Blend into the animal's habitat

Being unobtrusive to wildlife is essential

BLEND IN WITH THE SURROUNDINGS

There are two fundamental ways to approach wildlife photography – shooting from blinds (which can also include from your vehicle), and by stalking the animal in its range. In both cases, you should blend in with the surroundings as much as possible.

There is a school of thought, though, that says it's not necessary to go to great lengths to camouflage a blind, since most animals will know it is there anyway. It's their acceptance of it over time as just another feature in their landscape that makes a blind so useful in photography. This makes sense, too, since a vehicle is generally not camouflaged, yet can make an excellent wildlife photography blind once the animals are used to its presence, or just used to vehicles in general.

SUITABLE CLOTHING AND OTHER HINTS TO BE INCONSPICUOUS

Dark or neutral-colored (green or brown for the woods) clothing will help to make you less noticeable to animals. If you are in desert land or it is winter, choose suitable colors to match your surroundings so you are as unobtrusive as possible. Generally, the more drab, bland and earth-like, the better. Don't use dramatic patterns; they stand out. Surplus military camouflage clothing is often ideal.

Natural camouflage, using plants native to the area by attaching them to your clothing, is very effective in concealment by changing your outline and surface texture. It helps you become part of the background. Just make sure that plants that are normally vertical (grasses, rushes, etc.) are attached vertically. You may have to change them as you move from one terrain to another so that you still blend in.

10 HINTS TO HELP KEEP YOU UNNOTICED BY WILDLIFE

1. Cover your arms and legs if you are fair-skinned or your skin is reflective, and wear drab headgear if your hair is bright blond or you have a shiny head.
2. Use soil to darken your face and hands, or wear fingerless mitts. Don't forget to cover your ears and the back of your neck. Stage make-up is another alternative, as are camouflage sticks from army surplus stores. Be careful, though, not to become too dark.
3. Try to avoid sunlight reflections in the direction of your subject from eyeglasses, jewelry or your watch crystal.
4. A waterproof windbreaker or pants that rustle when you move, squeaky leather boots or coins or keys in your pocket can create noise that may disturb animals.
5. Don't polish your boots or rub oil into them. Animals will quickly get the scent. Besides, your boots should not be shiny; they should be scuffed and even covered with soil or bits of stained burlap.
6. Don't wear perfume or use scented soaps, insect repellant, aftershave, scented shampoo or lotions. Leave the tobacco products at home; smoking in the wilds is a dead give-away.
7. Turn off your cell phone's ringer, and keep the volume low on portable two-way radios.
8. If you have an alarm wristwatch or one that beeps on the hour, be sure it is not set to go off at a time when you are trying to remain silent.
9. Clothing, like some nylon apparel, that has a natural shine should be avoided. Watch for shiny belt buckles and straps.
10. You can attach one-and-a-half inch-wide strips of burlap to your outfit to change your outline and your texture. Color them in natural earth tones by staining them using varying strengths of tea or coffee.

WEATHER

Take the weather into account. A hot, dry day will cause natural foliage camouflage to dry out quickly. Fabrics, on the other hand, may become shinier and darker in wet conditions.

CAMOUFLAGE YOUR CAMERA BAG

Don't forget to treat your camera bag in the same manner you camouflage your clothing and general appearance. Bright buckles and shiny emblems should be covered in matte black electrical tape. Anything on the bag that can cause metal to touch metal should also be taped to avoid rattling or rasping sounds. Be sure everything inside the bag is surrounded by padding to muffle potential noise.

YOUR CAMERA

1. If there is a possibility of glare being reflected from your camera, bring along a piece of cloth with which to cover it. The cloth should be of the same colors as the surrounding area and non-reflective.
2. Reflection off your lens or any filter attached to it can cause an animal to quickly spot you. Keep your lens cap on until the last minute, and only raise the camera when you are about to take a picture.
3. Place dull black tape over shiny camera or lens parts to minimize bright reflections.

MOVEMENT

After taking all possible precautions with your appearance so that you blend into the surroundings, movement can still cause you to be quickly identified by an animal - especially rapid or jerky movement.

Consider each move before you make it when you are close to your photographic quarry, and keep movement to an absolute minimum. If you have to relocate for a better camera angle or backdrop, try to keep low and have some natural shield between you and your animal subject. Watch for twigs that might snap or a branch that can break or swish noisily when you pass. If you brush against a sapling on a windless day, you could cause it to move enough to alarm an animal.

While moving, if you should accidentally stir up a small animal that runs or flaps away, chattering or squawking as a warning to other animals, stop dead in your tracks. Don't move a muscle. No other animal may have noticed you, particularly your quarry, which may be alerted and scanning the area. It can take several minutes for it to be reassured that everything is all right. You need to have the patience to wait until its sensors are off full alert.

If you are simply observing, move your eyes, not your head, whenever possible. And always remember that there is a good four to six inches of head above your eyes when you are raising it from behind cover to have a look. An animal might well see you before you have a chance to see it.

Finally, watch the light when you are on the move. Your shadow can give you away as quickly as a direct sighting. Stay in the shadows whenever possible or in front of a confusing background into which you blend. And never "skyline" yourself by walking along a ridge where the sky is all that is behind you. Walking with a lake, a forest glade or an open field as your backdrop can also make you stand out, ensuring that nearby animals will notice you.