DIY

IMAGING

CAUGHT IN THE ACT

Auto-trigger photos of critters who roam your neighborhood. By Jim Moir and Ken Lange

Ever wonder what’s getting into your garage at night, eating your cat food in the backyard, or coming by your tent when you’re camping? Now you can find out. With a digital camera, flash, and triggering mechanism, you’ll be able to see exactly which critters are prowling at 3 a.m.

Although there are some challenges to overcome, we’ve discovered that there are plenty of solutions to develop a remote wildlife photography system that meets your needs and budget. Film cameras were used in the past, but clearly digital cameras bring this hobby to a new level by eliminating the expense, time, and effort that comes with film.

MATERIALS

Digital camera We prefer the Kodak DC-290 and discuss its benefits in this article.

Infrared (IR) detector or motion sensor Camera flash

Power supply

What Does It Take to Do This? Our challenge was to choose a camera system that can stay awake for long periods (most shut

down after a few minutes to conserve battery power) and to rig a method for sensing the animal and triggering the shutter remotely. We also needed a flash capable of illuminating an area large enough to capture pictures of what tripped the camera. Finally, we needed power reserves big enough to run the camera, the external flash, and the animal-sensing trigger mechanism for several days.

Photography by fox (this page) and Jim Moir (Figure A)

162 Make: Volume 15