Hiking season is in full swing and in the last few years I've incorporated a lot of video and photography while on week long trips in the backcountry. When every pound of weight counts, you have to choose your gear carefully. In this post I’ll share my tricks and tips for making a useful kit without weighing you down.
Those that know me know that Los Angeles is one of my favourite cities in the world. The city just feels like home for a number of reasons and this timelapse from Chris Pritchard absolutely embodies everything I love about it. The ever changing conditions and light, the mixture of urban and landscape and the way the city just feels alive.
Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) previewed a new operating system for the Mac as well as iOS 8 for the iPhone, which comes with a host of new features due out this fall. While many features of Apple's new iOS releases leave out older devices, this one will improve your iPhone's camera (past, current, and future) with some great features we've all been too patient to see.
Let me preface this by saying I hate calling anything the "ultimate." Odds are, I've missed something in the market that might be better. It's nearly impossible for me to keep a pulse on everything in this massive and expanding industry. But if anything comes as close to "ultimate" in the video tripod world, it would be the Benro S8 Video Tripod.
Edelkrone raised a few interested eyebrows with their unique slider design a while back, but with their recent add-on items, the latest of which is the "Action Module," both filmmakers and manufacturers alike are taking a long look at these innovate products. The Action Module not only brings timelapse and repeatable moves, it does so in a simple, intuitive way.
Martin Heck from Timestorm films kicked off a series of timelapse videos through New Zealand with the release of Awakening earlier this month. While Awakening took the viewer across New Zealand's grand landscapes, his latest film Amplitude explores its details.
Technicolour Alaska is an incredible time-lapse film of the Northern Lights by Alexis Coram. Not only did this once in a lifetime trip produce an amazing time-lapse video, the photos themselves are are incredible. Coram was born and raised in England and now resides in Northern California. She considers herself a consumer of life and adventure.
Today, Southland shared a rare look at the growth of DisneyLand in Anaheim, California from construction site in 1955 to the bustling theme park it is today, in 2014. In the two GIF animations of the park's evolutions (below) you see orange groves turn into the parking lots, carefully landscaped jungles, and the themed buildings that make up "the happiest place on earth".
Ten years ago, time-lapse photography wasn't really a big thing. Fast forward to now, and it's everywhere. GoPros and point and shoot cameras come equipped with easy options and can be stuck on anything from panning egg timers to $6000+ time lapse rigs.
It's not the first time I'm sharing Michael Shainblums work and it won't be the last time. Timelapses are one of the most time consuming forms of photography and only a dedicated person with patience can produce quality results as often as Michael.
Cinescapes Collective is a Saskatchewan, Canada based production group that has been putting together unique documentary content that has a dramatic and cinematic aesthetic. Their most recent short tells the story of Kessler, the creators of popular video production gear like sliders, cranes, and now motion control products.
Last year Dustin Farrell released a video that gave a quick walkthrough of his time-lapse workflow, we covered it here. He briefly introduced his workflow for shooting and processing his images from camera to export. Last week he released another video which takes a much closer look at the process behind his images.
About 5 years ago, when I was still in my Photography college in Australia, our teachers would regularly introduce us to the new and noteworthy Australian photographers' and digital artists' work. Among others there was one artist, whose work really grabbed my attention and I have been watching her growth and success ever since.
Eric Paré is back with another breathtaking timelapse project known simply as "Windscale". Eric is best known for his amazing light-painting and bullet-time project, "Lightspin". While on a vacation journey from Montréal to Nevada for the popular Burning Man festival Eric and friend Marie-Line Migneault stopped to film this breathtaking short film.
The night sky is an astounding phenomenon that fascinates almost every individual. Stars have been around for thousands of years and yet, humankind is still mesmerized by their beauty. Despite the distance, we have such a strong connection and love for these great unknown entities. Capturing the magnificence of the night sky is highly rewarding and can be an exciting process as well.
A few years ago, the cruise ship Balmoral was extended by shipbuilding company Blohm + Voss, and the company hired a crew to create a timelapse video of the entire process. What may seem like a rather mundane project to many has been beautifully captured by a company called MK Timelapse - I found myself absolutely mesmerized by the entire process.
Marc Donahue from Permagrin Films keeps popping up with new and interesting timelapse or GoPro projects– and his latest work features the gorgeous city of San Francisco. Using unique motion timelapses, Marc and his team put together another amazing piece of work.
Retouching jewelry is an extremely time intensive task, especially when it is done correctly. It can involved hours of work to fix the most minute details. When it's done right, it looks effortless and this time-lapse video is no exception. The balance of artistry and technicality makes the final image what it is.
This year's most notable ski film, "Into The Mind" wasn't just your average sports reel. Camp 4 Collective and Sherpas Cinema put together a visually striking feature, along with a narrative that is filled with symbolism. In this behind the scenes video, the filmmakers discuss how certain shots came about, and how the story elements came together serendipitously.
This powerful timelapse video called "Wyoming Wildscapes II" was put together by photographer Nicolaus Wegner. Taking 14 months, this video covers the cycle of the seasons, the shifting of the landscape, and the ever-changing weather. To find out more about this project, I interviewed Nicolaus and asked about his gear, workflow, and experiences.
A new time-lapse of the planet that we call home has been released by editor David Peterson using photographs taken by astronaut Don Pettit while he was aboard the International Space Station. The sequences were taken during expeditions 29, 30 and 31. It's quite impressive seeing the sequences put together and witnessing just how beautiful our planet can be from space.
I’ve just had Selina’s answers back for this interview and feel sick. Some numbers - 80 hours shooting, 7000+ stills, 40+ hours of rendering, sleeping in shifts to meet deadlines. I thought my current project was tough - compared to her's, I feel like I'm sat on a beach drinking a piña colada. Her video “Limitless” has had 6+ million views in 2 weeks, so all her hard work paid off.
What does it take to be innovative? What can happen when you put your work out there and others see as innovative, or inspiring? Matthew Vandeputte, a photographer and film editor based in Sydney helps answer some of these questions.
You may already be familiar with Dustin Farrell. If you're not, you should be. His time-lapses are incredible. Dustin's shoots all over the world, but some of his most epic are from the American West. In this video, we get to follow Dustin on location in Utah and the step-by-step process that follows.
It’s almost impossible to sign into Vimeo without getting sucked into the latest and greatest timelapse video. It’s easy to understand why these videos find such great success. They allow the viewer to experience something incredibly surreal, yet familiar.
Alexandr Kravtsov has put together what may be on my top 3 list for best timelapses. This kind of video work isn't exactly uncommon either so that placement is saying quite a bit. What's even more impressive is what Alexandr went through to make this piece.
At an altitude of nearly 14,000 ft., the observatories atop of Mauna Kea, Hawaii give a crystal clear view of space through the night sky. The contrast of satellites and lasers against the daunting view of space really makes us feel connected to something bigger. This was a recent Vimeo staff pick and definitely worth a watch, especially in full screen view.
I recently came across this beautiful "IR" time-lapse of an empty Philadelphia city and was instantly mesmerized by the lack of moving things like people or cars. Upon further investigation on the technique, I was surprised on how easy this was to actually do myself in FCP X, which adds considerable value to your time-lapse videos.
The short film "Pictures" made by Gioacchino Petronicce is a prime example of how patience is a main ingredient in creating captivating cinema from still photos. Gioacchino spent over three years traveling multiple continents to capture perfect moments, and the images that led up to that perfect moment using a DLSR.
It’s interesting times for those of us shooting photo and video. I enjoy highlighting photographers or videographers who are utilizing elements of both stills and motion work, and are pushing the creative envelope by integrating them so that the end result is more than just the sum of the individual parts.
I’ve been waiting for someone to do an HDR stop motion flick and here it is described as an "HDR hyperlapse postcard that will take you to a journey through Georgia - probably the most friendly country in the world." This motion piece shows us a side of Georgia that differs from what most mainstream media portrays the country as, all with the hate it or love it HDR effect. &n
Yesterday I posted a great aerial video over New York, and today I stumbled on this gorgeous time lapse/environmental piece by videographer Eric Hines. The project, called Expedition Iceland, is a collection of shots from a 17 day adventure around the country during the midnight sun in June 2013.
Over the span of three months, Luke Shepard journeyed through 36 cities and 21 countries with the intent of capturing these beautiful European structures. What started as a successful kickstarter campaign,which raised nearly $20,000, has led to this beautiful video.
Sometimes you see videos that just enthrall you in their simple yet beautiful elegance. This timelapse by Daniel Csobot is one such experience. He uses a Canon EF 100mm Macro on a Canon 7D with a Kessler CineSlider to capture the growth of a flower from seed to sprout to full growth.
For more from Daniel, make sure you check out his Vimeo Channel.
I've always been fascinated with airplanes, the miracle of flight on display right above our heads never gets old. Photographer Milton Tan created this timelapse video titled 'The Air Traffic' that shows airplanes whizzing around the air. Sped up, it creates a great effect that looks almost extra terrestrial.
Adrift is a breathtaking timelapse film created by Simon Christen, the same guy who brought us the incredible 'The Unseen Sea' from a couple of years ago. Adrift is what Simon calls his "love letter to the fog of the San Francisco Bay" and what a love letter it is.
Preston Kanak has released another highly informative video, this one on the subject of capturing successful day to night timelapses. In this long video, he covers different methods for achieving good results, such as bulb ramping, aperture priority, or blending it in post.
With a brilliant display and talent and planning, street artist Sofles and Selina Miles from Unity Sound and Visual joined efforts to create an epic dubstep music video. While Sofles spray paints the walls of abandoned buildings, a hyper time lapse precedes him, wrapping around walls as he works through different areas. How did they do it?
Photographer Mike Olbinski has been visiting the Central Plains to shoot it's storms since 2010, and last week he encountered a supercell straight out of an apocalyptic thriller. The views in this timelapse are breathtaking! It's incredible to watch this massive storm tear through the fields near Booker, TX. There really isn't much more that I can say, just watch the video. Well done Mike!
Bulb ramping is a technique used by time lapse photographers to adjust the shutter speed throughout the time lapse to compensate for natural changes in exposure. If you're looking to shoot timelapses of sunrises, sunsets or any change from day to night, this technique is critical.
Winners of the 4th International Earth and Sky Photo Contest, hosted by The World at Night (TWAN), were announced this week with some awe inspiring photographs.
Time and Google have created an astounding, multi-decade animated timelapse of the Earth. It is nothing short of amazing the amount of satellite photographs that has been collected and crunched. Trillions of pixels of satellite data which until now, have not been available to the public.
DSLR Video pioneer Vincent Laforet partnered with Canon to create a 4 part instructional video series where he shares many great tips for getting started with shooting timelapse sequences.
Ole C. Salomonsen shot this beautiful edit of the northern lights. "The video is shot using stills and assembled together for best possible resolution and dynamic range. In this video however, for the first time, I have also chosen to include some real-time video footage. This is to better show how furiously fast and beautiful the polar spirits can dance!
I am a sucker for beautifully coordinated time-lapse projects. There is something about well chosen music, paired with beautiful moving images that evokes an feeling of emotion in me. I love to visit far away places, and when done right, a good time lapse film does wonders to bring you front and center to a far off land.
Yes, that is a bold claim, but hear me out. Sometimes something so creative yet so painfully simple comes along and just blows me away. This timelapse/hyperlapse video created using Google Street View is just one of those things. My mouth was agape the entire time I was watching this.
It is always inspiring when when we are able to view things unseen by the human eye. Thanks to Jean-Pierre Aube, we are able to see the radiofrequency spectrum.
Man (or woman) can only dream what it looks like hovering above earth watching the beauty of science orbit beneath them. Thanks to the ISS (International Space Station) we have the next best thing, a timelapse. "Some interesting tidbits about the ISS. It orbits the planet about once every 90 mins and is about 350 Km/217 miles. The yellow/greenish line that you see over the earth is Airgolw.
Samuel Orr is a film maker from Bloomington, IN. He created this beautiful 4 minute long timelapse of NYC titled 'A New York Day' from over 100,000 photos and from dozens of locations. This video is just a fraction of a much longer timelapse film, which he hopes will be around 25 minutes once it is finished.
What do you do when building the worlds largest ship, you hire Discovery channel to make a timelapse of course. "A timelapse of the construction of Maersk Line's very first Triple-E vessel at the DSME shipyard in Okpo, Korea.The timelapse was produced by Discovery Channel and Maersk, and it consists of 50,000 photos taken over 3 months. Read more about Maersk Line's Triple-E vessels here: