Using Movement as Subject When Shooting Time-lapse
No matter what you are shooting–people, landscapes, weather, machines–your subject is essentially the movement of these elements within the frame. You really need to develop a talent for pre-visualizing how this movement will look in time-lapse mode.
This skill will guide you in determining that important interval setting. As you look up at the sky and watch the clouds barely moving, or try to imagine a stadium filling with people before its actually happened, you will (with experience, make increasingly educated decisions about that span between exposures.
We also want to remind you that postproduction is going to become your best friend. Sometimes its better to just shoot more frames and then speed up the action in post. This will take some of the guesswork out of trying to constantly answer the “how long” question. But, don’t get lazy… you still want to develop your time estimation skills!
Shooting Time-lapse? Get More Power.
Depending on the duration of your record time, you may run out of power with the standard in-camera batteries. Easy right… just swap ‘em. Oh wait, taking the camera of the tripod would screw up the consistency of the shot. Even if the batteries are accessible, you still want to avoid touching the camera. A subtle change in framing from a bumped camera will quickly destroy the illusion.
Try this instead:
- Get a Grip. You can extend the life of your camera’s power capacity by using a battery grip. These can attach to the bottom of your camera and allow you to use an additional battery (or even a higher capacity battery).
- Go Direct. The other option is to switch to AC power. You may need to pick up the adapter as most camera’s don’t include one. Just make sure you have a backup plan like a generator or extension cords.
Buy At Least One Prime Lens
When you bought your DSLR, it probably came with a zoom lens that easily lets you get a wide range of coverage with just a quick twist of the wrist. So, why on earth would you go back in time and pick up a prime lens that only offers a single focal length?
It’s all about aperture.
Most prime lenses offer apertures that open as far f/1.2 to f/2. These wide openings let in a lot more light, which is truly useful when shooting in existing light or low-light environments.
The AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D lens from Nikon is an affordable prime lens
Prime lenses are universally faster than zoom lenses and typically are much cheaper as well. This is due to the way the lenses are manufactured. Prime lenses have fewer moving parts and elements than zoom lenses.
Having a prime lens or two in your kit will really come in handy in the following situations:
- When you need to shoot in very low-light conditions.
- When you want to shoot with a shallow depth of field to blur your background or give the video a more filmic look.
Because We Could All Use a Good Laugh
Two movies I thought worth sharing… slightly off-topic, but funny nonetheless.
A little humor about the people we shoot (or those who get in the way of what we shoot):
A little humor about the dumb things we say:
Produce Time-lapse Animation on Your iPad
I wanted to share a recent find with you. At Macworld Expo I had the chance to speak with Boinx Software. They make several great apps for Mac and iOS devices.
They had just released their iStopMotion app for iPad… and it has a bunch of time-lapse features. The app ended up winning Macworld Best of Show award, so I thought I’d give it a whirl. The app is currently 50% off and selling for $4.99.
Let’s start with a sample of what can be done:
The Features
- Time Lapse – Record automatically or at an interval.
- Manual Controls – Control camera exposure and focus.
- Instant Playback – Tap a button to see it playback instantly.
- Remote Camera – Use the free iStopMotion Remote Camera app with an iPhone 4/4S, iPod touch (4th gen) or a second iPad 2. Connect via WiFi to each other.
- Share – Publish via email or on YouTube. You can also export your movies to a Mac or PC for further editing or archiving.
TechSpecs
- iPad 2 or later (any model)
- iOS 5.0 or later
- iStopMotion Back Camera: 1280×720
- iStopMotion Remote Camera: 1280×720
- Format PNG uncompressed 1280 x 720 pixels
- Frame Rate: 1 – 30 fps in 1 frame steps (default 12 fps)
- Export Video Format Video: H.264.
- Resolutions: Small (426×240), Medium (640×360), Large (854×480), HD/Full Size (1280×720)
A Test
I’m taking this app with me on the road and will post some test shots this week. I highly encourage you to check it out though. It’s a fun app.
