April 30, 2019 - Here is the first article on "Thoughts on Photography" - Dave Cesari prompted me to write about photo blinds.

Thoughts on photography:

Wildlife photography requires thinking beyond the shutter speed, f-numbers, telephoto, white balance, etc. Dave Cesari wrote a little of his thinking on how his blind saves him on equipment lugging effort. (See the bottom of this page.) I wanted to get you thinking about why have a blind in the first place.

For successful wildlife photography, there are things to think about even if you do not have a blind – but they may prompt you to build one. . You must think about how you smell, to the animal, that is. You must think about the animal’s constant fear because other animals are out searching for food. Yipes, says the first animal “I am the food.”

Photographers have to think about the inner makeup of animals if they want to get close enough for a good photograph.

For example, some animals see mostly in black and white. If the photographer does not move, in black and white, the photographer blends right in to the background. So, the animal thinks – no problem – that thing I see is just a 5’8” tree stump or a tall skinny rock.

But move just a twitch, let the wind send your human smell, rustle your camera case cover, vibrate the ground with a heavy footstep and the animal now knows you are not just a 5’8” tree stump. The animal is gone, because they can hear, see movement, smell, and feel vibrations so much better than we do. Photographers need to think about hiding all that from the targeted subject so that the animal sees only a tree stump or a rock.

The blind is just like a big rock sitting there. The animal says “No problem” rocks will not hurt me. Most of your smell stays inside, your movements are not seen, and your sounds do not really leave the blind. So, say I, to get a good wildlife photo you have to be lucky or you have to hide inside a rock.

Dave Cesari wrote: Jim, Here are some pictures I thought you might use on your new blog. They are a kind of a how to or how I did it. This is what we use to shoot the Wood Ducks and Ring-necked Duck I sent you. (Click “2. Photo shoot images” in left sidebar then to “older posts” at bottom of the page.) This is the photo blind we built a few years ago. I thought a few shots of the blind and the interior would be interesting. I got tired of lugging a heavy tripod out there. I got the idea to mount tripod heads directly to 2X4s screwed to the front wall. Works great. No more need to carry a tripod out there. There is also a shot of a friend in the blind behind his camera. Cold and windy here today only 35 degrees F. with snow flurries on and off all day. Dave