People may say the “selfie” was invented in the last decade; in reality wildlife have been taking their own pictures for over a century (okay--maybe not intentionally). Believe it or not, remotely triggered camera techniques date back to as early as1889! Both during and after his time as a U.S congressmen and lawyer, wildlife enthusiast George Shiras, was one of the original folks to design a camera trap. Born in 1859 in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, he went on to dedicate his life to photographing animals and participating in biological research. National Geographic has even gone as far as to present him the title, “the father of wildlife photography” for his early use of camera traps and flash photography at night. He was recognized by Theodore
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For many photographers interested in publishing conservation stories or even just selling prints of wildlife—they will need images with large pixel dimensions and high resolution. Higher quality images allow for more opportunities to crop, retouch and zoom-in on a photo in post-processing without compromising its quality. Usually a digital SLR camera is where people turn. When paired with a wide angle lens and an external triggering source, the photographer can create images in the field that would never be possible in person.
Converting a handheld DSLR into a camera trap essentially refers to housing the DSLR in a waterproof case (with a window of photo glass) and rigging it up to either an active or passive infrared triggering source. These infrared sensors are triggered by either heat radiation (change in ambient temperature in front of sensor) or movement, or a combination of the two. When the sensor detects the change in temperature or movement, it sends a nearly instantaneous electrical signal through the shutter release port of the camera, telling it to fire. On many units the sensitivity of the sensor can be adjusted to the situation: will it tell the camera to take photos during the night, the day, or both. You may also adjust how many photos will be taken during each triggering event and even how long will it wait before triggering
For many photographers interested in publishing conservation stories or even just selling prints of wildlife—they will need images with large pixel dimensions and high resolution. Higher quality images allow for more opportunities to crop, retouch and zoom-in on a photo in post-processing without compromising its quality. Usually a digital SLR camera is where people turn. When paired with a wide angle lens and an external triggering source, the photographer can create images in the field that would never be possible in person.
Converting a handheld DSLR into a camera trap essentially refers to housing the DSLR in a waterproof case (with a window of photo glass) and rigging it up to either an active or passive infrared triggering source. These infrared sensors are triggered by either heat radiation (change in ambient temperature in front of sensor) or movement, or a combination of the two. When the sensor detects the change in temperature or movement, it sends a nearly instantaneous electrical signal through the shutter release port of the camera, telling it to fire. On many units the sensitivity of the sensor can be adjusted to the situation: will it tell the camera to take photos during the night, the day, or both. You may also adjust how many photos will be taken during each triggering event and even how long will it wait before triggering