I am so excited to get back into teaching guys! You have no idea how stoked I am for this experiment….. I’d love to hear your feedback.

Designed for both new and intermediate DSLR camera owners, Time-lapse Photography: A Complete Introduction to Shooting, Processing and Rendering Time-lapse Movies with a DSLR Camera explores the art and science of time-lapse in an interactive, resource rich and fun to learn way.

No matter your skill level (whether beginner or intermediate and even to advanced) there is plenty to learn and share with each other. Start shooting and sharing kick arse time-lapse now! 

We’ll explore gear as we set it up, we’ll show screen captures as we render our images. We’ll walk through examples, workflows and diagrams together to create maximum understanding with minimum time spent away from your camera. We’ll also learn from you as your tips, feedback, and experience becomes part of the course each week.

We’ll explore:

• Time-lapse gear from basic to advanced: tripods, intervalometers, DSLR cameras and lenses
• Balancing time-lapse image settings
• Shooting time-lapse: composition and exposure
• Preventing timelapse flicker
• Creating the time-lapse movie: codecs and ,frame rates, software workflows and walkthroughs
• Introduction to Time-lapse challenges including:

1. Astrophotography time-lapse
2. Flicker free day to night transitions
3. HDR timelapses and
4. Time-lapse motion control devices

Classes are a mix of live and recorded sessions, live and email office hours, peer sharing and constructive feedback, and online resources.

FREE eBook Textbook:

Included with each course signup is a complete 149 page course textbook (learn more about the time-lapse photography ebook here) regularly $14.99.

• 350+ images, diagrams, and workflow illustrations – Quick reference summaries and checklists

If you prefer a print edition it’s available here on Amazon.com

Here are a few snippits:

Here’s what others are saying about the book and course material:

• “Just what I needed. I have brushed through it and I love it already. I am planning a trip to Death Valley for a moon timelapse. One day before full but all night. And my birthday. This will be my first real test, so your book has come at a perfect time.” – Laurie

• “I am a TL newbie and found the book helpful and there were a number of things that I think intermediate users would appreciate. …you’ve done a great job and I think the project will be a big success!” – Michael

• “I just wanted to take a second and congratulate you on that great eBook. I bought it last thursday and by the end of sunday i was done with it. Very good book, great information and the way you explain it makes it a really easy to learn process. Just wanted to give you your props for the great book.” – Tomas

• “Hi Ryan, Thanks so much for the FANTASTIC time lapse book! I’m really enjoying it.” -Matthew

• “Great book…I can’t put it down… well I mean leave the computer !!!!!!!!” – Wayne

• “You had me at “It’s 2:20 in the morning”! Great book, and you clearly write very well. As soon as my D800 comes in (next week maybe), I’m going to start this new adventure. Thanks again.” -Kenneth

• “I loved the book. I found it very informative, thank you for putting in so much effort. It’s really helped me and I’ve been shooting away constantly.” -Robert

• “Thank you very much for the ‘’TimeLapse’’Download,had no problems. I am very impressed,it is done very well to understand and follow.” – Hans

• “Thanks so much Ryan, looking forward to show you my first time-lapses. Now let’s learn.” – Tomy

• “Time Lapse book : 4 thumbs up! I’ve been in photography since I’m 15 (so that’s almost 30 years .. gosh !!), and I’ve tried many things.. but your book gave me that kick I love so much in photography, there are new exiting things I can try and do, and you just made me not only discover it, but also WANT to do it… really badly  ” – Eric

• “I’ve read straight through and am most impressed with the amount of information written in such concise readable fashion. You are to be heartily congratulated on the book, I am really highly delighted with it and feel quite inspired. I can’t wait to get started.” – Peter

Do you think time-lapse should be left to the pros? I don’t think so.

Take some of the stuff shared here and invest it in your next clip but also throw some of it away, do your own tests and rethink sections how you please. Don’t let anyone tell you that you are doing things the wrong way. If you are getting the results you want then that’s all that matters. Never forget that you are the artist and it’s your story.

It’s a real honor and privilege to partner with you on this time-lapse training journey. This course is an evolving learning process for both my students and myself as an instructor. I sincerly hope you will find it helpful and enjoyable.

Thank you.

-Ryan

Learn Time-lapse Photography - A Beginner's Resource for Altered Time Perception Cinematography

This post is about the many or the not so many software applications you use throughout your time-lapse work flow.  From batch processing programs to Non-Linear Editors (NLE) from deflickering applications to HDR merging, what have you found to be the simplest to use and/or produce the best time-lapse results?

Finding and using a particular software application to render a time-lapse sequence is simple, but so was hand sanding a detailed wood carving before I discovered a Dremel.  Let’s just say knowing what tools exist is a very good thing.

Take a look at some of the categories below.  If you’ve used the applications and have an opinion, please share by answering a few questions.  This particular survey will act as an initial collection and lay of the time-lapse landscape to be tweaked and reviewed.  What are your thoughts?

Here’s what the first round of results look like in no particular order:

I listed prices just because some folks might be searching for free time-lapse applications.  Keep in mind a majority of paid apps offer free trials to test out before deciding if the investment makes sense for you. Discounts for students and folks in any kind of teaching are likely available as well as monthly subscriptions if you need them for a limited amount of time.  Obviously some of these programs overlap.

Standalone Batch RAW Image processors

Batch editing a collection of RAW images before creating the initial time-lapse sequence.

Aperture ($80)
Camera RAW  (Free)
Lightroom ($89 education price)
Lightroom4 Beta (free for a limited time)
Photoshop ($699 or $35/mo)
Photoshop Elements ($69)

Rendering the time-lapse sequence itself

Aftereffects ($699 or $49/mo)
LRTimelapse (Free eval version, $116)
Photolapse (Free)
Premiere Pro ($699 or $30/mo)
Quicktime Pro ($30)
VideoMach (Free)
VirtualDub  (Free)

Deflickering in post production

GBDeflicker ($99)
CHV Long Exposure plugin for FCP (Time-collection $39)
LRTimelapse (Free, donation)
VirtualDub with MSU Deflicker (Free)

Main NLE (Non-linear editors) for creating final works

Final Cut Pro ($299)
Lightworks (Free – public beta)
Premiere Pro ($699 or $30/mo)
Sony Vegas ($525)

Color Correction Any preferences?

Magic Bullet Colorista (Free)

HDR Batch Processing

Photomatix ($99)
HDR Expose ($149)
SNS-HDR ($120)

I hope this list is a helpful starting point to your next step.

I will be updating this list as more results come.  It’s already opened my eyes to some great new and yes FREE programs to try.

Thanks for your feedback.

Learn Time-lapse Photography - A Beginner's Resource for Altered Time Perception Cinematography

I just learned of a new time-lapse development project on Kickstarter. Elijah Parker in Minneapolis, MN is working on producing a pretty powerful new intervalometer for DSLR cameras. Check it out:

Timelapse+ intervalometer Features from Elijah Parker on Vimeo.

Thoughts:
Some things that definitely stand out is the multiple exposure / HDR time-lapse capabilities, bulb ramping functionality as well as some cool things that might come from having wireless control from computers or smartphones. The fact that the entire system is open source is also very exciting.

If you are looking to purchase an intervalometer anyway or want to help support new innovations in the time-lapse field, you might want to check out his page on kickstarter.

Best of luck Elijah and I will hopefully be able to become a backer very soon.

More info from his kickstarter listing:

Timelapse+ : what is it?

The Timelapse+ is first and foremost an intervalometer, or timer device, for automatically triggering SLR cameras. It is very powerful and flexible for doing time-lapse photography. Beyond that, it will have wireless capabilities for connecting with accessories, including smartphones.

It can interface to Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Sony, Pentax and Minolta SLR cameras (as long as they have a connection for a cable release). The adaptor cables plug in to a 2.5mm jack on the Timelapse+ device. The adaptor cable for the camera you specify will be shipped with your device.

What makes it different?

Yes, there are other devices out there. Why this one? You can do more. As an intervalometer, you can set a delayed start, the interval, length of exposure in tenths of a second (or let the camera do it), how many exposures per interval (for HDR!) with a different duration for each exposure, and more. And, the firmware will be OPEN SOURCE! So anyone can build upon it and try new things.

Here are the intervalometer features:

Take an unlimited number of photos
Take sets of photos per interval for HDR (up to 10)
Each exposure in the set can be set to a different duration
1/10 second resolution for the interval and BULB duration
BULB ramping – shift exposure smoothly during the timelapse (to be implemented)
Auto BULB ramping based on the light meter (to be implemented)
Three important things govern the design:

Ease of use
Flexibility and Extendability
Durability
It’s easy to setup and the large screen lets you see everything you need to know at a glance, yet it supports complex timing configurations.

The bluetooth interface (OPTIONAL) allows for future expansion and support for accessories such as sensors for automatically tripping the shutter and even smartphones. The bluetooth component has yet to be developed so there’s a lot more to come in that area. If you have ideas or requests for sensors, I’d love to know about them!

With the IR remote it can trigger the camera without needing to be connected (for cameras with an IR receiver).

The light sensor can also be used to trigger the camera (upon reaching a certain threshold, e.g., lightening) or to vary the length of exposure automatically (to be implemented). It’s also used for automatically dimming the screen.

What are the funds for?

The funding goal is needed in order to produce the Timelapse+ at a large enough quantity to have an affordable price, as well as to cover startup expenses including FCC approval and injection mold fabrication for the case.

Learn Time-lapse Photography - A Beginner's Resource for Altered Time Perception Cinematography

Time-lapse flicker occurs when one frame or many frames appear to be under or over exposed in relation to the frames around it when we make our final video compilations. What we end up with is a strobing effects that really subtracts from the enjoyment of the time-lapse video.

This tutorial is about what causes DSLR time-lapse flicker and what we can do to minimize it. Here’s a quick overview:

1. The most common source of time-lapse flicker: Automatic settings
- We can overcome this easily by shooting in full manual mode
2. A secondary source of flicker is a mechanical one: Aperture flicker
- To minimize we can shoot at low f-stops (wider apertures = less exposure variations), however this isn’t always practical
- We can use a manual lens
- We can trick our camera into thinking our automatic lens is manual (lens twist trick)
3. We can also experience flicker from the Shutter: Shutter flicker
- This is easily minimized by shooting at slow shutter speeds ( under 1/100th of a second)
4. Sometimes we need to utilize priority modes for scenes with changing light
- We will get flicker but we can correct with deflickering software, a quick overview of some of the software options out there
- Always cover your camera eyepiece
- Quick introduction to bulb ramping

I hope you found this helpful. If you want to stay up to date on new videos and tutorials, consider subscribing below.

Learn Time-lapse Photography - A Beginner's Resource for Altered Time Perception Cinematography

Tom Lowe is probably the tip of the spear when it comes to time-lapse photography innovation and experimentation.

His upcoming film “TimeScapes,” a portrait of the American Southwest, combines footage from ultra high quality RED cameras and Canon EOS 5D Mark II’s for time-lapse sequences. His video is filmed and edited at 4K (4096×2304) resolution, four times greater than regular 1080p HD. Projectors can display this much information and there are just now monitors capable of showing this level however affordability is a bit farther away.

Incredible ideas and amazing footage.  Here’s the newest trailer:

The full film is scheduled to be released around May of 2012. You can support his team’s work and preorder a DVD/Blu-ray or digital download at his website.

Description from the video notes:

To view this video in 4K select “Original” in the resolution menu. If you’re having trouble with 4K playback, try using different browsers, like Internet Explorer, Firefox or Google Chrome. IE works best for me.

This is production footage from my forthcoming debut film, “TimeScapes,” a portrait of the American Southwest. This video was filmed and edited at 4K (4096×2304) resolution, four times greater than regular 1080p HD. A 4K DCP file is available upon request. Shot on Red Epic and Canon RAW still cameras.

You can pre-order the movie “TimeScapes” here: http://timescapes.org/pre_order.asp

Follow the film here: 1) http://twitter.com/timescapes 2) http://www.facebook.com/TimeScapes 3) http://gplus.to/tomlowe

Special thanks to Terrence Malick and Godfrey Reggio for their support and inspiration. Also thanks to Eric Kessler, Curt Morgan, Jim Jannard, Vincent Laforet, Bruce Allen, Phil Plait, Dave Finley, and to Helio Collective for the beautiful title logo. My most sincere and humble respect to Mark Magidson and Ron Fricke.

Thank you to my sponsors Kessler Crane, Adobe, camBLOCK, Vinten, Canon USA, TVLogic, Borrow Lenses, Wooden Camera, and KATA.

Music by Nigel “John” Stanford: http://johnstanfordmusic.com

Learn Time-lapse Photography - A Beginner's Resource for Altered Time Perception Cinematography

I came across a video of the amazing and thoughtful work of Louie Schwartzberg speaking at a TEDx conference in Long Beach.

He is an innovator in the world of time-lapse, nature, aerial and “slice-of-life” photography – the only cinematographer in the world who has literally been shooting 24 hours a day, 7 days a week continuously for more than 30 years.

The way he describes how people react to the images he captures touched me deeply and it renewed a sense of thoughtfulness and thankfulness right to my core.

It reminded me that you and I have a gift. We have the ability to see the beauty and change that exists around us and the desire to capture and share it in ways people have never experienced before.

For this I am most thankful.

Take a listen to his short speech and take a look at the trailer for his short film on Gratitude and Happiness

“Beauty and seduction are nature’s tools for survival because we protect what we fall in love with. It opens our hearts and makes us feel we are part of nature and we’re not separate from it.”

“You think this is just another day in your life. It’s not just another day, it’s the one day that is been given to you, today. It’s given to you. It’s a gift. It’s the only gift that you have right now, and the only appropriate response is gratefulness.

If you do nothing else but to cultivate that response through the great gift that this unique day is, if you learn to respond as if it were the first day in your life, and your last day, then you will have spent this day very well.”

Happy Thanksgiving.

Learn Time-lapse Photography - A Beginner's Resource for Altered Time Perception Cinematography

The Mountain from TSO Photography on Vimeo.

The following information was added to the video description by TSO Photography. I hope to be reaching out soon to see if he may be so kind as to expand on some of his ideas, techniques, and how he got started in time-lapse photography. His work is amazing.

Follow on http://www.facebook.com/TSOPhotography

This was filmed between 4th and 11th April 2011. I had the pleasure of visiting El Teide.
Spain´s highest mountain @(3718m) is one of the best places in the world to photograph the stars and is also the location of Teide Observatories, considered to be one of the world´s best observatories.

The goal was to capture the beautiful Milky Way galaxy along with one of the most amazing mountains I know El Teide. I have to say this was one of the most exhausting trips I have done. There was a lot of hiking at high altitudes and probably less than 10 hours of sleep in total for the whole week. Having been here 10-11 times before I had a long list of must-see locations I wanted to capture for this movie, but I am still not 100% used to carrying around so much gear required for time-lapse movies.

A large sandstorm hit the Sahara Desert on the 9th April (http://bit.ly/g3tsDW) and at approx 3am in the night the sandstorm hit me, making it nearly impossible to see the sky with my own eyes.

Interestingly enough my camera was set for a 5 hour sequence of the milky way during this time and I was sure my whole scene was ruined. To my surprise, my camera had managed to capture the sandstorm which was backlit by Grand Canary Island making it look like golden clouds. The Milky Way was shining through the clouds, making the stars sparkle in an interesting way. So if you ever wondered how the Milky Way would look through a Sahara sandstorm, look at 00:32.

Available in Digital Cinema 4k.

Follow Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TSOPhotography
Follow Twitter:
http://twitter.com/TSOPhotography
Follow Google+:
https://plus.google.com/107543460658107759808

Press/licensing/projects contact: tsophotography@gmail.com

Music by my friend: Ludovico Einaudi – “Nuvole bianche” with permission.
Please support the artist here:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/una-mattina/id217799399

Thank you to my sponsors:
http://www.canon.com
http://www.g-technology.eu
http://www.dynamicperception.com/ (Best dolly in the world!) [I agree!]

Learn Time-lapse Photography - A Beginner's Resource for Altered Time Perception Cinematography

DSLR Tripods for Time-lapse Photography – Tips for Stability

Tutorial video covering:
- What makes a good DSLR time-lapse tripod?
- Tips to make any tripod a little more stable

I hope you found this helpful. If you want to stay up to date on new videos and tutorials, consider subscribing below.

Learn Time-lapse Photography - A Beginner's Resource for Altered Time Perception Cinematography

Do you already have a tripod? If you do, that’s good, let’s take a look at it. Don’t worry if it’s an old monster, that might work in your favor. Are you sure? Isn’t big bad?

I’ll keep it simple. No.

For time-lapse think big. Think heavy. Think solid. Be creative.

Whatever you need to do to lock down your camera to get the angle and composition you envision, without any movement whatsoever throughout the shot is all that really matters. Buy used, check craigslist, eBay, ask friends, look for studios (they cycle gear and go in and out of business all the time) for deals.  Focus on stability, and gain confidence using it in different conditions.  That’s it.

But then again sometimes the shot is further from the car than convienient, like 7 miles up a steep incline convienient, what then?  Sometimes the best tripod for DSLR time-lapse is not exactly the best tripod for you (and your back).

Here’s a few things you may want to consider when buying a portable friendly tripod. Think “fun” rather than “endurance”.

Keep in mind a good tripod that meets your needs will outlast several cameras, so possibly budget a little more time and I hate to say it but cash to this category. Here’s a few thought to spearhead your research:

What makes a good portable tripod?

Start with the legs: carbon fiber

Carbon fiber tripods strike a good balance between weight, strength, vibration reduction, and cost (sort of). While newer high-end aluminum designs are good and less expensive, experience with carbon fiber has shown that a heavy duty carbon fiber tripod with some stability hacks on the next page, is your best line of defense against time-lapse shake in changing weather conditions even with your heaviest lens. Carbon fiber is strong but not heavy so you will be more likely to lug it the 7 miles into the wilderness and up the side of a small mountain to that secret spot that overlooks the entire city.

Strength and sturdiness: yes

Models are usually grouped by how much weight they are designed to support. The tripod’s maximum load should exceed the weight of your camera and attached accessories (yeah, all the stuff hanging off your camera). No sagging or flexing.

Height and versatility: yes

You want a tripod tall enough to allow shots as high as you want without extending the center column, and low enough by allowing the center column to be removed (or swapped with a shortened one) and legs that fully spread vertically. I find low to the ground time-lapses much more interesting when unchanging foreground objects are included in the scene. Don’t forget to consider those low angles.

To offset or not to offset: offset center-post

This was a tough recommendation because I do believe that some stability is sacrificed for this feature, but depending on how you like to shoot it might be worth it. In some models the top spider (or where the legs connect) is configured to allow the center column to adjust to the side as well as up and down. I like the added flexibility this allows to get those weird angle shots or shots straight down on a subject (especially for macro photography). Try one out and see if it’s something you would use. PHOTO

Compactness: maybe…

Usually the more sections a tripod’s legs have, the smaller it will be when collapsed. Good right? Well this feature is usually more expensive and sometimes sacrifices stability when fully extended . Unless you are planning a lot of air travel or backpacking, I’d recommend stability and cost over a moderately more compact unit. It all depends on how comfortable a few extra inches are when you hit mile 7 on that steep incline.

What have you found to be the most important part when buying a tripod?
Do you have a particular trusty model that you would recommend to other time-lapse photographers?

Learn Time-lapse Photography - A Beginner's Resource for Altered Time Perception Cinematography

A time-lapse interval, in relation to the speed of the action in front of you, essentially determines the speed of your output video. While these guidelines will help you set a proper time-lapse interval framework, no two scenes or events are exactly alike. It still pays to do a little “back of the photography journal” calculations. This post will help you sort things out.

I queued up the time-lapse exposure video to the beginning interval section.

Here are a few things to think about:

What do you want to capture and how long is the event?

What specific event do you want to capture? Is it a full sunrise, a start to finish construction project, or a clip of cars at night on a busy highway, etc.    What event and how much of the event you want to capture is the first consideration in determining your interval.

Determine: How long you need to be present and snapping to record what it is that you want to include in your time-lapse compilation.

How fast is the action taking place?

Think about how fast the scene is changing.  Also think about how you would like that change to be displayed in the final time-lapse compilation.  For example if you have a fast changing scene and you want to record smooth fluid motion then you will want to set a shorter interval.  A slower changing scene can allow a longer interval to still achieve smooth playback. If you want “jerky” motion, where it looks like things pop from one location to another (instead of blending) use a longer interval in a fast scene.

Decide: How you would like the final compilation to flow.
Observe: How fast the scene before you is changing.

The exposure and time-lapse interval tutorial video shows a side by side comparison of a short and long interval and the resulting speed change.

To give you a feel on where to start here are some common scenes with possible intervals:

How long do you want your time-lapse compilation to be, and how long to shoot?

Think about how many pictures are required to give you the compilation scene length that you want?  Too short and you won’t have enough frames to make a meaningful compilation. (ever see a 4 second time-lapse, by the time you realize what you are watching, it’s over).  Too long and you will have unneeded extra frames to transfer and process (not a huge deal though unless you are short on card or hard-drive space).

Sometimes you may need a specific length compilation to fit an assignment or a storyboard segment in a larger time-lapse work.  Whatever the case it’s good to do some back of the photography journal calculations. There is one stipulation you need to follow as you do your calculation:

Interval must be longer than exposure

 

Wikipedia CC license

Frame interval > Exposure time

Your interval MUST exceed your exposure time. A good rule of thumb is to keep your exposure at about 60% – 80% of your interval to give your camera enough time to clear the image buffer before the next frame is taken.

Avoid dropped frames

Think of your camera’s buffer like a pipe connecting the newly recorded image and you camera’s memory card.  It takes a little bit of time (depending on your image resolution) for the information to be processed and flow from one place to the other.  If you try to send images too quickly some may get lost (your camera will skip a frame).  Bad news.  I’ll be explaining the concept of camera buffer “dropped frames” in greater detail in a separate post, but for now make sure your camera’s “read/write” light is off before the next frame is taken.

Bringing it all together:

Frame rate: Time-lapse compilations are commonly rendered at 24 or 30 (fps) frames (photos) per second.  While there are other uses for other rates, this example will include a 30 fps compilation.

It’s worth mentioning…

If you are shooting a changing thing for the first time and arn’t really sure what interval to use, it is usually best to use one that is faster than you need rather than slower.  You can always speed up too many frames in post but you can’t ever go back and capture those missing too slow intervals.

Return to the Time-lapse Photography How-to Guide
 
 
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Learn Time-lapse Photography - A Beginner's Resource for Altered Time Perception Cinematography