Hide

fionaB · 18-11-2006, 14:53

Hi.......... this is gonna sound like a crazy question but does anyone know or have any ideas/suggestions as to how i can make a portable hide? I have quite a bit of camouflage netting but not sure as to the best way to make it.

Fiona

Hacker · 18-11-2006, 15:34

How about one of those cheap Action Man pop up tents you can get in toy shops, they are usually a darkish colour to begin with and you can stick the netting over the top.

***Dave*** · 18-11-2006, 16:02

Now Sonsey should be able to help out here, as I know he spent quite a time investigating the cheapest "hide" options.

fionaB · 18-11-2006, 16:02

oh now i never thought of that ............. thanx Hacker!

Fi

fionaB · 18-11-2006, 16:03

cheap is good......... and as i have about 50 sq metres of cammy netting i have a fair amount to play with although im under orders to leave my son some for his "army games" lol

Fi

**Sonsey** · 18-11-2006, 16:33

Hi Fiona, as Dave said I'd been looking into getting a hide myself since I do like my wildlife photography. Looking on the net for specific "photography hides" I quickly became discouraged with the £150+ price tags, and like you decided to look into cheaper methods.

I've come across some camo tents on ebay going cheap so I think I might get myself 1 or 2 after Xmas. From the particular seller I found, they stocked a couple of different types in 2/4/6 man/woman sizes, fully waterproof, (reasonably) easy to set up etc, you can allways throw a bit of netting over it aswell if you think it'd suit the terrain better... here's a link to one of the tents but take a look through their shop to see the other versions.

eBay.co.uk: The Greatland 4 Berth/ Man Camouflage Dome Tent FRT-268 (item 230035278693 end time 02-Dec-06 10:00:48 GMT)

The only problem I can possibly see with them is that because they are just tents and not specificly tailored to photography you will be limited to just shooting out the tent door and not one of the camera slots a dedicated hide would offer, but at the price you could afford to do a bit of DIY yourself I would think

**Sonsey** · 18-11-2006, 16:38

Here's a link to another site which offer's a good range of accessories to help you stay hidden aswell.

Wildlife Watching Supplies - Wildlife photography, Nature photography, Photo blinds

Hope this helps a bit.

fionaB · 18-11-2006, 17:11

many thanx will have a look properly later!

Fi

Rob Barron · 19-11-2006, 15:44

I am no expert in using a hide to shhot wildlife but one bot if advice I can give is this: remember that animals and birds are not put off by static buildings, whatever they look like. The thing that are afraid of is movement. If you are going to set up a hide to use in a location that can be set up for a few days, like a garden, a good idea is to set it up a few days before you use it. The local wildlife will soon get used to it being there and as long as it doesn't have obvious signs of life and movement visible from the outside, they will soon ignore it and come to feeders and things quite happily. So give yourself plenty of room inside the hide to move without touchihng the 'walls' so that it doesn't move and also doesn't make a lot of noise. You can then get remarkably close without fear of losing your subject.

If you can get your camera set up nicely and focused on a feeder, you could use mirror lock-up to take a few shots without a lot of noise. The shutter will make a bit of noise but nowhere near as much as the mirror flipping up and down.

In your case Fi, you won't need to worry so much as your Fuji should make less noise anyway without a mirror.

So, whilst camouflaging is good, darker colours will not usually be a problem anyway as long as the wildlife have chance to get used to it. A bright yellow hide with pink spots and a police siren on top is probably best avoided :o)

Cheers,
Rob

emmettleffel · 19-11-2006, 19:17

Fiona, have a look on ebay for "toilet tents". They look about right for converting to a wildlife hide.

They're not expensive and your camo netting would probably fit over one easily.

Just don't get a used one !!!!!

Doug

fionaB · 19-11-2006, 20:13

LOLOL thanx Doug will keep that in mind.

Fiona

orangepeel · 22-11-2006, 12:22

I dunno how solid the netting is - how heavy and clumsy, but why not chop a bit off and use it as like a poncho. Likewise throw a bit over the camera/tripod. may involve a fair bit of cutting and joining but it'd defo be a cheap method - assuming of course the camo netting is suitable.

**Dabhand16** · 22-11-2006, 12:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by emmettleffel

Fiona, have a look on ebay for "toilet tents". They look about right for converting to a wildlife hide.

They're not expensive and your camo netting would probably fit over one easily.

Just don't get a used one !!!!!

Doug

They also have the advantage that if you are in the hide for a long time, there is probably room for a............