Triggertrap
Triggertrap was an England-based camera-technology company that developed hardware and mobile software for remotely and automatically triggering SLR cameras.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Triggertrap was an England-based company focused on photographic automation. It developed hardware and software that allowed photographers to trigger single-lens reflex cameras in response to external conditions or programmed timing sequences. Its products were aimed at users who wanted more sophisticated control than a conventional wired or infrared shutter release could provide, including photographers working with time-lapse sequences, high-speed events, motion-sensitive installations, sound-triggered images, and experimental camera projects. The company’s origins date to July 2011, when Dutch photographer Haje Jan Kamps launched a Kickstarter campaign for a new camera-triggering device. The campaign sought $25,000 but attracted nearly 900 supporters and more than $77,000 in pledges within roughly a month. More than 950 Triggertrap v1 products were offered through the campaign, giving the project an early community-financed base and establishing the company’s maker-oriented identity. Triggertrap’s first generation of hardware used the open-source Arduino architecture. Triggertrap v1 incorporated ambient-light, laser, and sound sensors, as well as an auxiliary input capable of responding to an electrical signal from another device. It was designed for rapid triggering and could synchronize an external flash at shutter speeds down to 1/640 second, according to the company’s published description. The product’s source code was made available through GitHub, reflecting Triggertrap’s emphasis on experimentation, modification, and technical transparency. The company also marketed a Triggertrap Shield for Arduino, a lower-cost, feature-compatible board intended particularly for users interested in building or hacking their own systems. Triggertrap expanded from dedicated hardware into smartphone-assisted photography. Triggertrap Mobile launched for iOS in May 2012 and for Android in September 2012. The application used the sensors and processing capabilities of a smartphone or tablet, connected to a camera through an accessory plugged into the device’s headphone socket. Depending on the configuration, the app could trigger a camera using sound, motion, vibration, or location. It also supported time-lapse photography, bulb ramping, and other programmable shooting modes. This approach positioned the phone as a flexible control and sensing platform rather than merely a remote shutter. The company later attempted to develop a more advanced product, Triggertrap Ada. A Kickstarter campaign launched in 2013 and raised £290,386 against a £50,000 target. However, the product did not reach production. On 2 March 2015, Triggertrap announced that it could not complete the project and said that the remaining 20 percent of the campaign funds would be returned to backers. The cancellation generated criticism from some supporters, including questions about project updates, delivery expectations, fund allocation, and the interpretation of the crowdfunding terms. Some backers discussed possible legal action. Triggertrap ultimately ceased trading on 31 January 2017. Its history combines successful community-funded product development, open-source hardware, mobile photography software, and a high-profile crowdfunding failure. The company is now defunct, and no current operating markets, parent company, or successor ownership are established in the supplied reference material.
History
Triggertrap emerged from the intersection of photography, open-source electronics, and crowdfunding. In July 2011, photographer Haje Jan Kamps began a Kickstarter campaign intended to finance a new kind of camera trigger. The campaign target was $25,000, but support grew rapidly: nearly 900 people pledged more than $77,000 within approximately one month. The campaign offered more than 950 Triggertrap v1 units, providing both development capital and an initial user community. The Triggertrap v1 was built around the Arduino open-source hardware platform. It included sensors for ambient light, laser detection, and sound, together with an auxiliary port that could accept signals from other electrical devices. This allowed the unit to trigger a camera when a specified environmental event occurred. The system was also promoted for high-speed work, with a claimed response capable of firing an external flash at shutter speeds down to 1/640 second. Its source code was downloadable from GitHub, making the product adaptable for technically confident photographers and makers. Triggertrap also offered a Shield for Arduino. The board provided functionality comparable to the original Triggertrap v1 while fitting into the Arduino ecosystem and targeting users who wanted a lower-cost or more hackable implementation. With configurable files and shared source code, the Shield extended the brand’s emphasis on modification rather than treating the camera trigger as a closed consumer appliance. In 2012, the company moved into mobile software. Triggertrap Mobile was released for iOS in May and for Android in September. A smartphone or tablet connected to a camera through an accessory attached to the device’s headphone socket. The application used the mobile device’s sensors and processing power to initiate exposures based on sound, motion, vibration, or location. It also supported time-lapse sequences, bulb ramping, and related automated modes. The mobile product broadened Triggertrap’s proposition by replacing some dedicated sensing hardware with software and a general-purpose phone. The company’s most ambitious later project was Triggertrap Ada. A Kickstarter campaign in November 2013 raised £290,386, far above its £50,000 target. Despite the successful campaign, the company was unable to bring Ada into production. On 2 March 2015, Triggertrap announced the project’s failure and said that the remaining 20 percent of funds would be returned to backers. The announcement led to criticism from some supporters. Concerns included whether campaign communications had accurately represented progress, why delivery expectations had continued to be presented as achievable close to cancellation, how money had been allocated, and how the campaign’s terms were being interpreted. Some backers discussed the possibility of legal action; the supplied material does not establish that litigation resulted in a judgment or settlement. Triggertrap ceased trading on 31 January 2017. The available account therefore ends with a defunct company rather than a continuing brand or an identified corporate successor. Its documented legacy lies in affordable programmable camera triggering, open-source photographic hardware, mobile sensor-based automation, and the risks of scaling a crowdfunded hardware project from prototype to manufacture.
- 2017
Trading ends
[1]Triggertrap ceased trading on 31 January.
- 2015
Ada project cancelled
[1]Triggertrap announced that Ada would not enter production and that the remaining 20 percent of campaign funds would be returned to backers.
- 2013
Triggertrap Ada campaign succeeds
[1]The Ada crowdfunding campaign raised £290,386 against a £50,000 goal.
- 2012
Triggertrap Mobile launches on iOS
[1]The company released a smartphone application that could use mobile sensors and programmed modes to trigger connected cameras.
- 2012
Android version released
[1]Triggertrap Mobile became available for Android, extending the mobile platform beyond iOS users.
- 2011
Triggertrap begins through Kickstarter
[1]Haje Jan Kamps launched a crowdfunding campaign for a new camera trigger. The campaign exceeded its $25,000 objective, attracting more than $77,000 in pledges and nearly 900 supporters.
Products and positioning
A maker-oriented photography-technology brand combining open-source electronics, smartphone sensors, and programmable automation for camera triggering.
Arduino-based camera trigger · 2011
Triggertrap v1
The original programmable Triggertrap device was built on Arduino architecture and designed to activate SLR cameras in response to environmental or electrical events. It included ambient-light, laser, and sound sensors, plus an auxiliary input for external signals. The product was also promoted for rapid triggering and high-speed flash synchronization. Its downloadable source code supported modification and experimentation by technically inclined photographers and makers.
Arduino-compatible camera-trigger hardware
Triggertrap Shield for Arduino
The Triggertrap Shield was a feature-compatible alternative to the original Triggertrap v1, designed to integrate with Arduino hardware. It used the same underlying source-code approach after configuration changes and was positioned as a cheaper option, particularly for users interested in hacking, prototyping, and adapting the trigger to their own projects.
Mobile camera-control software · 2012
Triggertrap Mobile
Triggertrap Mobile used a connected iOS or Android smartphone or tablet as a sensing and control platform for a camera. Through an accessory connected to the device’s headphone socket, the application could trigger exposures based on sound, motion, vibration, or location. It also supported time-lapse photography, bulb ramping, and other automated shooting functions.
Crowdfunded camera-trigger product · 2013
Triggertrap Ada
Triggertrap Ada was a proposed next-generation product funded through Kickstarter in 2013. Although the campaign raised substantially more than its target, Triggertrap later reported that it could not bring the product into production. The project was cancelled in 2015 and was not delivered as a completed commercial product.
Controversies
2015
Criticism over the cancelled Triggertrap Ada project
After Triggertrap announced that Ada would not enter production, some backers criticized the company’s progress updates, delivery expectations, fund allocation, and interpretation of the crowdfunding terms. Some supporters discussed possible legal action. The supplied reference does not establish a court judgment or confirmed legal outcome.
Marketing campaigns
- 2013Triggertrap Ada Kickstarter
The Ada campaign proposed a more advanced Triggertrap product and set a £50,000 funding goal.
Outcome. It raised £290,386, but the product was not manufactured. Triggertrap later announced that the remaining 20 percent of funds would be returned.
- 2011Triggertrap v1 Kickstarter
The founding crowdfunding campaign sought $25,000 for a new camera trigger and ultimately received more than $77,000 from nearly 900 supporters.
Outcome. The campaign supported development and offered more than 950 Triggertrap v1 products to backers.
Brand decisions
2017
Cessation of tradingOtherBackground
Triggertrap’s available company history ends with the business no longer operating.
Action taken
Triggertrap ceased trading on 31 January 2017.
Aftermath
The brand is classified as defunct, with no successor or current owner identified in the supplied sources.
2015
Cancellation of Triggertrap AdaStrategyBackground
After raising £290,386 through crowdfunding, Triggertrap reported that it had failed to bring Ada into production.
Action taken
The company cancelled the product and announced that the remaining 20 percent of campaign funds would be returned to backers.
Aftermath
The decision prompted criticism from some backers concerning project communications, delivery claims, funding allocation, and the campaign terms.
Kickstarter funds raised. £290,386 raised → Remaining 20 percent announced for return (2013 campaign and 2 March 2015 cancellation announcement)
2012
Launch of Triggertrap MobileProduct launchBackground
Triggertrap sought to extend camera triggering from dedicated electronics to the sensors and computing capabilities already present in smartphones and tablets.
Action taken
The company released Triggertrap Mobile for iOS in May 2012 and Android in September 2012, with a camera connection accessory.
Aftermath
The product broadened the brand’s offering into mobile software and supported sound, motion, vibration, location, time-lapse, and bulb-ramping functions.
Recent events
- 2017
Triggertrap ceases trading[1]
Bankruptcy
Triggertrap stopped trading on 31 January 2017.
- 2013
Triggertrap Ada crowdfunding campaign raises £290,386[1]
Product launch · Other
Triggertrap successfully crowdfunded the proposed Ada product, collecting £290,386 against a £50,000 goal. The product was ultimately not manufactured.
- 2012
Triggertrap Mobile launches for iOS[1]
Product launch
Triggertrap introduced its mobile camera-triggering application for iOS, using a connected smartphone or tablet to activate cameras through sound, motion, vibration, location, and programmed photographic modes.
- 2012
Triggertrap Mobile expands to Android[1]
Product launch
An Android version of Triggertrap Mobile followed the iOS release, broadening access to the company’s smartphone-based camera-control system.
Sources1 sources
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