How to Get Started with Time-Lapse Photography
Independent filmmaker Scott Klumb works from his base in Boulder, CO as the owner of SMK Media. His company produces documentaries on topics such as autism. A Colorado native, Scott Klumb began his career with photography and has an affinity for time-lapse work that emphasizes and augments action.
Time-lapses can be challenging for beginner photographers, but after a few experiments with camera settings, it’s possible to create impressive shots of the world in motion. To start with, expensive equipment is not necessarily a barrier to entry; any standard camera will do. A manual focus lens will help get an even focus throughout the shot and a motorized slider can add some movement if desired. You can create time-lapses with something as simple as a smartphone at first, then ramp up the complexity later. Regardless of what you’re using, a sturdy tripod will make the final result cleaner and steadier.
To get the time-lapse going, set your camera to capture as JPEGs and choose an interval — how often your camera will take a picture. This will vary based on your subject and the desired effect, so your creativity is important as well as your knowledge of the subject. Some examples of standard choices include every 2 seconds when shooting the movement of clouds and every 20 seconds when filming the night sky. Other time-lapses might need far larger intervals: a time-lapse of ivy growing up a wall might benefit from an interval of anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour.
Editing the pictures together afterwards sometimes involves using the camera’s built-in functions or using external software to do it. It can be tedious, but the final results speak for themselves.
