DSLR Camera trap - In pursuit of the Buzzard

[@taylorashmore5993]

Just been watching a buzzard floating in the sky which made me search this on KZbin, absolute stunning birds, great video and great quality John 👍

[@JohnFormstone]

Thanks Taylor, much appreciated. I'm glad you enjoyed it. 👍

[@sggphotography]

Loved this one John, thanks for sharing

[@JohnFormstone]

Thanks Steve, glad you enjoyed it. 👍

[@KWTImages]

Cracking work mate, love the Images....👏👏👏

[@JohnFormstone]

Thanks Keith.

[@daleasher3499]

Nice one Sneg

[@JohnFormstone]

Cheers. 😊

[@barrycrowley5791]

Great capture John, you have a terrific eye for spotting locations.

[@JohnFormstone]

Thanks Barry, To be honest the majority of my videos so far have come from this same small area of about 1 acre. I am lucky to have this place for my camera trapping. 😊

[@rikarthur8969]

Morning John, I hadn't seen this video before but as usual it is full of nice observations and good advice. Particularly good to see a photographer using a light meter. Lots of creatures benefit from not having their eyeballs blown out! Wishing you a merry Christmas for next week and looking forward to what you care to show us next year.

[@JohnFormstone]

Merry Christmas to you too Rik. Thanks as always for your kind words and support, it is always very much appreciated. Hope you have a great new year in 2024. Kind Regards John 👍

[@jameshopkinson4056]

Some really nice images John it really does make all the effort worthwhile

[@JohnFormstone]

Thanks James, much appreciated. 👍

[@johnfisher170]

Always enjoy your videos ,and you got some great images too.

[@JohnFormstone]

Thanks John, glad you enjoyed it.

[@jannikschou4138]

Great shots, congratulations!

[@JohnFormstone]

Thank you Jannik.

[@graylingsandseatrouts9940]

Great channel, informative and interesting. I am just starting to build my first DSLR trap and your films have been a great help. I appreciate your humble expression, and showing the whole work process behind the images you get. Greetings from Sweden.

[@JohnFormstone]

Thank you, I'm glad you are enjoying them. I like your channel title, I was once very keen on fly fishing for sea trout here in Wales, UK. But the wildlife photography has taken over as my main hobby these days. Good luck with your camera trap project, I wish you every success. 👍

[@graylingsandseatrouts9940]

@@JohnFormstone Thank you for looking at our channel! Fly fishing is a fantastic hobby! It was through fly fishing I got interested in photography and film-making. Thus both are very time-demanding and expensive hobbies :)

[@steinmalmberg3413]

Great images. Thanks for sharing

[@JohnFormstone]

Thanks Stein.

[@jeffsdale2]

Another informational and entertaining video. Thanks for taking the time to put this together and share.

[@JohnFormstone]

Thanks Jeff, hope you arrived home safely from your trip.

[@MJSPhotographyUK]

Thanks for sharing John, something I've not tried yet with a DLSR, I do have a trailcam that I do night time video.

[@JohnFormstone]

Thanks for taking the time to comment Martin, If you do give it a go, it can be very addictive but very rewarding. 😉

[@robertlawrence7958]

Nicely done John. Interesting to see your thoughts on dropping the ambient light and then using the flash as a 'sunlight' replacement so to speak. I can totally agree with your comments about bright sun conditions never being conducive to great images. Luckily you did get some shadier light and you have some very good images to show for it. As for the last image with the 'ethereal' feel, I suspect it will be a bit of a marmite image for most. Not really my cup of tea that one but then again I can see that it would appeal to many. Best wishes.

[@JohnFormstone]

Thanks as always Robert for concise and honest comments, they are always very much appreciated. One of my main reasons for dropping the ambient light was to try and hide the messy background a little. With more time, i could have found somewhere with a little cleaner background, but i had to try and find a balance between the usual time constraints and trying to keep my equipment safe. All part of the fun eh. 😊

[@Tropictank]

I really enjoyed buddy great job! I would like to buy that light meter Please let me know which brand and model you suggest?

[@JohnFormstone]

Thanks Erkut. Hope you are keeping well. The light meter i use is the Sekonic flashmate L-308S. They are quite expensive, but can be invaluable at times and takes a lot of the guesswork out of setting up your equipment. 👍

[@xploremore5366]

Hi John another great video and some useful snippets of advice. I'm just getting into camera traps and building my first rig up. Can I ask where you got those long telescopic poles that you put the speedlights on. I've been looking for something similar just can only seem to find fishing bank sticks which are quite short.

[@JohnFormstone]

Hi, glad you enjoyed it. The poles are called storm poles, the ones I use are 4 ft long and extend to around 7 ft. You will also need a camera bank stick adapter in order to attach your flashes. Heres a link to one of my videos, where i go into a little more detail. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eKaQp5xtp9CYd6M Hope this helps. rgds John.

[@xploremore5366]

@@JohnFormstone Thanks John, It was actually your video where I'd first seen them when I was doing my research earlier this year.

[@paule621]

Hi John , just found your channel and watched your videos . Very informative and some great captures . This is something I would like to pursue and would appreciate your advice on best lens for camera trapping ? Kind Regards Paul

[@JohnFormstone]

Thanks Paul, I mostly use cheap kit zoom lenses for my camera trapping, I am currently using an 18-70mm nikon kit lens from several decades ago. you don't need expensive wide aperture lenses as most of the time you are shooting between around F8 - F11 and the quality of the kit lenses today is excellent and I have been lucky enough to achieve some award winning images with entry level gear. I do occasionally use cheap 50mm 1.8 prime lens, but again a cheap prime lens does not have to be the latest model, there are some great, manual focus, old prime lenses which work great. One determining factor you should also consider is that you should only really use gear that you are prepared to have damaged or stolen. I have had both happen to me and whilst it is a very bitter pill to swallow, I would have been devastated if it happened to a high end set up. I hope this helps and i wish you luck if you do decide to pursue it. Regards John. 👍

[@eagleridge1972]

Loving your trapping vids. I am toying with the idea of getting one. If you set the trap trigger pir beside your camera facing the same way as your lens, how far out does the trigger throw a beam to set off camera shutter. Thank you

[@JohnFormstone]

Hi, Thanks for the comment. Its difficult to give you a definitive answer as there are so many variables, depending on size of animal, ambient temperature, sensitivity settings etc, but as a rough estimate, i would say up to 25-30 feet for a large animal. The sensor i use is the Camtraptions V3 which is a passive IR sensor and works very much like a security light on the outside of your house, in that it covers a specific area rather than a narrow beam. Hope this helps.

[@eagleridge1972]

@@JohnFormstone thanks very I guess I need to just play with it get a feel. That image of the fox chasing the rat is a once in half a dozen lifetime photo just brilliant

[@JohnFormstone]

Thanks. Your right, I don't think it is an image i will ever get to re - create. That's the fun of camera trapping, you never really know what you might get.

[@jisroddie]

Hi John, I'm a camera-trapper up in the Scottish Highlands and always enjoy your videos. Can I ask what brand/make those ground-spikes are for the flashes please? I'm looking for some new ones and they look good!

[@JohnFormstone]

Hi James, Thanks for your comment, i am aware of your amazing work. The adjustable poles i use are storm poles/bank sticks leftover from my old fishing days which i have sprayed up with a bit of green paint. They are 48" closed and extend to around 7'. they are available at angling suppliers and Ebay, just search "storm poles". The one i have is by a company called "Fox". You will also need a "bank stick camera adapter" which screws into the top and converts the thread to a male 1/4 - 20 camera thread, then you can either attach a mini ball head ( i use "ex pro" mini ball head, cheap on ebay at around £6) or a studio flash bracket or simply attach your flash triggers directly to them. They come in stainless steel or brass, I would recommend the stainless steel adapter over the brass ones as i have had these shear off. I may do a video on flash brackets/mounts in the future, as its a question that crops up quite regular. I hope this helps. 👍

[@jisroddie]

@@JohnFormstone Great, thanks - very helpful!