Three BYU students had a goal to raise $25,000 to fund a new camera remote app. They had no idea they would exceed their goal by $200,000.
Kevin Harrington, Luke Duffield and Brett Gottula are the BYU students behind TriggerHappy, an iPhone and Android app that acts as a camera remote for a DSLR or high-end point-and-shoot camera.
They were excited and overwhelmed by the amount of support TriggerHappy received with 3,710 backers supporting the product. Harrington said the reason behind their success was no accident.
'We listened to our customers,' Harrington said. 'We knew who to talk to and determined a way to improve camera remotes.'
The TriggerHappy remote lets photo-enthusiasts take better shots with only their smart phone and a small cable.
Inside the one-meter long cable is a small signal processor that connects the camera to the smartphone through the phone's audio jack. The app is a simple camera trigger but also includes bulb functionality for longer exposure, time-lapse mode, HDR mode with up to nine shots and 16 stops of dynamic range and bulb ramping for time-lapses from day to night.
The TriggerHappy app can be used on the iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch along with select models of Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax, Olympus, Samsung, Kodak and FujiFilm cameras.
The app and cable are $49.95 and pre-orders will ship on July 1.