Build a High-Speed Laser-Triggered Photography Rig to Capture Split Second Exposures [DIY]

via Lifehacker by Jason Fitzpatrick on 2/6/10

Photographing things that happen in a split second—like a drop of water hitting a puddle—is difficult enough, but when the subject of the photo is in motion, like a flitting honey bee, it requires laser-triggered precision.

The photo above was captured by a Belgian photographer that has fused his enthusiasm for photography and electronic wizardry into one hobby. His photography rig is a technological sight to behold, the camera is flanked by flashes and two arms that have infrared lasers which act as a trigger for the shutter. Check out the picture below to see him at work in the field with the rig:

For those of you who are unfamiliar with macro photography, especially that of insects, a bit of explanation on just how awesome his franken-camera is. In my personal collection (I am a professional photographer) I have at most a dozen photos that come even remotely close to the awesomeness of his insect macros.

When you’re trying to photograph a bee in flight using a powerful macro lens, you’re entirely at the mercy of the bee. You have to set up your camera, get it incredibly steady, and hope that a bee will come into the tiny field of focus you have. If you get a perfectly crisp shot of a bee in flight about to alight on a flower, that means you managed to luck out and have a bee fly into the tiny business-card thin depth of field window your macro lens provides and you snapped the picture at the exact 1/100th of a second that was occurring.

The beauty of his rig is that the lasers which trigger the shutter of the camera are aligned perfectly in the exact sweet spot of the lens. Using the rig you can’t miss a shot because the shot only occurs when the action is occurring in the frame and in focus. (I am so envious of this amazing setup!)

You can visit the link below to see his technical schematics and diagrams, along with photos of him constructing the rig. If you have no intention of building such an elaborate rig, we'd still suggest taking a peek at his galleries. His work is amazing and the type of ten-thousandth-of-a-second exposures he captures like a mosquito—a mosquito!—in flight are incredible. You can view his insect gallery here and his water droplets gallery here.

Laser-Triggered Macro Photography Setup [Flickr via Make]