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Nat Geo takes a look at the cameras that changed wildlife photography

Jul 3, 2018 by John Aldred 4 Comments

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Wildlife photography and filming has come an extremely long way in the last few decades. This is thanks in large part to organisations like the BBC and National Geographic. The development of cameras and ingenuity of their teams has allowed them to see things that were never before possible, and they continue this trend today.

National Geographic recently posted an article and video on their website covering some of their photographic inventions since founding the Remote Imaging Lab in National Geographic’s Washington, D.C. headquarters.

It’s crazy to think that they actually used to strap film cameras to wild animals to get the shot. Thankfully, now, the cameras are much smaller and lighter, thanks to digital technology. And as that technology developed, so did the desires of the film & photography crews. And some of the challenges they’ve faced are pretty unique and perhaps a little bit insane.

Some of these cameras are the very first of their kind, and when you add wild animals into the mix, all kinds of unexpected things can happen.

Our job is occasionally quite dangerous—every once and a while you do something ridiculous like try to put a camera on a shark from a tiny dinghy.

– Mike Shepard, Mechanical Design Engineer

I wouldn’t even know where to begin to try and come up with a camera rig that could be attached to a wild shark. I mean, it’s not like you can go down to the local pet shop and pick up a GoPro harness like you might for your dog. So, that they actually managed to do it, and successfully used it to make some great imagery, speaks volumes about their inventiveness.

With such unique solutions and innovation, it’s no wonder they continually amaze us with their imagery. And I can’t wait to see what imagery comes next.

If you want to check out the complete article and see some of the cameras in more detail, head over to the Nat Geo website.

[Feature image: 12019 / Pixabay]

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Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: animal photography, NatGeo, National Geographic, wildlife photography

About John Aldred

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

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John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

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