Speeding up time

experimenting   with   time-lapse   photography

As a photographer I've always been fascinated with how the camera can help to expand our vision and freeze a moment in time. But today's cameras can do far more than that. They can capture a long sequence of 'moments' that would be difficult for the human eye to really notice. 

Time lapse photography has a long cinematic history. As a child I was always enthralled by the time lapse sequences that I would see produced by Walt Disney (Sunday evenings at 6 - anyone else remember those?!). Now, with your camera, some patience and a computer, anyone can capture a sequence taken over minutes, hours, days or weeks and speed up time. 

Twenty-five photos from a sequence of 192 images taken over the course of 26 minutes.

One of the easiest time-lapse sequences to capture is the movement of clouds. They move slowly enough that the casual observer doesn't really notice them moving at all, but fast enough that a 20 - 30 minute sequence can lead to impressive results. The composite above illustrates that well. 

For the Waves of Colour time lapse I set the camera to shoot at 6-second intervals and processed the series to play back at 16 frames per second. Let's look at how the process works. 

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steps

Shooting the Time-Lapse Sequence
Let's start with a qualifier. Although several camera manufacturers have built-in time lapse capabilities or have the capacity to attach an intervalometer, my steps and menu shots are specific to Olympus-brand cameras. Let's also assume that you have your subject all picked out and you are ready to start the time-lapse sequence. 

1. Tripod, Test Shots and Battery. For most time-lapse scenarios a tripod is an absolute must. Make sure it is on solid footing. You don't want to end up in a situation like you see written on chip bags - "some settling may occur". It can be very frustrating to find out that your tripod has shifted position 15 minutes into your sequence. Take a few test shots as well. Check overall exposure, composition and make sure your horizon is level. Also make sure that you have enough battery life for the duration of your shooting.
2. Set up the time-lapse sequence. Olympus cameras have a built-in intervalometer that allows up to 999 shots taken at intervals from 1 second to 24 hours. Four decisions have to be made within the time lapse menu. 
   1. When do you want your time lapse sequence to start? You can start the time-lapse the instant you press the shutter release or select a time-delay from 1 second to 24 hours. 
   2. How many shots do you want to take? You can select from 1 to 999 shots. NOTE: If you choose more images than your memory card can record you will get an error, "Card Full". If that is the case, you will have to re-enter the time-lapse menu and select a fewer number of shots. 
   3. How often do you want the camera to take a shot? This is probably the most important setting. Too small an interval and you may run out of memory space. Too large a time interval and your end result may be rather choppy when played back. When in doubt choose a smaller time interval. This will guarantee smoother playback. 
   4. Do you want the time-lapse movie to be created in-camera? Within the time-lapse menu there is the option to have the camera create the time-lapse movie for you. You can choose between the following playback options - 3840 × 2160 (4K/5fps), 1920 × 1080 (FHD)/5 fps, 10 fps, 15 fps, 1280 × 720 (HD)/5 fps, 10fps, 15fps, 20fps. NOTE: Internal processing of the time-lapse movie can take several minutes, during which time you are not able to do anymore shooting. 
3. Press the Shutter Release. Once you start the time lapse, the camera takes over and engages the various settings you have chosen. The sequence will stop once the set number of shots is reached. You can also stop the process at any time by pressing the 'Menu' button. 

The screen shots below are taken from the Olympus OMD E-M1, Firmware Version 4.0 and illustrate each setting within the time lapse menu.

1. Select the Time Lapse menu within Shooting Menu 1.

3. Within the menu you can adjust the number of frames, the time delay, interval duration, and movie settings.

5. The Start Waiting Time can be adjusted from 0 seconds to 24 hours.

2. Choose the "Time Lapse Settings".

4. The keypad on the rear of the camera makes it easy to adjust the settings.

6. The interval between shots can be set from 1 second to 24 hours.

Image Processing
If you choose to create the time-lapse movie in camera then this next section might be moot. For myself however, I rarely have the camera create the actual time lapse movie since I usually like to do a bit of post-processing work in Adobe Lightroom. Unless I am looking for a particular effect, I typically make minor adjustments that might include the following;

• Adjust Basic  settings (exposure, shadows, highlights, etc.). See screen shot below.
• Adjust Tone Curve. A slight 'S' curve helps add a bit of contrast and makes the image pop.
• Crop the image to 16:9 for a resolution of 1920 x 1080. This is the typical letterbox aspect ratio that we are accustomed to seeing on YouTube. 

The screen shots below show the adjustments made to the photos in the Waves of Colour time lapse.

Within the Basic Panel I only adjusted the Vibrance setting slightly. Depending on the original image I may also adjust the other sliders.

This would be a fairly typical tone curve for many of my images.

Although I didn't crop this image for the final time lapse, this screen shot illustrates the process. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Once you have adjusted one image, select them all (Ctrl-A for Windows, or Cmd-A for Mac) and apply those adjustments to all of your images by selecting Sync. 
Lightroom is non-destructive which means that it records the adjustments you've made to your images, but doesn't permanently change the photos. As such, to use the photos with the changes you've made, you will have to export them. With all of your photos still selected, right-click on one of them and select 'Export'. Typically I only make two changes within the Export dialogue box - Export Location and File Naming. 

Creating the Time Lapse Movie
Several software packages exist that allow the user to compile all of the time lapse images into a single movie file. I use Olympus Viewer 3. It's very easy to use and I've been happy with the results. 

1. Select all of your time lapse images.
2. Click on the "Time Lapse Movie" button. A new dialogue box opens.
3. From within this dialogue, several options need to be filled in - frame size, frame rate, file save location, file name and movie format. A preview window also allows you to play a low resolution version of your movie. 
4. Hit Save. The processing can take several minutes. 

The Time Lapse Movie dialogue box within Olympus Viewer 3

Traditionally, movies were played at a rate of 24 frames per second. This presents a natural, smooth flow to the scene. On occasion I will use that rate, but for most of my time lapse sequences I choose a rate of between 16-20 fps. 

As mentioned, several time lapse movie packages are available online. Most allow various special effects to be added to your movies. A quick search will yield lots of results. 

Using a Movie Editor
To create a more polished look to my time lapse movies I will often use a movie editor as my final step. I use iMovie. It's simple to use and powerful enough for the type of editing that I do. Once the time lapse sequences are built in Olympus Viewer 3, I import them into iMovie where I can ​add titles, transitions, tweak final exposure, add sound and other effects.

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Samples

Now that we have the 'how-to' section done, let's look at some other examples and their settings. 

Clouds over Killarney
This sequence was shot in Killarney Provincial Park in northern Ontario. A rainstorm had just passed and the clouds held some promise for a nice sunset. 

Camera Settings
Camera: Olympus OMD E-M5 Mark II
Lens: Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO
Mode: Aperture Priority
ISO: 200
Aperture: f/10
Shutter Speed Range: 1/40s to 1/4s

Time Lapse Settings
Number of Images: 604
Interval: 6 seconds
Frame Rate: 24 fps
​Crop: 16:9

Sunrise
Sure, the sun comes up every morning. And that makes it the perfect subject to try and capture in a time lapse. The sun rises quite quickly so make sure to set a fairly short interval between shots. In the video below I used a 3-second interval. 

Camera Settings
Camera: Olympus OMD E-M1
Lens: Olympus 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO
Mode: Aperture Priority
ISO: 200
Aperture: f/4.0
Shutter Speed: 1/2500s
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Time Lapse Settings
Number of Images: 205
Interval: 3 seconds
Frame Rate: 24 fps
​Crop: 16:9

Swing Bridge
This hundred-year old swing bridge is the only permanent connection between Manitoulin Island and the mainland. During the summer it swings once per hour to let sailboat traffic through. 

Camera Settings
Camera: Olympus OMD E-M5 Mark II
Lens: Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO
Mode: Aperture Priority
ISO: 320
Aperture: f/11
Shutter Speed Range: 1/400s

Time Lapse Settings
Number of Images: 425
Interval: 3 seconds
Frame Rate: 16 fps
​Crop: 4:3
​The retro look was created in Lightroom

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Once you become comfortable with shooting time lapse sequences over short periods of time (less than 30 minutes), it's time to capture movement over much longer stretches of time. Each situation will come with it's own challenges. Let's look at a few.

Galaxy Rising
It's not just the sun and clouds that move above us. The stars move remarkably quickly through the night sky. The sequence below was photographed over 4.5 hours using two cameras. I took a number of test shots prior to starting the time lapse in order to ensure good exposure and composition. Many astrophotographers will recommend turning off your camera's noise reduction in order to prevent gaps in between shots. For this time lapse I left the NR on and you will see that it plays back quite smoothly. For more information on the basics of astrophotography check out my previous post, ​http://www.creativeislandphoto.com/blog/astrophotography-101 

​Camera Settings
Camera: 2 Olympus OMD E-M1 cameras
Lens: Olympus 12mm f/2.0 and 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO
Mode: Manual
ISO: 1600
Aperture: f/2.0 and f/2.8
Shutter Speed: 20s

Time Lapse Settings
Number of Images: 484
Interval: 1s - Given a  shutter speed of 20s and the NR on top of that, setting the interval to one second meant there was minimal delay between shots.
Frame Rate: 16 fps
​Crop: 16:9
​Final edit in iMovie

​Camera Settings
Camera: Olympus OMD E-M5II and E-M10II
Lens: Olympus 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO and 12mm f/2.0 
Mode: Manual
ISO: 1250
Aperture: f/2.0 and f/2.8
Shutter Speed: 10s for the E-M5II and 6s for the E-M10II

Time Lapse Settings
Number of Images: 920
Interval: 1s - Given the long  shutter speed and the NR on top of that, setting the interval to one second meant there was minimal delay between shots.
Frame Rate: 20 fps
​Crop: 16:9
​Final edit in iMovie

Blooming
My earliest memories of time lapse photography were those Walt Disney nature sequences of plants growing and flowers blooming. I find these to be the most challenging, but also the most rewarding sequences to try and capture. The movie below was shot over a two-week period. A duration of this length definitely comes with a number of challenges. 

1. Lighting: I set this amaryllis plant up in a relatively dark room and used two LED lamps to light it. This eliminated most of the fluctuations in natural lighting as the days went on. The packaging on the bulbs included the colour temperature (2700K) which I used to set a custom white balance.  
2. Plant Movement: Plants will automatically bend toward a light source. In order to avoid this, I used a clamp and attached it to the stem of the flower just out of view of the camera. 
3. Battery Power: For shooting intervals of several minutes, the camera will go into sleep mode and then wake up to take the next shot. This helps to conserve battery power. Of course, for a sequence of this length the battery will eventually drain. I used the optional battery grip and  replaced the battery once per day while the camera was still on. This way, if the battery grip drained fully there would still be power in the body battery. Just make sure that you don't accidentally move the camera in the process of switching batteries. One other option is to use the AC Adapter for the battery grip. 
4. Slow Grow, Fast Bloom: Plants grow fairly slowly, but bloom quite quickly. During the growth phase I used an interval of 15 minutes between shots, but once the flower was ready to bloom, I reduced the interval to 5 minutes. This helped to ensure smoother playback of the blooming process. 

​Camera Settings
Camera: 2 Olympus OMD E-M1 cameras
Lens: Olympus 25mm f/1.8 and 75mm f/1.8 
Mode: Aperture Priority
ISO: 200
Aperture: f/9.0
Shutter Speed Range: 0.5s to 2.0s

​Time Lapse Settings
Number of Images: 2530
Interval: 15 minutes during growth phase; 5 minutes during blooming
Duration: 13 days
​Crop: 16:9
​Final edit in iMovie

Sprouts
After the amaryllis time lapse, I decided to plant some sunflower seeds and see if I could capture their germination and the first few days of growth. The only new challenge for this sequence was timing their eruption from the soil. I knew it would be several days before the seeds germinated so I waited until I saw the soil bulging slightly and then I started the time lapse. 

​​Camera Settings
Camera: 2 Olympus OMD E-M1 cameras
Lens: Olympus 60mm f/2.8 and 25mm f/1.8 
Mode: Aperture Priority
ISO: 200
Aperture: f/11.0
Shutter Speed Range: 0.5s to 2.0s

​Time Lapse Settings
Number of Images: 1254
Interval: 12 minutes
Duration: 8 days
​Crop: 16:9
​Final edit in iMovie

Fly Poop - A Time Lapse Fail
Time lapse photography is not without its frustrations. Even the best laid plans can be ruined by mother nature. 

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What Next?
If it moves, you can create a time lapse sequence of it. There are many ideas floating around in my head that I would like to try (and hopefully will, eventually). Here are a few...

Driving - attach a camera to my vehicle (car, bike, canoe, kayak) and capture the trip;
Shopping - attach a camera to a grocery cart and capture the shopping experience;
Home Renos - photograph the construction or destruction of a reno project;

Seasonal changes - take one photo per day for an entire year from the same location to see how the landscape changes;
Build a Puzzle - capture the process of building a puzzle from start to finish;
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And Finally...
Here are three more thoughts on time lapse photography.

Shoot video instead.
If you are only capturing a relatively short event (less than an hour), you might want to shoot video and use  your editing software to speed it up. There are advantages and disadvantages to this;
Advantages: You get very smooth playback since you are capturing every moment of the event. As well, it is easy to adjust playback speed to condense a 30-minute video, down to 30 seconds. 
Disadvantages: Video can be a memory hog, and you won't be capturing individual shots that you might want to use on their own. 
For the "Sunset on Lake Manitou" video, I set the camera up on the ice and captured the final moments of the sun setting, 28 minutes in total. I then used iMovie to speed the process up 4000%. This reduced the video to a length of 26 seconds. 

With my Olympus E-M5 Mark II shooting the video, I was able to continue composing other shots with a second camera.

​Use the time lapse feature to be in two places at the same time.
When I am out photographing landscapes I will often shoot with two or three cameras. The first I will set up in one location, engage the time lapse settings and leave it there. Then I'm off to another spot to do some regular shooting. Once finished, I can decide whether to use the entire sequence of shots to build a time lapse or just one or two individual shots from the series. Most of the time, I am shooting in locations where I am not worried about someone finding the camera that I've left behind and taking it. However, on one occasion I returned to my camera and ran headlong into a bear! But, that's another story.

While one camera was shooting the sunset video above, I had another camera shooting the same sunset from within this clump of trees.

Time Lapse Selfies
Sometimes when I'm out shooting, I think, "wouldn't it be great if there was a person in this photo?" Then I realize that I'm the only person around. That's when I decide to take some time lapse selfies. 

For this image I set the shooting interval at 1 second, walked off and strolled across the frame. I stopped the sequence once I got back to the camera. The individual images were blended together in Photoshop.

I hate wasting good light, so I will often shoot with multiple cameras and use the time lapse feature  even if I have no intention of creating a time lapse movie.