Shooting timelapse is a great way to spend your free time and create something the audience would love to see. It has been popular for years, and is still capturing people’s interest. Most people would think that timelapse videos would be oversaturated by now due to its popularity, but there is plenty of room for timelapse videos to grow such as creating ones from scenic and exotic places, growing living things such as plants and micro-organisms, moving clouds atop iconic locations, to changing lights and buzzing city life. Potential subjects are everywhere and you are only limited by your imagination and drive to be different.
Timelapse photography, however, isn’t just about shooting images continuously at a specified interval and making a video out of it. You need to consider many things and learn at least the basic techniques and workflow. One of our artists, Fototrav, recently shared his workflow for shooting his timelapse videos. It would be a good idea to give the article a read as an added preparation for your eventual shoot.
Timelapse videos may be complicated, but you can create your own masterpiece with a few more things in mind:
Choosing the Subject
Your subject is the heart of your masterpiece. Though your choice greatly depends on your personal preference, it’s best to be meticulous when it comes to subjects. Your subject should be interesting enough and it should have a lot going on so you can catch a sense of progress or action. Most photographers choose wider views, natural surroundings, or cityscapes.
Or you could go the opposite route and make a video on a little more controlled environment such as budding flowers and hatching eggs. Initially look for a subject that interests you before worrying about what would probably catch everyone else’s attention. If you don’t like what you’re shooting, chances are they won’t too.
Anticipation and Timing
Proper timing and anticipation is important when shooting a timelapse. You should anticipate movements of your subject and focus on capturing every important moment or detail. Also learn to observe the timing of environmental factors such as the positioning of light sources like the sun as well as the flow of incoming traffic. As you will be taking shots at regular intervals, it helps to know what to expect in terms of movement and action. Sometimes it boils down to positioning so take care to explore all possible angles and ensure that the one you pick is the best that you are allowed to. Doing timelapse is a major time investment so getting it right the first time is optimal.
Setting the Camera
It’s ideal to set the camera in manual mode to create consistent shots as the subject’s movement changes. Avoid autofocus as much as possible, as it eats away battery time and causes some problems in your video like inconsistent focus. Shoot in lower resolution to save as much memory space and shots. This is especially true if you’re shooting in a place with little or no accessibility to electricity. Also, while some people will find a way to shoot without it, it is highly recommended to shoot on a heavy, sturdy, and stable tripod. This will make sure that your camera is pointed at a consistent angle with no camera shake. A heavy tripod helps as it prevents camerashake caused by the wind.
Creating a perfect timelapse video is possible if you keep in mind these important tips. Once you are done with your unique timelapse video, it helps to have it posted to online marketplaces for stock footage such as MotionElements and be able to provide for more content to those who need it for video projects and at the same time creating some passive income.
Give Timelapse Footage a Go and Earn from It.
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