Intense Dedication Led to the Creation of This North American Timelapse

When Ronald Soethje sent me the details of his timelapse project that spans the North American continent, I was simultaneously jealous of his experience and completely impressed by the outcome. Ronald spent three years giving up his vacation time to shoot over 108,000 raw images. He slept in tents for weeks at a time and drove over 18,000 miles to capture dozens of locations. The outcome is nothing less than admirable.

The effort that went into this project was huge. As Ronald doesn't even live in a North American country, he had to start each trip with a plan and a plane flight. Every year since 2012, he and his crew took four weeks to travel all over the continent, averaging over 6,000 miles (10,000 km) on the road each trip. They limited their time in each location to 12-48 hours, starting their day during the early dawn hours and often finishing at midnight. Since they were on a strict schedule, there was no room for mistakes or side trips. 

Despite the effort and cost, this trip must have been a fantastic life experience. Ronald shared some of his favorite memories from each year with me:

- In 2012, they watched the sun set over the Empire State Building (the opening sequence).

- In 2013, they successfully replicated a National Geographic picture of a sunset in Yellowstone National Park in the form of a timelapse.

- ​In early 2014, they ran across a grizzly bear in Banff National Park.

- In mid-October 2014, they enjoyed a night gazing over the Grand Canyon alone under the stars.

Shooting this massive project took a considerable amount of gear. Here's a full list of the equipment Ronald used: