After four months of trying, one of the local bears finally cooperated and walked past my camera trap last night — taking a few photos of himself while I was getting ready for bed. I’m pretty sure this is the same adult male that I posted a few weeks ago. He looked much bigger in that photo because it was taken with a 500mm lens as opposed to this shot with a 17mm lens. Perspective from focal length can really change the appearance of the subject. My guess is that he was about two feet from the camera in this image.Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 500, f/8 at 1/125th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and flash units.
Hooray! So happy you finally had some success with your camera trap! It has the effect of a wide angle lens, distorting the bears facial figures. Is it motion that sets it off? Does it make a noise that would startle an animal when it clicks the shot? Think you could get a profile view so we can see how big he is?
I place a receiver unit at the base of one tree, and a transceiver at the base of another. The two create an invisible beam. When an animal walks through the beam, it fires the camera and flashes. The camera is inside a weatherproof box and has all the electronics to work wirelessly with the flashes. I used two flashes, both on tripods that were spaced on either side of the camera, about ten feet away. It’s tricky because I was shooting so wide that you have to be careful to keep the receiver, transceiver and the two flashes out of the shot. I’ve also placed the flashes in trees when they were in the right spots, but on this occasion I had to use the tripods. It’s better if I can get them on a tree because it’s one less man-made looking thing that the animal avoids. As for the noise, yes, the camera is snapping as usual, but being inside the weatherproof box, it’s muffled and not as loud as normal. The flashes going off, of course, can startle the animal. This bear has been through this area a few times already but was always walking in the other direction. Finally got him coming toward camera. I’m sure he’s used to the flash. To see a more accurate portrayal of his size, check out the post from September 14th. I’m almost certain it’s the same bear. He didn’t have an ear tag like most of the bears around here.
Thanks Kathy. The great thing about camera trapping is that I can set up the lighting and composition however I want. The difficult thing, is the animals have to cooperate. On this occasion they did. Here’s hoping a few more creatures venture by soon.
He’s teasing you Sean. He knows what you want. He’s just having fun. It’s harmless. This isn’t just a camera trap. It’s camera trap thirst trap. (Don’t feel ashamed if you have to google “thirst trap”, I did.)
Thanks Bob. I’m sure he was off doing his rounds looking for whatever he could find. My neighbor has a few bird feeders and perhaps he was on his way down there to check.
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After four months of trying, one of the local bears finally cooperated and walked past my camera trap last night — taking a few photos of himself while I was getting ready for bed. I’m pretty sure this is the same adult male that I posted a few weeks ago. He looked much bigger in that photo because it was taken with a 500mm lens as opposed to this shot with a 17mm lens. Perspective from focal length can really change the appearance of the subject. My guess is that he was about two feet from the camera in this image.Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 500, f/8 at 1/125th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and flash units.
Hooray! So happy you finally had some success with your camera trap! It has the effect of a wide angle lens, distorting the bears facial figures. Is it motion that sets it off? Does it make a noise that would startle an animal when it clicks the shot? Think you could get a profile view so we can see how big he is?
I place a receiver unit at the base of one tree, and a transceiver at the base of another. The two create an invisible beam. When an animal walks through the beam, it fires the camera and flashes. The camera is inside a weatherproof box and has all the electronics to work wirelessly with the flashes. I used two flashes, both on tripods that were spaced on either side of the camera, about ten feet away. It’s tricky because I was shooting so wide that you have to be careful to keep the receiver, transceiver and the two flashes out of the shot. I’ve also placed the flashes in trees when they were in the right spots, but on this occasion I had to use the tripods. It’s better if I can get them on a tree because it’s one less man-made looking thing that the animal avoids. As for the noise, yes, the camera is snapping as usual, but being inside the weatherproof box, it’s muffled and not as loud as normal. The flashes going off, of course, can startle the animal. This bear has been through this area a few times already but was always walking in the other direction. Finally got him coming toward camera. I’m sure he’s used to the flash. To see a more accurate portrayal of his size, check out the post from September 14th. I’m almost certain it’s the same bear. He didn’t have an ear tag like most of the bears around here.
Billy bear, your on candid camera.
So exciting for you to have this big guy visit & smile for the camera!
Aunt Sue
OMG amazing! I love this.
Wow!! Look at that big face! Gorgeous light around his black fur. An amazing image!
Thanks Kathy. The great thing about camera trapping is that I can set up the lighting and composition however I want. The difficult thing, is the animals have to cooperate. On this occasion they did. Here’s hoping a few more creatures venture by soon.
He’s teasing you Sean. He knows what you want. He’s just having fun. It’s harmless. This isn’t just a camera trap. It’s camera trap thirst trap. (Don’t feel ashamed if you have to google “thirst trap”, I did.)
Outstanding Sean, your patience paid off. That is amazing. That thing looks like he is about his business; food likely, right?
Thanks Bob. I’m sure he was off doing his rounds looking for whatever he could find. My neighbor has a few bird feeders and perhaps he was on his way down there to check.
Gotcha!!!! Kudos for all your efforts to get it just right. He could be a star—just sayin’.
Thanks Laura. He does have a face made for the camera.
Nice Sean !
Hopefully just the beginning
Well done sir !
Thanks Pete. Nice to finally have some action. Now I need a skunk. And an opossum. And some raccoons. And….
Nicely done! Thanks for amplifying details about the gear set up.