How To Make A Killer Timelapse.

This spot comes up on so many of my lists and everyone elses’. This next spot we recommend to watch the sunset in Atlanta is a staple for any Atlanta resident or visitor! The Jackson Street Bridge is sure to give you stunning views of the city, and is the perfect photo opp. Wait for the sun to set over the skyline, and you will feel like a professional photographer with the insanely great quality photos that you can get from this spot.

Creating a time-lapse video is often seen as something that is easy to capture, but in reality, it is very difficult to get right as there are many things that can go wrong.

Most people will tell you that practice is key, but the following short 9 tips, will help you to dramatically reduce that learning curve and help you create better time-lapses. They are all easy-to-use tips, that you can implement today.

1) Create smooth sequences with a slow shutter

You might think that you should just select an appropriate shutter speed for the light levels, but you would be wrong. If you have a very fast shutter speed, fast-moving objects will appear to skip/lag across frames. This can cause videos to appear jerky and hard to watch. Make sure to keep your shutters slow, I usually go under 1/30th of a second or longer.

2) Control your exposure by using ND filters

You can’t always control the light levels or nail that exposure without some help, especially when you have your shutter open for a longer amount of time. That’s where neutral density filters come in to save the day. Neutral density (ND) filters block out some of the light hitting the camera sensor, without changing the color or tones of the image. With them, you can use longer exposures without over-exposing your images.

My recommendations? My recommendation is a higher quality one, yes, they are expensive but they are worth it. I personally bought the Peter McKinnon ND Filter.

3) Creating captivating videos by focussing on motion or change

Time-lapse sequences can often end up looking quite plain and boring. The composition might be great, but nothing really happens in the sequence. By focussing on motion or change, you can make every sequence a keeper.

It’s quite simple to make a time-lapse interesting. You just capture something interesting happening.

‘Motion’ refers to the movement of just about anything. Cars, clouds, people, shadows, stars, rivers, parades.. you get the idea.

‘Change’ refers to things changing. The weather, seasons, things being built, etc.

If you’re thinking of starting a time-lapse, ask yourself “will anything move, or change?” The more movement and change you can capture in a sequence, generally the more interesting it will become.

Time-lapse works best when you are capturing something that is normally invisible to the naked eye. If you start to think outside the box, then the possibilities are limitless.

A series of Timelapses I took when I was living in the Amazon Rainforest of Peru in San Martin.

4) Lockdown your camera to reduce post-production

Unwanted camera movement is another huge enemy for time lapsers. It can destroy the video completely, even for the best post-editors out there. With the right gear, you can prevent the problem from happening.

The simple idea is to get a strong and sturdy tripod. Buy the best you can possibly afford, as it will have a huge impact on how stable your camera is. If you can’t afford a good tripod, find other ways to ensure your camera will not move. I’ve included a photo below as a reference and a hack.

5) Create Movement

Once you have your camera down, either in the post or with other tools such as a Gimbal (Include photo below) try to create a movement of something panning in or panning sideways.

Sony A7Riii camera on top of a DJI Ronin S Gimbal on a Manfrotto Tripod. Weighted down by a rope and my camera bag.

*Notice my tripod is weighed down by my bag hanging from something strong wrapped around the base. It may not look pretty, but it is affordable and works.

6) Record your Timelapse with photos

A typical video camera is designed to capture many moments in time, one after the other. Video can often be filmed at 24 frames per second, which means there are 24 individual images for every one second of footage.

I’ve included a tutorial on how to process of creating a timelapse by capturing hundreds of photos and combing them together.

7) SHOOT RAW

Most video cameras are made to capture moments at 24 frames per second. That means there are 24 photos per second.

That means that hardware becomes a big limiting factor. Large processing power is required to keep up with the sheer data load. But, if a stills camera is capturing one frame every few seconds? Most modern cameras are capable of that. So rather than capture time-lapse as video, try using stills instead.

8) Remove creative blocks by having an end goal in mind

When people start capturing time-lapse photography for the first time, they will often point the camera up at the sky and shoot the clouds moving past. This can be great for learning the mechanics of shooting time-lapse, but it can be boring to watch back.

You then create a new problem, what should you shoot? The trick is to start with an end-goal in mind and work backward.

Rather than thinking about how to create a single interesting sequence, think about creating a few sequences that tie together into a narrative.

For example, you could tell the story of baking bread through time-lapse. Then straight away you know that you might want a shot of mixing ingredients, one of leading, one of the bread rising, and finally one of it baking in the oven..

Or you may decide to showcase your local area through the medium. Instantly you can start planning which locations nearby might look interesting, what times of day would be best to visit them, and so forth.

You can take it one step further by even having the music in mind when out shooting. This will help you to focus on getting the right shots, and not just any shots.

Piedmont Park is an urban park in Atlanta, Georgia, located about 1 mile northeast of Downtown, between the Midtown and Virginia Highland neighborhoods. Originally the land was owned by Dr. Benjamin Walker, who used it as his out-of-town gentleman's farm and residence