Sky time lapse at DVinfo.net

Tom Kronberg · February 8th, 2004, 10:29 PM

http://skytimelapse.com

I made this time lapse on a shoestring budget.
Any thoughts?

Adam Burtle · February 9th, 2004, 03:55 AM

some of the initial shots seem pretty blown out on the sky/clouds. and in the full trailer, a lot of the cuts are kindof dizzying they are so jumpy.. that said, however, the imagery is breathtaking.. especially the last 1/3 of the trailer, has a lot of really powerful stuff.

what did you shoot this with?

i'm about to start work on trying to put together a 10minute HDfilm of timelapse "life" in vegas.. city streets, sunrise, sunset, sky, trees, bugs on sidewalk, etc.. i'm not quite sure how long it's going to take me do in my sparetime though, heh.. perhaps a longtime.

Robert Knecht Schmidt · February 9th, 2004, 04:25 AM

I've made similar time lapse skies using a Canon S110 PowerShot. It involves holding down the shutter trigger for eight or so minutes at a time, until the CF card is all filled up with images. (This can get tiring, especially in high winds!) With one of the newer PowerShots this would easily yield HD res footage.

This old sky of mine could stand to be run through a video filter to reduce flicker.

John Threat · February 9th, 2004, 04:36 PM

great stuff.. some more info would be appretiated.

Tom Kronberg · February 9th, 2004, 04:52 PM

Many thanks!
BTW, the time lapse I shot was in digital video. Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it.
(edit: found the solutions to stills)

Tom Kronberg · February 9th, 2004, 05:15 PM

More info:

I've been doing this pretty seriously a few years now, entirely for the love of it (it's rarely fun). it's a blend of landscape photography and meteorology. Driving is what takes the most time. Weather hardly ever comes to me. I probably drove over 3000 miles to get this stuff, as good weather doesn't happen where I live. Only a couple weeks ago I put it on the web.

The thunderstorms are maybe the most challenging to shoot and most rewarding. To get good shots, it takes lots of driving (anxious speeding) and looking for good open vistas. Powerlines, narrow shoulders, trees, buildings, cars, pedestrians, all obstacles, it's terribly difficult without luck and can be terribly unrewarding and wastefully expensive. It's twice as hard to get any good time lapse anywhere near civilization. It's lonesome and frustrating work and the payoffs only come when a really cool scene happens that I'm shooting.

I don't have big ambitions, I'm no filmmaker with some agenda, I just like making time lapse and looking at clouds. I'm just a nature freak.

"i'm about to start work on trying to put together a 10minute HDfilm of timelapse "life" in vegas.. city streets, sunrise, sunset, sky, trees, bugs on sidewalk, etc.. i'm not quite sure how long it's going to take me do in my sparetime though, heh.. perhaps a longtime."
I envy you, my friend!
Time lapse can be very fun when it works. My best friendly advice: scout locations with good views, watch the weather channel, and yes, expect to spend alot of time...
It took me over three years (off and on) to make those three minutes at my site.

Robert Knecht Schmidt · February 9th, 2004, 11:22 PM

A lot of time lapse photography benefits from a bit of motion blur. Without it, the footage evinces an unnatural feel of movie footage shot with an extreme amount of light and a very short open shutter time.

John Gaspain · February 10th, 2004, 02:04 AM

very calming footage and music.

May I suggest a slight motion blur inbetween clips to smooth it all together, also the clips are very short and rapid, maybe making them a second longer would help.

what camera?

You might want to check this one out:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...threadid=21073

Tom Kronberg · February 10th, 2004, 03:00 AM

Thanks, I'll try a motion blur... I think I like the speed the way it is though.

February 8th, 2004, 10:29 PM	#1
Tom Kronberg Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 25	Sky time lapse http://skytimelapse.com I made this time lapse on a shoestring budget. Any thoughts?

February 9th, 2004, 04:25 AM	#3
Robert Knecht Schmidt Wrangler Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 1,933	I've made similar time lapse skies using a Canon S110 PowerShot. It involves holding down the shutter trigger for eight or so minutes at a time, until the CF card is all filled up with images. (This can get tiring, especially in high winds!) With one of the newer PowerShots this would easily yield HD res footage. This old sky of mine could stand to be run through a video filter to reduce flicker. __________________ All the best, Robert K S Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| The best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

February 9th, 2004, 04:36 PM	#4
John Threat Major Player Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: New York Posts: 322	great stuff.. some more info would be appretiated. __________________ Director: http://www.mediathreat.com

February 9th, 2004, 11:22 PM	#7
Robert Knecht Schmidt Wrangler Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 1,933	A lot of time lapse photography benefits from a bit of motion blur. Without it, the footage evinces an unnatural feel of movie footage shot with an extreme amount of light and a very short open shutter time. __________________ All the best, Robert K S Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| The best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

February 10th, 2004, 02:04 AM	#8
John Gaspain Major Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: WA-USA Posts: 371	very calming footage and music. May I suggest a slight motion blur inbetween clips to smooth it all together, also the clips are very short and rapid, maybe making them a second longer would help. what camera? You might want to check this one out: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...threadid=21073 __________________ The glory of the World passes by.

February 9th, 2004, 03:55 AM	#2
Adam Burtle Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 173	some of the initial shots seem pretty blown out on the sky/clouds. and in the full trailer, a lot of the cuts are kindof dizzying they are so jumpy.. that said, however, the imagery is breathtaking.. especially the last 1/3 of the trailer, has a lot of really powerful stuff. what did you shoot this with? i'm about to start work on trying to put together a 10minute HDfilm of timelapse "life" in vegas.. city streets, sunrise, sunset, sky, trees, bugs on sidewalk, etc.. i'm not quite sure how long it's going to take me do in my sparetime though, heh.. perhaps a longtime.

February 9th, 2004, 04:52 PM	#5
Tom Kronberg Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 25	Many thanks! BTW, the time lapse I shot was in digital video. Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it. (edit: found the solutions to stills)

February 9th, 2004, 05:15 PM	#6
Tom Kronberg Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 25	More info: I've been doing this pretty seriously a few years now, entirely for the love of it (it's rarely fun). it's a blend of landscape photography and meteorology. Driving is what takes the most time. Weather hardly ever comes to me. I probably drove over 3000 miles to get this stuff, as good weather doesn't happen where I live. Only a couple weeks ago I put it on the web. The thunderstorms are maybe the most challenging to shoot and most rewarding. To get good shots, it takes lots of driving (anxious speeding) and looking for good open vistas. Powerlines, narrow shoulders, trees, buildings, cars, pedestrians, all obstacles, it's terribly difficult without luck and can be terribly unrewarding and wastefully expensive. It's twice as hard to get any good time lapse anywhere near civilization. It's lonesome and frustrating work and the payoffs only come when a really cool scene happens that I'm shooting. I don't have big ambitions, I'm no filmmaker with some agenda, I just like making time lapse and looking at clouds. I'm just a nature freak. "i'm about to start work on trying to put together a 10minute HDfilm of timelapse "life" in vegas.. city streets, sunrise, sunset, sky, trees, bugs on sidewalk, etc.. i'm not quite sure how long it's going to take me do in my sparetime though, heh.. perhaps a longtime." I envy you, my friend! Time lapse can be very fun when it works. My best friendly advice: scout locations with good views, watch the weather channel, and yes, expect to spend alot of time... It took me over three years (off and on) to make those three minutes at my site.

February 10th, 2004, 03:00 AM	#9
Tom Kronberg Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 25	Thanks, I'll try a motion blur... I think I like the speed the way it is though.