4K Time-Lapse Captures Human Element Near and Far

Time-lapses are one of those things that I wish I had the time and budget to do. They involve a lot of planning, time, knowledge, and gear to pull off.

Michael Shainblum clearly has all of the items I mentioned and creates some of the best time-lapses I've seen. In his most recent piece, called "Civilization," Shainblum mixes various time-lapses and hyper-lapses from around the world. The difference in the latter simply being that there is a motorized camera slider involved, adding point-of-view movement to the captured footage.

While there is a lot of footage, there actually aren't that many locations involved. This keeps the video interesting without overloading you with too many spots. The credits list includes New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle for the United States locations. Then, we go to Dubai, Qatar, Singapore, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Italy, and a castle in Scotland. I like that while there are some distant shots, there are also tighter shots showing more individual life and moments. Look for the windows washers followed by the construction workers all in orange vests, and you will see what I mean.

Shainblum's videos usually stand out for that same reason that his photography does. They both feature a great understanding of composition and light. There is also very good pacing. The music track by the composer, Jordan Critz, adds a nice complementary layer. The ultra-wide format and crisp 4K detail in the video deserve to be viewed full screen if you are so inclined.

Congratulations to Shainblum on another stunning piece. I can't wait to see what he puts out next.