What is Remote Control Photography?

Have you ever wanted to capture a photo from a unique angle, trigger your camera from a distance, or avoid camera shake for those perfect long exposures? That's where remote control photography comes in. Remote control photography opens up a world of creative possibilities, allowing you to operate your camera wirelessly. In this blog, we'll explore the various methods and benefits of remote control photography, from simple smartphone apps to advanced wireless triggers, and how to use them to take your photography to the next level.

Taking pictures remotely offers flexibility and creative possibilities. You can take pictures remotely using your iPhone or smartphone in many cases, particularly if you have a modern digital camera with WiFi connectivity and a dedicated smartphone app. These apps often provide a live view of the camera's sensor and allow you to adjust settings and trigger the shutter.

Alternatively, dedicated camera remotes, both wired and wireless, offer a reliable and often simpler solution. These remotes range from basic shutter releases to more advanced models with timers and intervalometers, providing precise control over your shots without needing to physically touch the camera.

A camera remote control is a device that allows you to trigger your camera's shutter without physically pressing the button on the camera body. This eliminates camera shake, especially crucial for long exposures or macro photography. These remotes come in various forms, with some being wired, providing a direct connection, while others offer wireless support, using infrared or radio frequency signals for greater freedom of movement. Beyond simple shutter release, many camera remotes offer additional features.

Some include timers for time-lapse photography, intervalometers for automated shooting sequences, and, importantly, the ability to engage bulb mode for exposures longer than the camera's standard settings, giving photographers more creative control over their images.

Now that we know what a camera remote does, what are some instances where you simply can’t produce your best photography without one.

• Minimising Camera Shake: No matter what type of photography you wish to partake in, a camera remote can be a crucial step in reducing blur, so you can capture images with maximum sharpness. Another key point if sharpness is your main reason for using a camera remote, is to always set your camera up on a tripod.

• Long Exposure Photography: One of the main areas of photography where you will find a camera remote being used is during long exposure photography. With the key goal of minimising camera shake, a remote control allows you to hold down the shutter button for as long as necessary, inculding when using the bulb setting, without touching your camera during the process.

• Macro Photography: Macro photography involves photographing small and intimate subjects, often at very high magnifications. In these circumstances, any small amount of movement is amplified, resulting in camera shake. A camera remote keeps your hands off the camera during the crucial capture stage, thus eliminating that shake.

• Self-Portrait Photography: Want to take your time to shine in front of the camera lens and capture brilliant selfies? Triggering your camera remotely can be an invaluable step up in this regard. Rather than setting up your camera with a timer, depressing your shutter and then getting into position in front of the lens before the timer counts down, you can be sure to perfect your pose before you fire the shutter, thanks to your handy remote control.

• Time-Lapse Photography: Time-lapse photography involves capturing multiple images of a single scene over time and then combining these images for a smooth and seamless playback. Moving the camera at all during the process of capturing images is detrimental to the result, making the camera remote an essential piece of equipment.

We have identified that some key aspects of photography are greatly advanced through the use of a camera remote control. But if your key area of interest falls outside of these boundaries, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider adding remote control photography to your arsenal. Here are some other great remote control photography tips:

• Use a remote to shoot from tricky angles: It can be tricky to locate and fire the shutter of your camera comfortably, if it is positioned in a unorthodox manner, which is often necessary if you want to produce more interesting compositions. By viewing and firing your camera remotely, you can experiment with these angles with great success. This is why selfie sticks sometimes come with a Bluetooth remote control.

• Use a remote to capture skittish wildlife: Whether you are using your everyday camera or setting up a trap camera, remote photography allows you to capture shy and cautious wildlife within their own environment. By staying physically out of the way, you can remain safe, and also prevent tuining the shots with your presence.
• Use a remote to capture better group photos: Tired of being the resident photographer and missing out from being captured in the moment? Similar to capturing selfies, remote photography helps you to produce well-composed group shots with remarkable ease.

With this remote control photography advice you are ready to take your photography to the next level. To catch up on the latest photography tips and camera gear advice, follow Ted's photography blog.