Time lapses show the passage of time.
Time-lapse photography creates a movie of a location in "sped up" time. These videos can be mesmerizing when done correctly and can reveal an area's activities over hours in a few seconds. This effect is created by a device called an "intervalometer," which is typically a function of a remote timer that plugs into your camera. It will program the camera to take a photo every few seconds or minutes, and the resulting stream of images can be sequenced together in a video.
Instructions
Calculations
1. Determine the desired length of your final video, and convert that duration into seconds.
2. Calculate the total shots needed for your desired duration. Depending on your video editor, the frame rate will either be 24 or 30 frames per second. Multiply the frame rate by duration. For example, a 1-minute video will need either 1,440 (60 x 24) or 1,800 (60 x 30) images.
3. Divide the duration of time you want to photograph by the number of images you need. This will give you the photo interval. For example, 3 hours of shooting divided by 1,440 images means one image every 7.5 seconds.
Shooting & Sequencing
4. Connect the intervalometer to your camera. Program it to shoot a photo for the interval calculated in Section 1. Check your device's manual for specific instructions.
5. Set your camera on the tripod, and set it to manual mode. Adjust it so it creates an acceptable exposure.
6. Activate the intervalometer, sit back and relax.
7. Load the images into a video editor or freeware time-lapse program. Many programs will sequence the video automatically, but if you are sequencing it manually, each image must be set to either 1/24 or 1/30 of a second, depending on your editor.
Tags: your camera, every seconds, frame rate, photo interval, video editor
