How to Set Up Timelapse Photography

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How to Set Up Timelapse Photography
Case Study

How to Set Up Timelapse Photography

By capturing a series of photos at regular intervals, we can create a captivating video that shows the progress of your project. In this post, we’ll guide you through the process of setting up timelapse photography.

Step 1: Choose the Right Equipment

To get started, we need some essential equipment:

  1. Camera and Lens: We use a Nikon DSLR camera with manual settings. Make sure it has a durable body and long battery life. We generally use wide-angle lenses which are ideal for capturing large sites even at a close distance.
  2. Housing: All the equipment is protected from our harsh weather, IP66 rating.
  3. Tripod: Stability is crucial for timelapse photography, our unit can be mounted on poles, masts, scaffolding, buildings… we also have a trailer mast which can be moved to different locations.
  4. Intervalometer: This device allows you to set the time interval between each photo. This is our specialised system in-built within the housing. It holds the intervalometer, the 4G sim, the SD card, and even a SSD card for RAW photos.
  5. Power: Our system is completely off-grid it has withstood harsh low light winters, even by taking photos through the night. It efficiently uses a solar panel, internal battery, and can also be connected to 12V batteries.

timelapse camera installation

Step 2: Composition

We consider the following factors to help you capture engaging timelapse:

  1. The Interval: depending on how the subject will change over time we decide what is the best interval for each photo. 1min, 5mins, 10mins, 20mins…
  2. Aperture: We recommend the camera be set manually, manual focus and also a fixed aperture based on the subject, lighting etc…
  3. Light: A photographer’s ephemeris is a great tool to see where the sun rises and set over time in relation to the subject.
  4. Location: Finding a safe, elevated spot with no obstacles, as well as no causing issues with the location, construction… and following what point 3 we have is a must.
  5. Test and revise: Having accessibility to the camera but also a control panel where we can make adjustments is an advantage.