Camera Trapping - Still Images

My Journey

I have been camera trapping since 1989. It began when I designed a custom laser trigger to fire a modified Hasselblad and a pair of Metz 60CT-1 flashguns. My goal was to capture images of the elusive Eurasian Badger (Meles meles) in the woodlands of Buckinghamshire, UK. Despite the initial frustrations, successfully “nailing” that first image late one cold night left me hooked.

The Gear

Over the decades, I have designed several custom systems and tested nearly every commercial setup available.

What I use now – Cognisys Gear…

Since 2015, I have settled on equipment from Cognisys Inc. Their controllers and sensors are:

Rugged and Reliable: Built for professional field use.
Powerful: Capable of complex setups involving multiple sensors, cameras, and flashes.
Flexible: Can be used with stills cameras, hybrid cameras, video cameras, DSLRs, mirrorless cameras. Day and night. Continuous lighting or flash. Even IR. All wireless. Weatherproof.
State of the Art: Can be deployed for months due to sophisticated electronics resulting in amazing low battery drain.
Defacto Standard: As used by Apple TV, Disney/NatGeo, BBC Natural History Unit, and every other big wildlife production house

Artistic Philosophy

While I have deep technical experience with these systems, I consider myself a photographer first. I spend a significant amount of time perfecting the lighting at each setup.

Many camera trap shots suffer from a “spotlight” effect that looks like a circus act. My goal is to move beyond that—to use light so effectively that the viewer feels they are seeing the subject in its truly natural element and conditions.