The New Backyard DIY Photography Blind, Pond and Waterfall

Last year I wanted to build a small DIY photography blind in my backyard. I had an old play house that my kids used to play in. It worked, but I had to sit sideways and shoot. Not very comfortable. I need something larger and I also wanted to add a small water feature. I got tired of using a clay pot as a bird bath….not very realistic.

Since my knees/legs are fixed straight, I sit on my old wheelchair pad on the grass. Pretty comfortable. I need to hide my legs and tripod though, so building a square box is out of the question. I drew up a set of plans. I went out Home Depot and bought $20 worth of 3/4″ schedule 40 PVC pipe and ‘a few’ fittings. I had an old tarp so I covered it with the PVC frame work using a few spring clamps from my old blind.

Next I constructed my pond and waterfall. Right now it’s about 4 feet square and 3 to 6 inches deep. I’m glad our area is fine dirt/sand because trying to dig a hole without the use of your knees was a challenge. I lined the pond with 3.5 mil plastic and drove out to the foothills to get ‘a few’ rocks.

I found a Waterfall Kit from Zoo Med Laboratories at the local pet store. Its a quiet small submersible pump and I use an extension cord to power it. No, it’s not plugged in 24 hours a day. I just use it when I’m shooting.

It’s still a work in progress. I’ve already widened the pond from 2 feet to 4 feet and I may widen it more. I can add or remove rocks, twigs and logs to suit the occasion. I plan on buying another hummingbird feeder close to the waterfall in hopes to capture a hummingbird while bathing.

So if I can build something like this, I’m sure you can too! I hope I’ve inspired you to build one for yourself. Have fun with it and keep shooting!

A picture is worth a thousand words, so here’s some photos…

My Studio

Sitting inside the backyard blind

The View

The 3/4″ Schedule-40 PVC Framework

Me

The Backyard Pond and Waterfall

The Kitchen You can see the feeders and the old Christmas Tree that has holes drilled in so I can fill it with my Peanut Butter Suet.

The Backyard Waterfall

The Other End of the Waterfall

The Submersible Pump

A Lincoln’s Sparrow Taking a Bath

Mike Matenkosky

Mike is a Central Valley California landscape and nature photographer whose subjects include scenes from Merced County, Yosemite, SeKi, and the eastern Sierra. He is currently living in Atwater, CA.

The text and photographs are © Copyright Mike Matenkosky (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Mike Matenkosky.