Filming For Conservation: Another Day in Hip Waders
The latest conservation filming work on a chilly November morning saw me in a hip waders in a coldwater stream to film and capture the stories of benthic monitoring.
Filming in this environment is really enjoyable and let’s me get creative with different kinds of shots vs land-based filming.
Benthic monitoring is the process of studying and assessing the organisms and conditions found on a river bottom, known as the benthic zone. This type of monitoring is crucial for understanding the health and biodiversity of aquatic ecosystems, as the benthic environment plays a key role in nutrient cycling, water filtration, and providing habitat for various species. By examining benthic communities, such as invertebrates, plants, and microbial life, researchers can track the impacts of pollution, climate change, and human activities such as dredging, runoff, agricultural impacts, etc. Benthic monitoring often involves collecting samples from the substrate, using tools such as scoop nets, and analyzing the species present to assess ecosystem health and inform conservation efforts.
I use all the same cinematography camera equipment for filming in water. There’s just two other pieces of gear that I bring: 1) An underwater camera dome, 2) Hip waders.
Hipwaders are an essential piece of gear, especially when my work takes me into wetlands, rivers, or coastal ecosystems. These environments often require me to get into the water to capture footage of wildlife, plant life, and habitats that are inaccessible from land. You simply can’t be in the conservation filmmaking business and not be open to getting into water. Hipwaders allow me to safely traverse these areas without getting wet or risking injury from sharp objects or unstable ground beneath the water’s surface. This practical protection ensures that I can can focus on documenting critical conservation stories, from the behaviours of aquatic species to the impacts of environmental change on delicate ecosystems.
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