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Photographing a Dangerous and Extreme Force of Nature, Wildfires!

Jason Hahn

Nature is extraordinarily complex and beautiful, it is easy to forget in our modern world just how powerful its forces are.  But, being a nature photographer presents constant, humbling reminders of this fact! A large part of what drives me is wanting to experience every facet of nature, then create and share images of these forces at work.  In doing so I am often going into potentially dangerous situations for me and my gear.  

In my part of the world, wildfires are a necessity to the health of our ecosystems. But, they are, to put it bluntly, scary as @#$%!  Dangerous, fast, and unpredictable, shooting them requires gear and techniques that let you react quickly to the situation to keep yourself out of harm’s way, and out-of-the-way of the responder’s managing the scene.  Here is how I capture images and video of one of nature’s most beautifully dangerous forces, wildfire.

Get Ready to Remote, Part 2: Advanced Camera Traps

Jason Hahn

There are places that can be too difficult to stay with a camera and shoot, there are events that are too dangerous to be around when they occur, and there are animals that are too shy of humans to ever get near to photograph. This is when photographers turn to using Photo or Camera Traps, a way to capture these types of images or video from a distance by remote control.  

In part 1 of this series, I covered the fundamentals of creating a simple remote camera trap. Now that you have that skill in your proverbial photography toolbox, let’s talk about more advanced setups and how to use the Platypod to support multi-light nighttime photo traps and remote video capture.

Get Ready to Remote, Part 1: Simple Camera Traps For Wildlife

Jason Hahn

Go out into the great outdoors. Find a place that animals like to hang out when people aren’t around. Set up your camera to automatically a photo of them when they do show up. Leave it there. Come back tomorrow and see if you got any shots. Repeat it all over again until you get the shots you need. Welcome to Remote Camera Traps!

In previous articles I’ve shared the different ways I’ve used Platypods in my photography. Possibly one of the best uses I have found is in helping set up a successful remote camera trap. The Platypod adds flexibility to the placement of your camera and lighting equipment that can make your trapping endeavors much more likely to pay off with great images.

Photofocus Products of the Year – Levi Sim

Levi Sim

Editor’s Note: It’s time for something new. In the past, Photofocus has made it a practice of acknowledging a specific camera and/or lens as the “camera/lens” of the year. This

Get a Grip with Platypod Pro Max

Brian Smith

Whenever I see a new piece of photo gear, one of the first things I ask myself is “what else can it do?” You’ll find great reviews of Platypod Pro

Field Review: The Platypod Pro Max

Pamela Ann Berry

Oh Platypod, I’m not going to lie. I love my platypods. I received their original version last year and it quickly replaced using a tripod 90% of the time. Yes,