Camouflage and Wildlife Photography

Comments · 209

• ST

  @StephenHOutdoors · 1 year ago

  I can confirm, walking around in the neighborhood while wearing a ghillie suit will result in the police showing up. It was worth it though😂

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• TU

  @Tumbleweed1961 · 1 year ago

  I've hunted and photographed wildlife for over forty years. Camo, to me, is very important. One thing most aren't aware of is that vision most wildlife is sensitive, to some degree, to the ultraviolet light range. Bue in particular screams 'here I am' as it reflects UV and is to be avoided like the plague. Never combine a camo shirt and hat with blue jeans if you don't completely cover your trousers. And another. Most laundry detergents contain brighteners which can make any color reflect UV light. We see it as a brighter color, wildlife will see it as a neon sign.

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• JE

  @jerrygowins · 1 year ago

  As a decades-long bowhunter, I find that movement is my biggest nemesis, along with wind direction if photographing wild mammals. Drab colors in various plaid patterns, along with thin, drab, or camo gloves and a head net to cover the brightest parts of our bodies, work fine. Blending into your surroundings is important. If you must move, move slowly.

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• BO

  @BobK58 · 1 year ago

  The further you are from your bike, the odder your bike shorts look.

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• BR

  @brucehargravephotography · 1 year ago

  The huge advantage of full camo is that people don’t see you and come over for a chat!  “HEY WHAT ARE YOU TAKING PHOTOS OF?”  The downside is that a woman out walking her dog didn’t see me and crouched down behind a bush to have a pee. I was ten yards away…

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• ER

  @ericsmith9777 · 1 year ago

  Evolving from a hunter to a wildlife photographer over the past 50 odd years, camo is a mainstay and the go to item....so well done Scott !! <br>Nothing better than bugling a bull elk in from 300 yards out, to within 30 feet, or spending time with a bull moose up close and personal. Camo makes a difference........<br>Cheers,

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• IR

  @Ironoakstudios · 1 year ago

  I live in the forests and mountains of western Maine. I grew up in the woods with a family full of generational hunters. I learned to track from them and became a rather decent tracker because of that experience. While I don’t currently hunt, I do own land that my family hunts on and I do the tracking for them. Those skills have helped immensely with my time in the woods. I find it akin to reef diving. Meaning if you keep calm and become part of the environment, you will be rewarded with seeing just how much life is hidden in plain sight around you.

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• SC

  @ScottGrothe-j9g · 1 year ago

  Long time western wildlife photographer and bow hunter here. &nbsp;In my experience using camo and blending in to the surroundings works in &quot;wild&quot; situations, especially when coupled with little and slow movement, as well as staying downwind if shooting mammalian subjects. &nbsp;Even if you spook a variety of wildlife away on your initial walk in to a location, many species will return AND they tend to return sooner AND come in closer when I&apos;m in camo. &nbsp;A 2nd major reason I wear camo is that it works on people too. &nbsp;Camo helps hide from other photographers, birders, hikers, etc. when I&apos;m shooting in more &quot;wild&quot; lesser known about or traveled locations.

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• DI

  @ditto1958 · 1 year ago

  I used to be a range officer at a shooting range. I can’t tell you how many times we had to call a cease fire for wildlife crossing the range. White tail deer, turkeys, snapping turtles. They didn’t seem to care a bit that we had a line of benches with shooters in plain view &nbsp;blasting away with rifles.

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• ER

  @ericaceous1652 · 1 year ago (edited)

  Some of the pioneering wildlife photographers were avid hunters - and some of them ceased hunting and turned to photography.<br>See Richard and Cherry Kearton, Carl Akeley, and Jim Corbett.

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• ER

  @erayergunofficial · 1 year ago

  There is no need to even debate the importance of camouflage. You can easily see this from the small birds that fly toward you but change direction at the last moment, or from the flocks of birds that suddenly take off when you move. Also, if camouflage weren’t necessary, it would be pointless for hunters to spend time and money on it.<br><br>Almost everywhere I go, I wear my camouflage, and I can see people laughing at me—but I couldn&apos;t care less. Recently, I went to an area where about 20 photographers were lined up, all trying to capture a photo of the same coyotes from the same angle. 20 photographers and 20 identical coyotes photos... Now that is funnier! As I walked past them, they all laughed at me, but later, I managed to find other coyotes in a more beautiful setting and a more natural environment!<br><br>Thank you for this amazing video!

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• HE

  @hefalump56 · 4 days ago

  Up until now I have not used camouflage but have found your video inspirational. One experience I had with a totally wild bobcat while visiting Florida was that I happened to get &nbsp;close wearing my usual jean shorts and tee-shirt. While wandering through the woods in Lake Kissimmee State Park, I noticed movement out to my left about 50 feet away, instinctively I froze and watched as the bobcat did it&apos;s thing. It climbed up into the fork of a tree, sniffed around there before moving around in front of me. There were patches of palmetto between us so I dropped to a crouching position. The bobcat appeared in front of me about 75 feet away, sat on it hunches and tried to figure out if I were a danger to it. Eventually it decided something wasn&apos;t right and it started loping away back the way it had come. What a thrill and way to experience my first wild bobcat! So sometimes camo isn&apos;t needed.

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