Time Lapse Videos

I'm officially the worst blogger ever. I've heard that the point of blogging is to actually write things (on a consistent basis) that other people might want to read, not simply to just put up a couple of pictures and a few words every two weeks. I have my excuses of course, the move to Tampa, the kitchen renovation, interviews, The Olympics! etc... They are all pretty weak in light of the fact that it typically takes only a few minutes to post something, so in that spirit, I'm going to share a few examples of my newest passion and how to do it. 

Time lapse video (or more accurately, photography) since it utilizes a still camera to create High Definition videos, can be a really nice addition to your bag of tricks when doing multi-media for newspapers or even feature-length documentaries. You see them a lot now on Discovery and Science Channel shows where they use them to condense a lot of activity into a really short and much more entertaining package. Depending on your interval you can condense hours or even days into a few seconds. 

Time lapses are a really good storytelling tool because they pack so much information into such a short and easily readable nugget. Still photographers are perfectly adapted to creating these type of segments because of their understanding of proper composition, which is the most important element to creating an interesting time lapse.  Filling the frame and anticipating the action are also key. 

The time lapse I'm posting here is actually a mix of still photography and realtime video. In my next post I will explain exactly how it's done and include all the necessary materials so you can create your own. I promise not to wait two weeks to do it.