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Post by Peter on Feb 7, 2015 23:23:19 GMT 10
As my martial arts background is largely based around traditional ninjutsu, I’ve always seen black as an effective camouflage colour. That was until I saw a family walk past the bush near my house; two people were wearing all black (and they stood out like saw thumbs), and two were wearing various shades of green, khaki, beige, etc. They didn’t stand out at all.
Obviously the designers of camo such as Auscam know their stuff… Although apparently so did the ninja of old.
Does anyone know of any decent resources by which I could learn more about camouflage? Wesley-Rawles mentioned a USMC camouflage text in one of his novels, but I haven’t been able to locate it online.
The main areas I’m currently thinking about are suburban camouflage (it’s hard to be the grey man wearing full military camo) and remaining unseen in the bush.
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Post by Fractus on Feb 8, 2015 6:48:49 GMT 10
I have listened to a few tubes on greyman. Don't wear a suit to the beach, thongs to the opera, ski gear in Alice or bling to a klan meet.
On a serious note a fluoro shirts. I wear one for work now and I can go anywhere now and it is there. Trolley boys, delivery dudes almost all warehouse type workers. Fluoro is the new gray.
I have a few cans of paint in various colours to paint whatever I want at short notice.
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arkane
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Post by arkane on Feb 8, 2015 7:48:52 GMT 10
Ninjas were nightime assassins so black worked
In the jungle, deep jungle under the canopy there is low light even in the day so black works
Different camo,s for different places and uses!
Most new camos work well in there designed environment! for a while!
soon as the human eye builds a memory for that particular pattern it loses a lot of its no see abilities!
Keep changing and rotating patterns!
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Morgo
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Post by Morgo on Feb 8, 2015 9:16:24 GMT 10
"The main areas I’m currently thinking about are suburban camouflage (it’s hard to be the grey man wearing full military camo) and remaining unseen in the bush." I think you will still need two sets for this. Suburbia is best to go grey man style, just average clothes nothing that makes someone look twice. Wearing any form of camo, mil gear etc would make people look twice. In the bush there are some great camo pattern pants and shirts that will easily blend you in to the background. You could get a camo setup which you keep in the pack and just slip it on when going bush and off when you come out. I bought some 5.11 pants and shirts when I went to Africa.  No longer the ideal grey man around town but its not screaming camo or mil gear. Also in the bush not as good as camo but better than normal clothes and it blends in much better at a slight distance. Possibly a compromise if you didn't want to be changing clothes. On the plus side the 5.11 gear is good quality and I really like those Strkye pants now  |
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Post by graynomad on Feb 8, 2015 10:50:43 GMT 10
Hey Morgo it seems we have a similar interest, I spent time in Africa photographing the wildlife (many years ago I admit) but also did ok as a nature photographer until recently, still got the gear but don't use it much these days. That looks like a 300/2.8 you have there(?), I have the 400/4 DO, similar size physically and one fantastic lens.  As for camo, khaki is my normal bush atire  not exactly camo I suppose but blends reasonably well, at least when I' m in the dry Oz bush. Yeah I know you can see my face, OPSEC and all, but I'm plastered all over the web, have been almost since it was invented so too late for me |
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SM+?
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Post by SM+? on Feb 8, 2015 13:34:13 GMT 10
These days camo isn't just in green though, you can now get it in browns and blues and even pinks. When some1 would mention camo or khaki I use to think green but not anymore, I use to like to wear bright plan colours but now I tend to wear pastels and dark patterns. I also tend to project the feeling of emptiness around me too and that seems to work for me, on many times I've been able to sit or even move around people and they never noticed I was there. Have you ever seen a flicker of movement and just not put it out of your mind or passed it off as a bird flying by or smoke thing like that? That's how I appear to most people. Lol I've even spoken to people and though they'd spoken to me they couldn't remember me, they could remember the conversation but not to whom they had it with. |
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Morgo
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Post by Morgo on Feb 8, 2015 13:54:09 GMT 10
My Morgo, what a big one you have there lol, I get that a lot |
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Morgo
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Post by Morgo on Feb 8, 2015 14:59:37 GMT 10
Hey Morgo it seems we have a similar interest, I spent time in Africa photographing the wildlife (many years ago I admit) but also did ok as a nature photographer until recently, still got the gear but don't use it much these days. That looks like a 300/2.8 you have there(?), I have the 400/4 DO, similar size physically and one fantastic lens. As for camo, khaki is my normal bush atire not exactly camo I suppose but blends reasonably well, at least when I' m in the dry Oz bush. Yeah I know you can see my face, OPSEC and all, but I'm plastered all over the web, have been almost since it was invented so too late for me Nice one mate, did you do much in Aus? I'm already planning another trip back to Africa I had a Canon 400 2.8 IS before Africa but sold it as I though it was going to be a bit big and heavy and I wanted something a little more versatile so I bought the newish Canon 200-400 1.4x  Worked very nicely OP I was flicking through some of my old SSAA shooters magazines today and they have quite a few shops selling various types of clothing along with articles of guys in the bush and you can see how well, or not, they all blend in against our bush. Might be worth checking out a mag or two. |
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Post by Peter on Feb 8, 2015 15:40:42 GMT 10
All good stuff. Cheers.
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Post by graynomad on Feb 8, 2015 22:05:57 GMT 10
Morgo, yes I've done a lot of photogralhy in Oz, most of my work has been here really. I don't have much online these days but my Smugmug page has a few pics. graynomad.smugmug.com/Man I can't believe you have a 200-400/4, that's the wildlife photographer's dream lens. They were rumoured for years but eventually I got sick of waiting and bought the 400/4. I'm suffering from an acute case of lens envy, but I'll console myself in the knowledge that my lens only weighs 1900gms What part of Africa did you go to, and where would you go if you go back?
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Morgo
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Post by Morgo on Feb 9, 2015 12:29:17 GMT 10
Very nice stuff there mate. Any favourite locations in Aus? Yeah it was a big step the 200-400. Well worth it I think as its such a versatile lens and a lot of fun to use. The 400 f4 was one I considered though, I liked the weight reduction. The new version looks pretty good too. The 200-400 is still pretty heavy, can't imagine what a sub 2kg 400mm lens feels like I get a lot of "wow, thats a heavy lens" but after coming from my 5.4kg 400 f2.8 to the 200-400 which is around 3.7kg I think of it as a light lens lol I spent pretty much all of my time in Botswana with a trip to Vic falls as well. Did the Kalahari and had a great time up Kasane/Chobe way around the river. When I go back I'd like to do Kruger and revisit khama rhino sanctuary and Chobe again plus another undecided area. Figure around 4 weeks again though this time I want to utilize small planes/hire vehicles to get around instead of driving everywhere and just spend 4-5 days in each location. |
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Post by graynomad on Feb 11, 2015 22:05:54 GMT 10
Hard to say where is my favourite, the Pilbara has to be close, Kimberley as well, anywhere up north I suppose. But then I love it on the main range in Kosi as well, and the Tarkine coast is amazing...
As for the lens weight, all things are relative eh? 3.7k is a lot lighter than 5.4k.
I spent 6 weeks in Kenya, all over the south. If I was to return I'd just go to the Mara I think, and the sodium lakes nearby. I've been costing a self-drive trip, might even get out of it for $5-6000 for a month, but I doubt I'll go back.
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Post by Peter on Feb 11, 2015 23:18:20 GMT 10
Gray, have you ever been to Albany or Esperance? These two places are absolutely stunning. I'll probably move to one or the other if the Lotto dream was to come true...
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ozfire
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Post by ozfire on Mar 3, 2015 12:03:13 GMT 10
Hey mr Pete, my way of thinking it to try and blend in if operating in the urban interface. I am a sucker for cargo pants or shorts, and either t shirts or button up shirts. Most of my cloths are 5:11 clothing. They don't screem military.And I usually wear hiking boots. In my not coming home bag which I have in a location on the urban boundary, I have a light weight yowie suit that I can throw on over what I am already wearing. For the need of camouflage colours and also disrupting the normal out line/ silhouette of the body. I never wear bright clothing so my clothing underneath ads to the low colour blend. I figure that you would draw a lot of attention to yourself if you dress in all cammo in a built up area. Both from General population and law enforcement. This also goes for packs as well. I have a black or tan BOB. I agree with the comment on the Fluro shirt. I will consider adding a Fluro vest to my BOB.
Cheers.
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Morgo
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Post by Morgo on Mar 3, 2015 15:29:21 GMT 10
Hard to say where is my favourite, the Pilbara has to be close, Kimberley as well, anywhere up north I suppose. But then I love it on the main range in Kosi as well, and the Tarkine coast is amazing... As for the lens weight, all things are relative eh? 3.7k is a lot lighter than 5.4k. I spent 6 weeks in Kenya, all over the south. If I was to return I'd just go to the Mara I think, and the sodium lakes nearby. I've been costing a self-drive trip, might even get out of it for $5-6000 for a month, but I doubt I'll go back. That's roughly around the pricing of my trip for the 4 weeks I did including int air fares. |
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Post by graynomad on Mar 3, 2015 22:48:46 GMT 10
So it seems that cost is about right if we both came up with it. I reckon 4 photographers and 2 4x4s would be about the right mix, gives some redundancy in case of breakdowns and people wanting to view different animals etc.
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shinester
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Post by shinester on Mar 6, 2015 11:23:55 GMT 10
I'm no expert, though used to snipe very successfully with my own suit, playing paintball 2 decades ago. I had many times where people were practically walking on me completely unaware. If you do some further learning, some basic principles come up.
Shine - Shiny things get noticed. Your skin shines, think particularly your hands and face that are uncovered. Same goes for that nice wood stock.
Shadow - Stay in the shadows. If you're in the bush, being under trees or in the shadow of a rock will make you far harder to see.
Shape - our eyes recognize shapes and humans are great at noticing human and other familiar shapes. We break up that shape with disruptive patterns, colors and fabric patches, emulating foliage around us.
Outline - If your outline is highlighted against the sky, lake or similar flat object you will defiantly stand out.
Noise - Obviously making noise will also get you noticed. This is particularly true at night when the air is denser [sound travels further] and the background noises are less
Smell - The swedish talked of smelling the Americans and their sweet smelling fragrances well before they saw them in the jungle.
I was told by an army guy that dark navy blue is better than black because there's usually 'some' light from the moon.
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Post by graynomad on Mar 6, 2015 21:20:31 GMT 10
Gray, have you ever been to Albany or Esperance? These two places are absolutely stunning. I'll probably move to one or the other if the Lotto dream was to come true... Sorry Pete, I missed this. Yes I've been down that way, camped in a few places, most notable being over a month inside the old abandoned wool stores at Albany    Then over to Whaler's Cove  And Cosy Corner  Then Lucky Bay near Esperance  It's a fantastic part of Oz, I meant to spend the summer of 2010/11 down there as well, but we found a great spot near Freo and just hung out there instead, to lazy to move and next thing we know 3 months has past and it's time to head back north. One day I'll get back. |
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Post by graynomad on Mar 7, 2015 9:58:16 GMT 10
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