Trying to capture high speed photographs like a strawberry falling into a bowl of cream can be very time consuming. You stand there with your DSLR dropping the strawberry over and over util you finally get the shot. Triggertrap has a $35 attachment for your smart phone that makes it simple and easy.
A simple dongle can transform your phone into a sound trigger, allowing you to capture split-second action in stunning clarity.
High-speed photography enables you to capture moments that are imperceptible to the naked eye. You’ll need a few bits of kit for it, but you can get great results with a surprisingly simple setup.
The most important factors are precision and speed: you need to capture the exact moment the action occurs, and to use an exposure that’s fast enough to freeze the motion.
A sound trigger is ideal for capturing any action that creates a noise. When the trigger detects the noise, it will fire the camera shutter or Speedlight, giving far more successful results than you’d get if you attempted to trigger the shutter by hand.
You could use the technique to freeze the motion of any high-speed action that creates a pop or bang.
You might think sound triggers are expensive, but there’s a great gadget from Triggertrap that costs just £23 ($35) that pairs your camera or flash with your smartphone, enabling you to use your phone’s built-in microphone, camera, clock and vibration sensors to trigger your DSLR.
Triggertrap’s DSLR attachment is fine for most uses but, as with most triggers, there’s a slight shutter lag. For high-speed photography, that split-second makes all the difference. Luckily, Triggertrap has an extra flash attachment that connects your phone to your Speedlight rather than your D-SLR, eliminating shutter lag.
Flash is ideal for high-speed photography. The burst of light is incredibly fast, particularly at a low power setting. When set to 1/128 power, the Nikon SB-910 Speedlight we used has a flash duration of 1/38500 sec – fast enough to freeze the action.
The problem is, we need the camera’s shutter to be open when the sound trigger fires the flash, but we don’t want any ambient light to creep into the exposure.
The solution is to take the shot in total darkness. This way, you can open the shutter for as long as you need to, and the only illumination will come from that incredibly fast burst of flash. Here’s how it’s done…
01 Take position
The shot needs to be taken in total darkness, so set up in a room that can be made pitch black. Alternatively, shoot outside at night. Attach your camera to a tripod. Switch to manual focus and pre-focus on the spot where the action will occur. Position your flash on a stand to one side.
02 Set flash to Manual
Set Manual flash mode and choose the lowest output (1/128 power here). This ensures a super-fast flash duration that’ll freeze the action. Attach the Triggertrap dongle to your phone and connect the flash adaptor (sold separately) to your flashgun’s hotshoe mount.
03 Attach the trigger
Download and open the free Triggertrap app from the Apple or GooglePlay stores. Open the app, turn your phone volume to full and go to the Sound sensor. Set a sensor volume level and make a noise to check the flash fires.
Source: Digital Camera World
Image Source: Kyle May and LASZLO ILYES
