Camera Trap for Wildlife

<p>Hi Guys,<br>

<br /> I'm planning to invest in some equipment for doing some Camera Trap photography. As far as I know, 2 companies are doing such equipment, TrailMaster (http://www.trailmaster.com/) and Phototrap (http://www.phototrap.com/). I admit that I didn't understand how the Phototrap device was working and as a result, I'm more heading toward the TrailMaster PS 1550 device.<br>

<br /> I'm also planning to invest in some Gorilla Pod mini Tripod for stabilizing the equipment (see this picture for having an idea of the setup: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Camera_trap.png">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Camera_trap.png</a> .<br>

<br /> So this post is pretty open to all kind of feedbacks, advices or even people who want to know about this and have some additional questions. Some questions I have are:<br>

1) TrailMaster or Phototrap ? Any experiences ?<br /> 2) Gorilla Pod or something else ?<br /> 3) What are you using to cover the equipment while it is outside ?<br /> 4) Any artistic advices are also more than Welcome.<br /> 5) Camera setup for Camera trap ?<br>

I'm planning to use a Canon Rebel Xt (350D) + Canon 10-22mm + Canon 580 EXII Flash.<br>

Thanks !<br /> Emmanuel.</p>

the key in setting this up is the subject. . . what are you trying to photograph?

<p>Mainly mammals like fox, bobcat, coyote and so on. I may also be interested in other subject like bats or owls at night.</p>

<p>A couple of blogs you might be interested in perusing:<br>

<a href="http://cameratrapcodger.blogspot.com/">http://cameratrapcodger.blogspot.com/</a><br>

<a href="http://gamecamera-logbook.blogspot.com/">http://gamecamera-logbook.blogspot.com/</a></p>

<p>Interesting links.<br>

Apparently these guys are using all in one product with camera included in a box and everything. While this solution is pretty handy, it produces<strong> very low image quality pictures</strong> . What I'm trying to do is not to just get a record of the animal but rather to get unique pictures of animals in their environment.<br>

Thanks !</p>

<p>Hi Emmanuel,<br>

I looked into this for my own work in Amazonian Ecuador (www.brucefarnsworth.com), and I highly recommend Trailmaster. The owner is very happy to speak with you, and if you call them, you will learn much. They will explain the rationale in choosing the equipment. If you are working with the mesopredators like fox, coyotes and bobcats, then you need to understand their movements, which can require some time, observation and testing. You would also want to do this perhaps in early Spring or when the animals are hunting more to feed young. There is literature that suggests that during full moons these animals need to extend their hunting well into the morning. If you can collaborate with a local park ranger or grad student biologist who already has working knowledge of animals' whereabouts and could use your help, that could be very helpful. You might place the tripper along likely trails initially just to get a sense of their movements. When photo-tripping is incorporated into wildlife surveys for elusive predators, typically several units are deployed in many different locations to see which ones get activity and increase the odds. You need to be able to identify your "target" animal's tracks, scat (poop) and other field signs such as tree scratching, scent posts or whatever. While normally you might go for a wide angle closeup, first you might place the camera a little further away initially. This way, if an animal trips the unit, you will have a sense of what path/direction it is taking toward the camera location. Then you can hone the camera position for pictures of higher impact. You need to place the sensor high enough so that housecats won't trip it, but not too high to miss the shoulders of the animals you describe. Trailmaster has features such as limiters on the number of shots that are fired, and at what rate and so forth. It's very important to not leave a scent, even placing the unit before a rain would help. Heavy ziploc bags or homemade plexiglass boxes (handsaw & crazy glue) will sheid the gear. Looks like you've already done some research because the Rebel is the least expensive of the cameras that work well. (in case one gets stolen). One issue might be the flash. Canon flashes don't spring back to ready status quite like Nikon's. There was a gentleman who made a gerry-rigged Nikon flash cord that connected to the Rebel, and I can't find his contact info. Definitely go with Trailmaster. They are designed for getting great images. They have added features to give more control of the process, but it will still take some dialing-in! I was on the verge of purchasing a setup last year, but my work took another direction. I can't think of a better testimonial than Michael Nichols who speaks about their 1550PS unit here: http://www.trailmaster.com/tm1550ps.php I apologize if I rambled, but I hope that gave you some things to consider. In a tropical environment, you would also need to consider ants that might eat through cable housings :) Feel free to email me offline at bruce@brucefarnsworth.com</p>

<p>Thanks Bruce.<br>

I'll definitely contact you very soon, like now. :)</p>

<p>Please note that this topic stays open ! Don't hesitate to give your opinion or thought about Camera Trap Photography.</p>

<p>Sounds to me more like a sport than photography. It seems like a lot of work and the photographic results are no where predictable. The "photographer" has little say on lighting, composition, ... or much of anything. Or am I not understanding? If so, I would like to know a bit more about this type of photography.</p>

<p>This kind of photography requires a lot of research and a lot of time in the field trying to understand the animal behavior and their habitat. Once this work is done, you can more or less predict where the animal is most likely to be. Then you can frame you image and make the adjustment for a particular time of the day (light) or night (flash).<br>

Your are making artistic choices by choosing your focal, your composition and your camera setup. The only difference is that it requires a lot of time and work.<br>

Thanks for your participation in this topic.</p>

For inspiration I suggest you go to the National Geographic online site and look

for Steve Winter's photos and video made for a NG article on the snow leopard.

His images of this effort won several Photographer of the Year awards. The video

provides good insight into the custom equipment used. Fairly certain the

TM 1550 provided the beam.

Gabe

<p>Emmanuel, I know you don't believe that going out and finding animals to photograph while you're still behind the lens requires no time and work!</p>

<p>Anyway, I remembered another solution that's a cross between camera-trapping and being behind the lens. You can have the camera set up and fire it remotely when you know an animal is in position. The guy who does this blog (<a href="http://www.my-photo-blog.com/">http://www.my-photo-blog.com/</a>) used the set-up to photograph bears moving along a river. Sorry I can't locate the exact post, but he'd probably respond to an email.</p>

<p>With very few exceptions, such as with snow leopards and jaguars and some other stuff I've seen in National Geographic where they have nearly limitless budgets and a staff of engineers to build whatever they need, the camera-trapped shots I've seen always look camera-trapped.</p>

<p>Gable: Thanks. I know the Steve Winter's work but I can't locate the video our are talking about, would you mind sharing the address.<br>

John: I spent most of my time hiking with 20 pounds of equipment and of course all my current photographs are taken being behind the lens, so I know it is a lot of work and efforts. However, what I'm trying to do here is to get different pictures, seing the animal on a different angle, something that I couldn't do by staying behind the lens, even in a Photographic Blind. That doesn't mean I'm going to spend 10k on camera trap equipment and sell my camouflage and 500mm lens, but just that I think there is artistically something to do on this side of the Photographic world. I don't agree when you say that this setup is only useful for subject like snow leopards and jaguars. While it is particuilarly useful in this case, it can be useful for whatever animals, I'd love to see a good image of Coyote along a trail, or in the middle of nowhere. Camera trap can help to be creative, that's all matters to me. Most of the things I've seen on the web taken by Camera trap look pretty bad too, but that is not going to discourage me. Thank you for your participation and the link you specified, I'll take a look.</p>

<p>Emmanuel,<br>

<a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/06/snow-leopards/winter-photography">http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/06/snow-leopards/winter-photography</a><br>

<a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/06/snow-leopards/snow-leopard-video-interactive">http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/06/snow-leopards/snow-leopard-video-interactive</a><br>

These should get you in the right location.<br>

Gabe</p>

<p>Thanks Gable.<br>

They are apparently using home-made hard case for the camera, and super clamp and arm for the flashes. Interesting. I'd like to know more about the technical aspect of this shooting but this video doesn't give much information.</p>

<p>Sounds like you have a great camera to work with, I have a Nikon D100 I use on certain locations for game photos. Most of the time I use a smaller camera that is easier to hide so the animal looks more natural.<br>

I know of several people that use a Canon for this type of photography, one has a blog showing some of his hand held work, but does have an elk photo using 5 remote slave flashes. <a href="http://oregonwild.blogspot.com/">http://oregonwild.blogspot.com/</a><br>

I'm cliff, that has the game camera photo blog. Found this site and hope to learn more about photography. Sometimes it takes me over an hour to set up a camera on a trail for the best background and lighting, especially for otter and mink. Not easy when your unable to know from which direction or the time of day the animal passes by the camera, but is a lot of fun trying to get that perfect photo.<br>

Take care, cliff</p>

<p>Thanks Cliff.<br>

If you guys want to follow my future work (and highly possible failures :) on Camera Trap (among other things), please check my Website (<a href="http://www.emmanuelrondeau.com">http://www.emmanuelrondeau.com</a> ) and particularly my blog (<a href="http://blog.emmanuelrondeau.com">http://blog.emmanuelrondeau.com</a> ). The blog is open to discussion, I've just posted a topic about Camera trap.</p>