Timelapse Overview

Timelapse

Timelapse films are a fascinating facet of photography. Photographs taken at regular intervals pictures and combined them into a video and reproduced within a fraction of the recording period.

The result is often the visualization of movements that the human eye does not perceive in this form due to their slowness For example, the blossoming of flowers, the sunset, the flow of slow clouds, or the change of the sky over a more extended period.

The easiest way to create a time-lapse video is to play a video twice or five times the speed. Unfortunately, this gives an inferior quality, which is why I would strongly advise against it.

Better results can be achieved with a series of frames, rather than working with film automation. The shooting frequency depends on the type and speed of the scene changes. For example, you can take a picture every 5 or 10 seconds, which will later be played back as a video at 24 or 30 frames per second.

Important Basic Settings

Aperture

The optimal aperture is about:

f5.6 – f8

I’m convinced that simply try it out.

Tip:

A fixed aperture reduces variations in depth of field.

ISO

The ISO value describes the light sensitivity of the image sensor. Best is a value of :

ISO 100

So dark the surroundings and the comparatively “long” exposure during photography, a low ISO value is absolutely necessary. This reduces the later noise on the image, but also increases the exposure time. Another advantage is that the dynamic range of your camera increases as the ISO value decreases.

Shutter Speed

In the field of timelapse photography, as with any regular shot, the image must be correctly exposed. Therefore, the exposure time should always be set individually.

For longer shutter speeds and high sun intensity, you should consider using an ND filter (a pair of sunglasses for the camera).

Tip:

In order to get nice “slightly blurred” transitions, I usually try to work with an exposure time of 2 seconds.

White Balance

In the field of time realization, it is essential to deactivate the automatic white balance and set it to a fixed value. This guarantees that the final result is constant and that there are no “jumps” that appear unattractive.

TIP:

It is usually sufficient to set the white balance to sunny or cloudy. To counteract the yellow-golden tinted sodium vapor lamps in the city, I set the white balance to a fixed Kelvin number of about 3300K.

Further Adjustments

I photograph Timelapse in manual mode because here, all degrees of freedom is given to you. So you can influence all variables according to your wishes and correct them quickly.

I take the pictures in RAW format to get the best picture quality and to be able to adjust my white balance in post-processing.

Manual focusing is also essential during the day in order to guarantee the same depth of field. Particularly in nearly total darkness, it is impossible to find the right focus point with autofocus, so manual focusing is important.

Due to the “long” exposure time, it is essential to have a stable position, as even minimal shaking can have a maximum effect on the end result. Therefore a safe and stable tripod is not to be renounced. Moreover, the camera does not know that it is firmly fixed, and the image stabilization could still try to compensate for something that does not exist. Therefore the image stabilization should also be switched off.

After all, settings have been made, it is not easy to give tips on image composition, because everyone has their own ideas about what should be in the image. In general, I would say: Less is more. Try to only include elements in the picture that should be part of it and perhaps have a relationship with your central motif.

Design Samples

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Special Types

Holy Grail

For a long time, it was almost impossible to create a time-lapse from daylight to absolute darkness, which is why the name Holy Grail,for the impossibility of these photographs, has prevailed.

The reason for this is quite simple: Thestrongly changing light. To see something from daylight into the night, you have to adjust the camera settings regularly. The darker it gets, the longer the shutter speed has to be, a higher ISO has to be set, or the aperture has to be opened wider. As a result, every time the camera values change, there is a clearly visible change in the video, which becomes either brighter or darker by leaps and bounds.

But with new programs, it is possible to smooth out these light jumps in such a way that a smooth video will be created at the end.

Movement

In addition to the simple time-lapse, there are also more complex procedures to present the events in a more interesting way. Adding additional motion to the time-lapse is, for example, an effect that is often used. Slow motion camera movements paired with fast moving clouds bring a great contrast to the video.

Digital

This method is later used in image processing, more precisely in video editing, to create digital camera movements. The image is going to be cropped to simulate a dynamic ride.

Slider

The slider is a rail with a pre-mounted carriage on which the camera can move back and forth. Ideally, this is done smoothly and often with a belt tensioned between the beginning and end of the slider.

Above all, sliders should be motorized and programmable for time-lapse. The motor ensures that the camera is moved evenly over the slide during shooting and not jerkily or continuously The engine stops the camera for each shot to ensure that the shot is not blurred. After taking the picture, the camera is moved a little further to shoot the next photo. As these driving intervals are only a few millimeters to centimeters, it would be very uncomfortable to do this manually.

Sliders are available in different designs, materials, and lengths, of course, also in various price ranges.

Skills needed

Mastering the basic understanding of your own camera
To be able to operate your camera safely even in the dark
Manual focusing your camera
Setting the White Balance
Be well rested & have fun by your photography

Planning 47%

Shooting Time 68%

Selection & Editing 92%

Publication & Recognition 39%

Tripod

Like long-time exposures, Timelapse requires you to have a stable stance when shooting timelapse. For this reason, a tripod is indispensable.

Since most of the suitable photo positions are in the open, there is no possibility to place the camera anywhere. For this reason, you should use a stable tripod to avoid camera shake.

Remote Trigger

When you take pictures from a tripod, you do it, so the picture doesn’t jitter. However, the moment you press the shutter button on the camera, you may be shaking the image.

To avoid this error, I use a remote shutter release. To my knowledge, there are wireless, infrared, and cable remote triggers on the market. All three fulfill this function.

Besides, remote triggers usually also act as interval triggers, so you only have to predefine all time parameters once, and then the time process runs almost by itself.

Batteries & Storage

Timelapse photographs are extremely energy-hungry, because of the high number of images that need to be taken, you should not only have the battery fully charged but also a spare battery with you. Batteries have lower performance at low temperatures, which you should keep in mind.

You should have your memory cards properly formatted and choose the right size for your purpose.

Flashlight & Gloves

As you may be in the dark when taking timelapse photos, you need to be familiar with the functions and settings of your camera. It’s also very helpful to carry a flashlight.

Especially in the later seasons, it gets faster colder in the evenings and at night, so think of gloves. The best thing to do is to try out whether you can still operate your camera well with them.

timelapse