Suggestions
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Ohsoalexzy
So, i was thinking, would it be cool/possible to set up two cameras in the same area, one facing the other. I know it would mean more equipment and more photos, but then mystery shadows and up close pictures would be seen from another angle. And I am curious about how the animals hangout around the camera, since there have been a lot of funny shots of some of them almost posing for the camera. (see #photobooth for the two zebras). What do you think? Is this something that was ever mentioned by the experts?
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davidbygott
moderator
I think it's more cost-effective to cover more different locations, even if some pix are bombs, than to duplicate the work of your cameras.
Animals hang round cameras because of where the cameras are. If it's fixed to a tree trunk, animals come there to rest in the tree's shade; thus, all those recumbent lions & hartebeest bellies. If it's staked in an open plain, animals use it as a rubbing post or as a scent-marking station, so you get CU of scent detection and scent production!Posted
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kosmala
scientist
In addition to the expense issue, the problem is finding two trees close enough together to do this -- especially out on the plains. Ali spent the first season of the project trying to figure out how to animal-proof the cameras. She has to use heavy-grade lag bolts, and still the animals sometimes manage to knock them loose. So stakes don't work for our purposes.
Two facing cameras are used frequently in camera trapping projects, though, so it's a good idea. They're especially useful when you want to try to identify individual animals. By putting two cameras facing one another, you're more likely to get enough, say, spots on a cheetah to figure out who that cheetah is.
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Ohsoalexzy
I've been reading the blog, so I see Ali's hardwork over the camera issue. I have been thinking about doing my own camera trapping in my backyard. Thanks for the input!
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