A Practical Guide to Bird Photography from in the Water

The work starts before you pick up a camera. There is no point waiting in a spot which has issues, for example:

Before you choose where to go, it helps to decide what species you want to photograph. Start with the species. Use a field guide to learn what might be possible in your region. Then work out what habitats those species depend on.

Rails and crakes are a good example: if you want to target them, you’ll need wetlands with dense reedbeds, muddy margins, and quiet backwaters. They often feed at the interface between cover and open ground, rarely straying far from cover. Grebes typically require stretches of open water deep enough for diving, but still prefer vegetation nearby for nesting and cover. Dabbling ducks need shallow areas where they can tip up and feed from the bottom, while diving ducks choose deeper pools.  Herons, cormorants, and darters need perches - often prominent logs or branches that give them a vantage point over both prey and predators.

The competitive exclusion principle in ecology provides some useful shortcuts. The idea is that no two species can occupy the same ecological niche indefinitely. This is why wetlands often appear crowded, but there is structure in the way species overlap: coots uproot submerged plants and forage underwater, while moorhens work  along the edges. Crakes and rails may share a reedbed, but one species might work right at the waterline while the other prefers slightly drier areas margins. Recognising these divisions helps predict not just where your target will be, but also what might show up along side it.

By starting with the species you want, then working outward to their habitats and how those habitats change with conditions, you avoid the trap of picking a wetland simply because it looks picturesque. Doing this homework gives you a working map before you step into the water, so when you're in the field, you’re heading straight for the zones with the highest chance of the encounter you wanted.

Once you know your goals and the species and habitats you’re aiming for, the next step is to identify locations that offer them. This is where online records, local knowledge, and field reconnaissance come together.

Resources like eBird, iNaturalist, social media, or even word of mouth are useful starting points. They don’t just show if a species is present — they often indicate when and how often it has been observed. But be aware of a bias: people tend to visit places where interesting birds have already been reported, which leads to more checklists from those sites while other wetlands go underreported. An absence of records doesn’t mean an absence of birds.

To spend long periods in the water without becoming uncomfortable, you need to choose clothing carefully. The best option depends on temperature, depth, and how long you expect to stay in. A few main approaches cover most situations:

• Bathers / swimmers. In warm conditions, the simplest choice is often best. Quick-drying shorts and a rash top provide freedom of movement and UV protection. Avoid cotton, which becomes heavy and clammy when waterlogged.
• Waders. Waders are a practical option for shallow wetlands, keeping you dry and adding protection. Neoprene models insulate in cooler water, and integrated boots are convenient. The limitation is depth: once water overtops them, they flood and quickly become hazardous. Waders are only suitable if you know you won’t need to venture too deep.
• Wetsuits. A wetsuit won’t keep you dry, but it provides insulation by trapping a layer of water against your skin. They’re useful for chest-deep water and prolonged sessions, though less convenient and less breathable than waders.
• Drysuits. Drysuits completely seal you off from the water and are the safest option in very cold conditions. They allow you to wear insulating layers underneath and are the best choice when hypothermia is a real risk, though they are bulkier and more expensive.
• Footwear. Always pair your clothing choice with appropriate footwear. Sturdy water shoes or wader boots protect your feet from sharp objects, rocks, or leeches and add insulation in cooler conditions.

Aside from your choice of clothing it's also worth thinking about insect repellant, hydration, UV protection. and protection from abrasion. Consider long sleeves, a wide-brim hat, and suitable gloves. For concealment, consider camouflage patterns on the parts of your clothing that remain above the waterline. Finally, always plan for after the session. Keep spare clothes and a towel in your car.

Keeping your camera stable at water level is one of the biggest challenges. Every option involves trade-offs in mobility, control, and risk management:

• Handholding  is the simplest method, but also the riskiest. Holding several kilograms of fragile gear while wading leaves you vulnerable to slips, sudden sinks into mud, fatigue, or loss of balance. Even if you stay upright, arms tire quickly and long lenses are difficult to keep steady. Handholding is only realistic for brief encounters in shallow water, and even then it leaves little margin for error.

Generally speaking, you need to make the right camera equipment choice before getting into the water - it's not generally practical to be changing lenses or equipment whilst floating around. As far as camera bodies, lenses and teleconverters the tradeoffs are similar to on land. The method of supporting your camera may also impact your decision in terms of what gear to use - it's easy to support a large prime lens on floating setup but pretty difficult if you're trying to spend an hour in the water handholding.  Match your setup to your method of support and the conditions you expect.

It's worth thinking about rain/splash protection, and making sure you have a charged battery and a big card for lots of photos - it's generally not a good idea to change those things out on the water. It's also worth having a plan to secure essentials like your phone and keys so they don’t get lost or water-damaged. A drybag clipped to your gear is a reliable solution - the HydroBlind includes tether points for this.

At water level, composition changes dramatically. The surface itself becomes part of the image, offering reflections, blurred foregrounds, and soft transitions you can’t get from the bank. Use these elements deliberately rather than treating them as background noise.

When working with reflections, aim for symmetry by keeping the horizon straight and leaving space below the subject. Foreground blur from reeds, ripples, or floating vegetation can add depth, but make sure it frames the bird rather without obscuring it.

Think about movement in the frame. Leave space in front of a swimming bird or one about to take off, so the action doesn’t feel cramped. At the same time, don’t overlook wider shots. Showing a bird in context, framed by reeds, mirrored in calm water, or lit by unusual weather, often tells a stronger story than a tight headshot.