Photo Blinds

When it comes to photographing wildlife, blinds, or as our European friends like to call them, hides, are a critically important part of being able to put animals at ease and capture natural behavior. From photographing fox dens on land to skittish species of birds in the water, photo blinds are an essential piece of kit for serious wildlife photographers the world over. Over the years we have put hundreds of different types of blinds to use in the field. But these are the ones that rose to the top.

Tragopan Hokki V3

Best low profile ground blind

When it comes to photographing from a very low angle on the ground, there is no better blind on the market today than the Hokki V3. We have worked with every conceivable ground blind option on the market, even building our own over the years, and this is hands down the best. It’s about the size of a 1 person ultralight backpacking tent, but purposefully designed for wildlife photography. Just slide a camping pad and pillow in with you and you will have all you need for very long days of laying around on the job. Some people have trouble shooting from the ground because of neck strain. The Hokki V3 fixes this problem by providing 3 different shooting windows. This means that you can opt to place your lens out the side of the blind and therefore lay on your side behind the camera, thus eliminating neck strain.

Tragopan Grouse V+

One photo blind to rule them all

Of all the many different types of photography blinds on the market today, this is unquestionably our favorite. Designed around the old Doghouse hunting blind, this sets up in seconds and gives wildlife photographers the most versatility allowing you to use the Grouse V+ in almost any situation. This blind is feature packed for photographers and is a staple part of our gear. If you purchase the optional vestibule with this blind, it converts into a very spacious and extremely roomy hide perfect for low profile shooting similar to the Hokki V3, but without being limited to only shooting from the ground. If you are in the market for an all purpose photography blind, this is the one to buy as it’s the Swiss Army knife of wildlife photography hides.

Tragopan Floating Blind

Best for local ponds and marshes

Floating blinds are an important tool the world over for serious wildlife photographers. By allowing us to enter into the world of shy and elusive species, while also providing a unique low angle perspective, the type of photos created from these hides is simply unparalleled for animals who live their lives in and around the water. In the Summer 2023 issue of PhotoWILD Magazine, we published a feature length article all about using these. While there are two distinct styles we use, the Tragopan Floating Blind is most feature rich and stable, providing a fantastically buoyant and safe platform to photograph from. This style blind is on the heavier side, and is also quite bulky however. While we own several of these ourselves, we use this style of floating blind for working on home waters - those places that do not require airplanes and extensive travel to reach. This is Annalise’s favorite floating blind.