Remotely Speaking

After last week's post, I thought it might make sense to talk a bit about how to set-up a remote camera.  If you remember, I had two remotes at the Grey Cup.  One was firing, automatically, every 20 seconds, using the Nikon D700's built-in intervalometer.  The other was firing via a radio transceiver- or also known as a Pocket Wizard.  The intervalometer is fairly easy to rig, and either your camera has one, or you can buy a add-on version.  The Pocket Wizard remote is the one that I would like to talk about today.

The advantage of hooking up the second remote, a Nikon D3, to a P.W. is that I could control exactly when the camera fired.  With the first camera firing every 20 seconds, I couldn't be guaranteed of getting the exact moment I wanted.  It's all about timing.

More after the jump...

Lots of photographers, these days, have P.W.s, which means you may already have the most expensive part of the system.  The other essential doo-dad, is a pre-trigger remote cable, which can be found here, or here.  I should warn you, if you click the second link, be prepared to sacrifice at least half a day to looking at all the different cool (remember cool is very subjective, just look at all the Main St. hipsters) cable and thing-a-ma-jiggies.  It may very well be the ultimate destination for pre, and custom-made gadgets.

Once you have your P.W.s and cable, the system is pretty simple.  The cable plugs into your camera (make sure you buy the right cable for your camera), and then into one of your P.W. transceivers.  The trick here is to plug it into the camera port, and not the flash port.  Use the other transceiver as the trigger, fire the camera by pushing the test button.  Done!

So, now you're set, almost.  You need to figure out a way to mount your camera in position.  There are as many ways to mount a remote camera, as there are places to put one.  However, if you plan on doing remotes, an essential piece of gear is the Manfrotto Magic Arm.  It allows you to put your camera just about anywhere.  Ever wondered how to mount a camera to a mountain bike, and shoot those slow-shutter, motion-blur pictures?  It's also useful for installing flashes in a spot where you can't use a stand.  You'll also need one of Manfrotto's Super Clamps.

Remote Cameras at the hockey venue during the 2010 Vancouver Olympic games

The view from above

Sydney Crosby scores the gold medal winning goal in overtime at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic games

Any guess about the most important thing to installing a remote?  Don't let it, or anything attached to it, fall.  There isn't enough liability insurance in the world to cover me, if my camera falls and kills Sydney Crosby.  Just like a mountaineer, redundant back-ups.  Make sure you have everything safely secured with braided wire safety cables and carabiners.  My friend, Nick Didlick, who was the Vancouver Olympic Games Photo Manager, showed me a good trick, using steel washers, to secure a clamp.  Another good idea, is using heavy duty zap-straps.  Apply Murphy's Law, when it comes to safely mounting a remote camera.  Make sure that anything that could fall, or break, is attached to a back-up.

Super clamp with a cable attached via steel washer

Check out this previous blog, for a couple of other views of remote mounted cameras.  Send me a quick line in the comments, if you have any questions.