Dad's Tricks for 4 Pix

TRASH BANDITS

To get this shot, Michael cut a hole in the bottom of a trash can. Then he poked the camera lens through it and left for the night. When the raccoons came by, they walked through a beam of light that Michael had also set up. That triggered the camera and special flashing lights — and caught the bandits in the act!

TURTLE TIME

Here's a trick anyone could try. Michael put some rocks and plants into an aquarium to make it look like a pond. Then he caught a pond turtle and added it to the aquarium. When the turtle swam into just the right position, presto — a really "wild" photo!

KER-PLOP!

You've probably thrown a rock into water before, right? But how many people have turned a splash into art? Michael has. He set his camera next to a large aquarium full of water. Then he started throwing rocks into it. Plop, plunk, plop, the rocks went — until Michael got the "picture-perfect" shot.

BEE-UTIFUL!

Michael set up his camera gear near a flower, waiting for a bumble bee to come by. But how could he be sure the bee would visit the right flower? He covered most of the other flowers with a blanket! When this bee flew through a beam of light, it triggered the camera to go off with a rapid flash. And that "froze" the bee in mid-air.

Ranger Rick, Jun2007