Meeting My Wild Side

News that the UK was going into its third lockdown hit me with a wave of disappointment. I’m lucky that I live in a safe and happy household, I know this, but 3 months stuck indoors and away from my camera would drive me crazy. My fingers were itching and my Canon was calling my name.

I decided the best thing to do, naturally, was to build a camera trap.

For those who have never heard of a camera trap (like myself a few months ago!) a camera trap is essentially a way of triggering your camera to take a photo when a sensor detects movement.

When you see those amazing up-close pictures of big cats or rhinos in Africa (check out Will Burrard-Lucas as my favourite example), a lot of those images will have been captured using a camera trap. A camera trap allows a camera to get so much closer to animals than a human photographer can; either because the animal is skittish, or because it is dangerous. Or maybe a bit of both.

How To Build It

Gear needed:

To build the housing for your camera trap, what you will need is:

1. A pelican case (anything hardy, I bought mine from the following link)

2. A drill set with special bits to drill a specific size hole (this is a bad explanation, please see what I bought to help explain it!)

3. Camo tape (I use Gorilla camo tape)

4. Silicone sealant glue

5. A camera and lens (I took the opportunity to use my old Sony A77ii that I hadn’t used in years)

6. A lens filter (I used an old polarising filter that was for my old Sony lens)

7. A motion sensor (I used Camtraptions PIR sensor - the wired option as it was slightly cheaper and I didn’t want to stress about a receiver. However, the wire does sometimes limit my set-up).

8. [For night photography] Flashgun/speedlite/speedlight with corresponding trigger and receiver set (I use Yongnui ones)

All the gear and no idea: the equipment needed for the camera housing.

Step-by-step to build:

1. Firstly, you should cover the box in your camo duct tape. I actually only covered the section where I wanted to drill my hole before drilling the opening, but this was only because I didn’t trust that I would get it right and didn’t want to waste my tape.

   If you have more confidence in yourself (which you should!) then cover the entire case with camo tape before starting on your lens hole.

2. Next, you need to establish where you want your lens opening to be. This is where I realised my first mistake: I hadn’t checked the measurements of the pelican case against my camera body and lens.

   Luckily, the case just about squeezes my Sony camera set up inside, although I have to keep it at a very slight angle. Make sure you check the measurements of your camera before you buy the pelican case!

3. Once you’ve worked out where your lens hole needs to be, drill your hole using the specific diameter drill bit. I used the same diameter as my camera lens, as that was also the diameter of my spare polarising filter, but this does mean that my photos all have vignetting where the sides of the opening are visible. If you have a filter to match, I would suggest going one size up from your camera lens diameter to help fix this problem.

4. Get drilling!

5. Depending on what motion sensor set up you have, you may also need to drill a small hole in the side for the sensor wire to fit through to connect to your camera.

6. Glue the lens filter to cover the opening you have made with your drill bit. Make sure you have covered right around the edges to fully seal the opening and protect your lens from the weather. This will likely need to be left for 48 hours to dry.

7. Next, attach a tripod plate to the bottom of your housing, to allow the trap to be mounted onto a tripod. The most secure and sturdy method would be by drilling the plate to the bottom of the box (making sure to check balance first - as the box will be front-weighted with your camera), but I cheated and glued it to the bottom. I’d had enough of the drill by then!

8. For night photography, make sure you waterproof your flashgun. At the moment I use the extremely professional-looking clear plastic bag sealed shut with an elastic band! I will, however, soon be building some housing out of an old Tupperware box.

“Make sure you check the measurements of your camera before you buy the pelican case!”

Here are some handy YouTube videos I watched before building my housing:

• Matt Gould

• Will Nicholls

Camera Settings and Tips

Go-to Settings:

The go-to camera settings I use for night-time camera traps is between 80 to 160 shutter speed; ISO 640-800; and f5.6-f8.0.

I always use manual focus and settings for this photography, even for the daytime. I’ve found that what gets the best outcome is trying to pick a set-up where an animal will naturally be directed into the correct spot before being picked up by the sensor.

Most flashguns can’t sync above 250 shutter speed, so make sure you test out your set-up before walking away. Too fast a shutter speed will result in photos that are half black and half captured, and a very frustrated photographer!

There is a lot of trial and error with camera trap photography and camera settings, and unfortunately what might have worked for one situation won’t work the next night for a new situation/animal/time of the night.

It is frustrating, but there is no better feeling than when you FINALLY have the perfect focus and exposure. It feels like magic.

Animals are smarter than you think!

Try to hide the housing and sensor as much as you can without obstructing the lens or setting off the sensor.

Handy Tips

1. Pick your set-up area carefully and consciously. Is it an interesting background? Is it a clear area to provide an unobstructed view of the animal? Where do you think the animal will naturally be drawn to?

   For instance, like humans, animals will often use pre-trampled walkways, so it can be useful to set your focus area to where the animal may walk along one of these.

2. Have a clear idea on what animal and set-up you want for the photo and go all-in. There is a big difference in size and behaviours between a wood mouse and a fox, and this would alter the entire background set-up, focus point and flashgun set up. In my mind, it is better to wait for the perfect photo for a specific animal than to try to have a catch-all and produce slightly blurry, mediocre photos.

3. Keep an eye on the weather. If it looks like rain, take steps (I usually create a roof with a plank of wood!) to try to stop rain drops from getting on your filter which could cause blurred photos.

4. Invest in rechargeable batteries. When you get going, you’ll quickly realise why these will save you a lot of trouble and money!

“Make sure you test out your set-up before walking away.”

Before you go: consider the ethics

It’s important to consider the ethics of photography, but particularly with regards to wildlife photography, where some people may get carried away with the desire for the photo over the welfare of the animal.

Try not to shine very bright flashes right at the animal’s eyeline. I try to stick to the lowest setting of my flashgun and instead pull the exposure up in post editing.

I also try to avoid damaging the area that I am setting up my housing and tripods - too often I have seen photographers/hikers/tourists pulling up plants or changing the landscape that they’re in, just for the perfect photo. It is not worth it! You weren’t the first person to be there, and you won’t be the last, so make sure you leave habitats the way you found them.

Lastly, I am not wholly against using food as a way of positioning an animal where you want them for the photo, HOWEVER please consider whether the food is healthy/edible for all animals in the area, and whether this will disrupt the animal’s natural feeding habits. Animals should never be reliant on outside interference for food.

Go forth and enjoy!