it drives the water out so fast it explodes the gel ganules, so I only do that in a pinch.

A big problem for me is keeping my hands dry. I do a lot of open ocean paddling, where waves and ocean swell mean your hands frequently enter the water. Often they end up looking like prunes. If you grip the paddle with your hands close together to keep them out of the water, it can result in injury. One solution is to wear latex (dish washing) gloves. I just remove them to take a picture. I also keep a cotton bandanna under my hat, and another one in the camera bag. I use them to dry my hands, and to wipe off the camera. If the bandanna in the camera bag gets damp, I put it below deck, and rinse and dry it out when in camp. On windy days or in really rough seas, I usually stop photographing, and concentrate on paddling.

I'm always looking for new solutions to these problems. If you'd like to share yours, send me an email at: gluhm@comcast.net.

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Your pictures look so crystal clear. How do you achieve that?

Aside from camera and lens choice, I always shoot with a lens hood. This accomplishes three things. First, the lens hood protects the front lens element probably better than a lens cap, so I can leave the cap off. Second, the hood keeps water spray from striking the lens. Now I don't have to clean the lens as much, and I'm less likely to need a filter for lens protection. Third, and most important, the hood prevents stray light from the sun or bright sky from bouncing around in the glass, causing lens flare and reducing contrast. Outdoors, we have only limited control over light and its direction. So I always shoot with a lens hood.

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How do you get sharp pictures?

When I'm photographing I try to face forward while seated in the cockpit. I hunch over - push my elbows into my PFD. If it's calm I lean my elbows on the coaming. A bad way to photograph is to turn your body sideways to the kayak before snapping the shutter. This is an unstable position and the result will be fuzzy images and crooked horizons.

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What kayak do you use?

I paddle a Mariner Max for big trips, and a Necky Chatham 17 for anything up to a week. The Max is the best-handling large volume kayak I've found, with good speed, and plenty of stability for photography. I get all of my considerable camera gear inside - including my 500mm f/4, sturdy tripod, and camping gear and food for two weeks or more of safe travel in cold climates. Importantly, if I put the Max on edge it turns in a tight radius, but it tracks straight if I stop paddling. I don't use a rudder. The Max handles open coast paddling and surf pretty well, but like any large volume kayak, it's no easy handler in wind. I weigh 165 pounds. Most folks my size should opt for a smaller kayak. I acquired the medium-volume Chatham 17 in spring, 2006, and I'm now using it more than the Max. It's quite stable despite the 22-inch beam, and I like dropping the skeg to keep me faced forward while photographing.

Speaking of which, a medium volume kayak is probably a better choice for most photographers. There are so many ways to shrink the volume of stuff we carry, you should work to get your gear into a smaller boat that is likely to be a better handler (See the photo tip: Packing a small sea kayak). I used my Necky Tahsis for a two-week trip to Bella Bella in July, 2005. I took my big gun 500mm f/4, and all my usual photo gear. The Tahsis is fast and tippy, but with an excellent secondary I never worried about capsize while photographing from the cockpit. I kept the 500mm in a Sagebrush bag. Even though I got everything to fit, I could have done better. For instance, I took three pairs of shoes: paddling shoes, sandals, and a pair of light-weight hiking boots. It was a wet trip, and the hiking boots got damp from the get-go and were pretty useless. A good option for footwear is to pick up a pair of quick-draining paddling shoes that you can also hike in, and use calf-high gortex socks in camp so it doesn't matter if the shoes are wet.

The Mariner Kayaks website is a good place to start if you're looking for a kayak. The Broze brothers have closed their store and retired, but I'd be surprised if those great hulls don't find their way back into the marketplace somehow. Two other kayaks I would recommend for photographers who feel they need a big volume bulk carrier are the Prijon Kodiak and the Azul Aspen. Reviews of these kayaks can be purchased on-line from Sea Kayaker magazine.

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Any suggestions for wildlife photography?

Yes. Learn natural history. Get excited about animals. Get out every day, even if it's only for 20 minutes to look at birds in a city park. Be patient. Carry waterproof binoculars and use them to study subjects at a distance. Learn which animals can be effectively photographed in zoos. For example, at the Newport Aquarium, Newport, OR, you can get up close to Tufted Puffins, Black Oystercatchers, and other sea birds to create images that look natural. Also visit places where the wildlife are used to people. Many bird species are approachable in marinas, near seaside food process plants (see my fishhead essay) or sewage treatment plants, or in city parks. Boat launches, especially where people go fishing, can be great locations. Some places have an essentially tame Harbor Seal, or Sea Otter.

Whatever you do, don't feed them. A wild animal that associates food with people often ends up a pest, or dead, or results in the closure of a wild area to people. The recent (summer, 2000) mauling of a sea kayaker on Vargas Island, BC, by a wild wolf is a case in point. It was reported that this wolf had been fed previously by people, became habituated, and was probably looking for a handout.

One of the advantages of photographing wildlife from a kayak - rather than a larger boat - is you're down close to eye level with the animal. This almost always results in better photographs.

One other point: the emphasis for wildlife photographers has always been to get close, use the biggest telephoto in your arsenal and show the bird or mammal large in the frame. Work to be different, for example, by putting the animal small in the frame, perhaps using a wide-angle and a remote trigger. Show more of the environment where the animal lives, or place it as a part of the big scenic. These types of shots take some thought and often time to set up, and are therefore largely ignored in workshops.

Oh, and did I say, learn natural history?

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What would you choose for a wildlife lens?

My first choice for a wildlife lens is the Canon 300mm f/4L IS (Image Stabilized). It's compact enough to use hand-held with great results from the kayak, fast enough to capture action, and long enough for most situations. For many years, it's been my most used lens. In good light, I attach a 1.4 tele-extender, giving me a 420mm f/5.6. Now that I have a 40D with its 1.6x multiplier, the 300mm f/4 is an effective 480mm f/4, and the 420mm f/5.6 becomes a 672mm f/5.6. That's quite a reach.

Another good choice would be the Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS zoom, a very versatile lens. I prefer the 300 f/4, though. It's faster for low-light situations, it has a built-in lens hood, it weights less, and you can get it and the Canon 1.4 tele-extender for almost the same price as the 100-400mm alone. You do lose the ability to zoom back to 100mm - for scenics or wildlife groupings - but then I usually have another camera handy with a zoom lens attached.

For a single, general purpose wildlife lens for kayaking, the 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS zoom (or its predecessor, the 75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS) is a good choice. This lens is plenty sharp, it won't break the budget, and it's compact and light compared to the 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS. You can hang onto it with one hand while maneuvering your kayak with the other. With the lens hood attached, it fits easily in a large Sagebrush Dry Goods or large Ortlieb dry bag. I used it in this picture, while bobbing about in ocean swell. The picture is tack sharp. The October, 2000, cover of SeaKayaker was also taken with this lens. Be aware, though, that you can't use the 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS (or its predecessor) with the Canon tele-converters.

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What about bigger lenses, like a 500mm or 600mm?

I love my 500mm f/4 IS, but I've often carried it (or its predecessor, the 500mm f/4.5L) for weeks on kayak trips and it didn't get used. It's too big to use from the cockpit of most kayaks. To stop and set up for shots takes extra effort, so you want to have a good situation. Of course, the results are usually worth it. I store the 500mm in a waterproof case, a Tundra 716, which slides easily behind the seat of my Mariner Max (my kayak doesn't have bulkheads and hatches). On calm water bird photo trips, I now stow the 500mm in the cockpit in a custom Sagebrush Dry Goods bag big enough to house the camera, lens w/1.4 tele, and attached lens hood.

While I envy many a photo taken with a 600mm f/4, a lens that expensive has to be a workhorse. It would require a waterproof case so big you'll need a barge to transport it. A PWS Thunderbird would probably work — or paddle a canoe. On land, the 500mm f/4, at 8½ pounds, is far easier to carry than the 12 or 13-pound 600mm. If you need to hike a mile to a good shooting location, you'll appreciate the difference. The 600mm, of course, shines for stand-on-the-shore photography of subjects like surfing or sailing - or bears. Personally, I want to be closer to the action, where the 500mm or 300mm f/4 can compete, and I look for situations where I can make that happen.

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Any other advice?

Always reset your camera to the same settings after a shoot. An hour later, the next day, or whenever you pull your camera out again you need to know that your set-up is the same. If you only have two seconds to shoot, and you’ve got yesterdays exposure compensation dialed in or yesterday’s f-stop or you’re in manual mode - whatever it is - you’ve just lost the shot.

I leave my camera in Aperture priority, with the aperture set wide open. I always want to control aperture. Leaving it wide open assures me the fastest shutter speed, which for hand-held and sport photography is what I want most of the time.

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