REMOTE CONTROL
Remote control systems and preparations can be hard work and time consuming, but they can help you photograph subjects and events that are rarely seen.
At its simplest, remote control photography means that you mount your camera on a tripod, attach a remote control receiver to it, and put it in a place where you can attract your subject. As an example, see the Siberian Jay in the chapter “Look for New Angles.”
Remote control systems are excellent for times when you either cannot get close enough to your subject or when setting up a photography blind would require excessive work. Lately, more nature and wildlife photographers have caught on to the potential of remote control techniques, mainly because experimenting is not expensive with digital cameras, not in the same way it was with film when the risks were seldom worth the trouble and success was rare.
On average, a person’s reaction time is somewhere near 0.2 seconds. This means, in theory at least, that from the moment something happens, it takes about 200 milliseconds to release the shutter. This adds to the lag already present due to the electronics of the camera shutter and the remote control. The lag is an important factor to consider when choosing the most suitable remote control device—the shorter the lag, the better.
A cable release has practically no lag, but with wireless infrared and radio releases the lag is close to several tenths of a second. You can shorten the lag remarkably by pressing the shutter release halfway down. Also, it’s good to select a remote control system that allows you to take a series of images as long as you apply pressure to the shutter release, and single shots by pressing the release briefly. A cable release has an extra advantage: it does not need a separate source of power because it takes power from the camera. On the other hand, a cable is always a restriction. Radio-controlled devices are handy, but they need their own power sources. Infrared devices need to have visual contact with each other, otherwise they cannot communicate and will not work. Remote controls are also good when you want to observe your surroundings more freely than you could through the camera’s viewfinder. To get the Collared Aracari image I prefocused on a branch where I knew birds would land. Every once in a while more than one bird was aiming for the branch and there was a skirmish. By using the remote control I was free to keep an eye on the area and anticipate action.
When using a remote control system, you’ll need to focus and set the camera in advance, so it’s good to select a lens with a deep depth of field. The best partner for remote control is a wide lens, but with a wide lens you have to get close to the bird, which is usually a challenge. Sometimes you can hide the camera and the remote control in a protective casing, but as the angle of the light changes, the casing’s shadow may hit the subject. Making the casing as small as possible can help minimize the problem.
Collared Aracari and Montezuma Oropendola (Pteroglossus torquatus, Psarocolius montezuma)
Nikon D700, 300mm f/2.8, 1/2000 second, f/4.0, ISO 800, manual focus, Gitzo tripod and video head, remote control. Costa Rica, January 2010.
A creative perspective is achieved with a remote control and a fish-eye lens, which is only 5 cm (2 in) from the bird’s leg. Taken from under the wing of a Great Egret (Ardea alba).
Nikon D300, 10–17mm f/3.5–4.5, 1/2000 second, f/16.0, ISO 200, self-made cable control with tripod and head. Hungary, July 2009.
If the remote control bug bites you and you want to invest in it properly, get yourself a motorized head for the tripod, powerful batteries, reliable wireless receivers, a weatherproof casing, and a video camera with its lens attached on the main camera’s viewfinder. And prepare yourself for a lot of problems, especially if you are operating a more complex system:
Batteries always run out in the middle of things.
Systems with many separate interdependent items are quite vulnerable, and they are prone to malfunction.
Everything is working fine when you are testing the system, but not during the action. Often you can repeat the session, but sometimes you have to live with the fact that you missed a unique situation.
The sound of the shutter release or light from the flash can startle or frighten birds, especially when photographing at close range.
If your gear is close to the birds, it tends to get dirty.
Make your system waterproof. It may take the birds a while to get used to the setup, and rain is common in most parts of the world. It would be very annoying to have to disassemble your system, just as the hours-long wait is about to be rewarded, because it starts to rain.
An essential accessory when photographing in water with a fish-eye lens—a homemade film-feeding device that rolls out new film in front of the camera lens to prevent mud and water from ruining the images
After trying many devices, often and thoroughly, I realized that to get the best results I needed to build my own system, and that I would operate it with cables. I used my own system when I photographed herons on a lake. Their movements are very quick, and I was not able to follow all the action from the viewfinder. I mounted my camera on a motorized ball head, which was hidden in a waterproof box about 4 m (13 ft) in front of my blind. The front panel of the box is made of high-quality window glass that is 2mm (0.08 in) thick. With the help of a remote joystick I operated the ball head from the blind and was able to aim my camera quickly.
I also put a small video camera inside the box and connected it to my laptop with a cable. The lens of the video camera was fixed on the viewfinder of my main camera, and it was feeding me information that helped me aim the camera. I didn’t want to use the video function in my DSLR for two reasons: it produces images with a lag, and I would only be able to take single shots.
I chose to use a cable release because shutter lag would have been more of an issue had I used my computer. I rigged two flashes on either side of the box, which let me photograph when the light was poor, even at night. The biggest problem was trying to keep the box clean; between the birds and rain, the glass panel quickly accumulated muck and dirt, rendering the box useless for photography. The problem was solved by using transparent film on the glass at the front of the box. I attached a small electric engine to the top of the box, which let me roll out new, clean film in front of my camera every time it got dirty.
Vulnerability is a major drawback in this setup. With many moving parts and cables, you can be certain that something will fail right when birds are where you want them to be, the sun is shining from a low angle on the horizon, and everything is just right.
The camera is operated from the blind, which is farther away.
I recommend remote control photography to anyone who is interested; just make sure that you have time and plenty of patience. It helps to make it clear to yourself from the beginning that some of your projects will fail and that some days are just a royal waste of time.