Timelapse shots have achieved ubiquity, yet it’s still a technique I get asked about on the reg. I’ve touched on the timelapse How-To in past posts, but I’m touching base again with a new look at what has become must-have.
I love using timelapse in my work. Alternating between real time, slo-mo and timelapse contributes to the temporal tug on the viewer, which keeps them present and guessing. Cloud movements and dipping suns over beautiful landscape is the norm, so we’re always looking to change up our style and try something a little different.
Adding camera movement is one way to do that. In the vid above, we use a slider, a motor, and a 5D to pull back and reveal some stunning Icelandic beauty. Keep the last in mind as I break down the equipment we used, because I come back to this again and again: more than the gear in your bag, it’s your vision and execution that matter most. In our case, we had Iceland’s ridiculously photogenic land and light working in our favor. Scouting the site, we found a cool ice formation and decided on a shot you don’t see daily. I’d say the gear we use is secondary. Which is why I’m mentioning it second.
Anatomy of a timelapse:
_Kessler Pocket Dolly v2.0
_Kessler Elektra Drive – set to slowest speed in “continuous mode.” The Elektra drive is the motor that moves the camera up/down the dolly, giving the shot movement.
_Intervalometer – set to shoot a picture every 3 seconds. We let that baby go for about 20 minutes.
Add’l equipment:
_Canon 5D Mark III
_Manfrotto support
_Viking 12 oz
You can see how we integrated timelapse footage into our Iceland edition of chasejarvisRAW. If you want more Iceland in your life, check out some of the stills that convinced us to put Iceland in our list of 10 Spots to restore your creative juices.
Music by Small Face.
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David thanks for nice and simple idea. I’m gonna try to build one of my own from old printer parts.
If you can’t afford the Kessler or the Dynamic Perception gear you can build something functional for about a hundred dollars. Check out this video for the overall idea (http://vimeo.com/12120373) but just buy a slider rail (check out the “DryLin” line from Igus). Drill holes in the rail and tap the holes to attach it to your tripod (I put two holes in mine to attach a quick release plate). Drill a hole in the truck of the slider and get a tripod-sized screw (check Amazon) to attach a tripod head to the truck. Then find a 1 or 2rpm barbecue rotisserie motor (plenty of websites sell them) and attach that to the end of the slider. In the video he has it affixed to a little piece of wood on the end but on mine i just drilled a hole in the rail near the end and had the shaft of the motor stick up from below. Now just use a piece of fishing line to attach the truck to the motor and as the motor winds up the fishing line it will pull the truck along. I power the motor with a Radio Shack AC adapter hooked into a Paul Buff Vagabond battery pack. The AC adapter even has selectable voltages which I can use to vary the speed of the truck.
thx for the notes on that david. will go check it out.
Some very expensive toys.
There’s always ebay and D.I.Y tutorials 😉
Hey Chase, nice insight like always!
you don’t trust MagicLantern for the intervalometer work?
i like nikon for timelapse because their IV is worked into the camera controls. if using a canon – we roll just like outlined in this vid. not that i don’t trust the magiclantern i just don’t use it.