Going Sea-Kayaking...

[Neil Vanderwolf]

My wife and I are going sea-kayaking around one the Gulf Islands of British Columbia next month for a week.

I know the area fairly well (grew up fishing in the area) but haven't tried photography from a kayak before. Is there anything I should know to increase the odds of getting some 'keepers'?

I won't be taking either of my DSLR's with me, the risk is too high I think for that but will probably take my Sony R1 (24-120mm) and Olympus SP-570 (26-520mm) with me in a dry bag.

Please share any tips and experience you have, I would really like to hear it!

Cheers.

[Wally]

My wife and I are going sea-kayaking around one the Gulf Islands of British Columbia next month for a week.

I know the area fairly well (grew up fishing in the area) but haven't tried photography from a kayak before. Is there anything I should know to increase the odds of getting some 'keepers'?

I won't be taking either of my DSLR's with me, the risk is too high I think for that but will probably take my Sony R1 (24-120mm) and Olympus SP-570 (26-520mm) with me in a dry bag.

Please share any tips and experience you have, I would really like to hear it!

Cheers.

I have never Sea Kayaked before but I have done a bunch of Canoeing and Kayaking in fresh water, and have been on quite a bit of regular boats in the sea. I have never really been able to get good shots from a canoe or kyak from the water so I don't really try anymore. What I do however is look for spots on the shore that I can beach up on and shoot from there. You will be able to get to a lot pf places that you could not from land.

The issue (at least for me) is that if you use a wide angle you need to be really close to shore or you have way to much water in the foreground. If you use a tele or zoom than camera shake becomes an issue as the slightest movement in the boat from waves causes all sorts of bad things.

Keep your cameras handy in a dry bag and just look for places to shoot from land.

[Lisa Nikodym]

I've done some sea-kayaking before with my DSLR under relatively calm conditions (in a lagoon), and had no problems, and ended up with some fine photos.  I just made sure that the camera was zipped into its water-resistant camera bag whenever I wasn't actively using it, and kept the shutter speed reasonably high to avoid motion blur.

An example (with the prow of the kayak intentionally in the photo):


If I were going anywhere with higher waves, I'd use a waterproof camera bag that's well-attached to the kayak.

Lisa

[slide]

I did some sea kayaking in Florida. I'd say it'll be impossible to keep your camera dry without a good dry bag or even an underwater sort of enclosure. I think you are wise not to take your dSLR w/o a real water tight enclosure. Good luck. I think you'll enjoy yourselves. We did. BTW, my wife, before we married, spent a few months kayaking in that area living / camping out. She has nothing but fond memories of the trip.

[jmccart]

My wife and I are going sea-kayaking around one the Gulf Islands of British Columbia next month for a week.

I know the area fairly well (grew up fishing in the area) but haven't tried photography from a kayak before. Is there anything I should know to increase the odds of getting some 'keepers'?

I won't be taking either of my DSLR's with me, the risk is too high I think for that but will probably take my Sony R1 (24-120mm) and Olympus SP-570 (26-520mm) with me in a dry bag.

Please share any tips and experience you have, I would really like to hear it!

Cheers.

I use a Serpac waterproof case that I keep my Canon 40D with a 24-105 in.  I have it strapped to my kayak just in front of me.  When I want to take some pictures I flip open the case, take out my camera, and click away.  Then it goes back into the case for waterproof protection.  The Serpac cases are excellent and cost a lot less than Pelican.  Enjoy your trip.
Capture the Moment,
Jerry