Using a Bean Bag for Wildlife Photography
Zac Mills
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How does the old fashioned bean bag fit into outdoor photography? In this free video, world renowned outdoor photographer Zac Mills takes you on a wildlife safari in Kenya for practical uses of this handy device. When you are photographing wildlife out of a vehicle, you can substitute your tripod for a bean bag by anchoring it on a ledge. Zac captures some wildlife photography techniques and amazing wildlife images with this simple support system, which gives him flexibility in quickly moving his telephoto lens around. He shoots from the roof, the window, or any surface the bean bags can rest on. Zac recommends shifting the lens foot so that it sits on the bean bag. This simple bean bag method allows you to quickly focus, resulting in the sharp images you’re aiming to achieve.
Hi! I'm Zach Mills and I'm currently on photo Safari here in Kenya. And when I'm shooting from the vehicle, I like to leave my tripod at home and instead use multipurpose, multifunctional beanbags. The simple support systems help cradle the lens. They give me a lot of flexibility in where I can shoot from.
I can shoot from the roof. I can shoot from the window, or any other surface that the bean bag can rest on, and it gives me all the support that I need. Now, a lot of photographers, they'll position their telephoto lens like I have right here with the lens foot on top. However, I find that this position interferes with the operation of the zoom and focus ring. So what I like to do is shift the lens foot so that it rests directly on top of the bean bag.
This gives me more flexibility and movement. It does not interfere with the operation of the zoom and focus rings, and it still gives me all the stability that I need. I'm Zach Mills, and thanks for watching!
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