Creating a huge scale of movement describes time lapse photography. In the past few years, it has become one of the most popular types of photography because of its uniqueness.
Increasing the chances of a better career in this type of photography has attracted many photographers. Long-term processes that are difficult to experience in real life can easily be witnessed through a time-lapse photograph.
But what equipment, settings, and tricks are required to get the best shots?
Anyone trying to become a time-lapse photographer must be curious about getting the best photographs within a few days. To become a professional time-lapse photographer, you must learn some tips.
In this article, I will discuss detailed Time-lapse Photography Tips with a guide on equipment so you can read the article and move forward.
What Is Time Lapse Photography?
To capture a time-lapse photograph, a photographer captures many images at different internals and stitches them together during editing. The resultant photograph is a playback of the previous photographs. You can also turn the images into a time-lapse video because it better shows the different time intervals.
You must have seen this technique used in advertising and films because it adds beauty to the photo video.
Pro Tips For Time-Lapse Photography
To Excel in time-lapse photography, you need lots of practice and excellent working tips. Below are some of my favorite tips that help me get the rocking time-lapse photographs.
01: Using High-Quality Equipment
A time-lapse photograph can be considered the best if it uses high-quality equipment. So here are some tips on the best equipment for capturing a convincing time-lapse image.
Camera With Built-in Intervalometer
Buy a new version of a digital camera with a manual mode so that you can control the settings easily. Older cameras do not have an intervalometer for time-lapse photographs, so buying it separately is necessary.
Cameras like GoPro are my favorite because they are best for time-lapse images. The best thing about them is that you can convert normal images to high-resolution time-lapse videos and even be used underwater.
Appropriate Lenses
Depending on your shot style, you can use different lenses. For example, if you want to shoot landscape time-lapse photographs, you need a wide-angle lens to capture a bigger frame. Nikon 14-24mm works best in such situations.
While if you want to shoot in a dark place, then a lens with a fast aperture of f/1.8 or f/2 works better.
High-Quality Intervalometer
Some cameras do not have an internal intervalometer, so photographers must buy it separately.
An intervalometer is a device that works as a remote shutter release making it easier to capture photographs at different intervals.
02: Accurate Camera Settings
For cameras that can work on different file formats, I recommend using RAW because they can capture a high amount of data using the sensor.
Choose the shutter speed wisely to ensure the exposure time is less than each interval. You can have a maximum of 5 seconds shutter speed because it will work best for time-lapse photographs. An aperture of f/5.6 and f/8 could work best.
03: Choosing The Intervals
The most critical factor is selecting appropriate intervals in a time-lapse photograph. There can be different situations depending on whom you can select the interval, for example:
- When you want to catch the sun across the sky, you can use an interval of 15 to 30 seconds.
- Capturing the sun and moon rising and setting together at intervals of 1 to 3 seconds works best for me.
04: Reducing Flicker
During capturing photographs you may not feel any flicker, but later, when you start using the images to form a timelapse video, the flicker will be prominent. The reason behind flicker is that the camera automatically selects the exposure of a photograph, especially when capturing the sunrise or sunset.
To deal with this issue, I usually recommend having exposure control on the manual mode so that your camera cannot choose the exposure values itself.
05: Flawless Exposure
Having flawless exposure is very important to get on the right track for your time-lapse image and video. Some of the best schemes you can apply include using a Circular Polarizing Filter. These filters give a specific level of shade.
The purpose of using filters is to cut down extra light giving a harsh feel to the image. For camera settings, you should use a wide aperture and a reduced shutter speed to control flickr.
Top FAQ’s
Which is the best camera for time-lapse photographs?
Although there are many cameras in the market, you can use any of them because almost all of them have time-lapse features. But some cameras have advanced features designed to capture time-lapse photographs.
A DSLR can be the best choice to capture high-quality time-lapse videos. For photographs, you can use Rexing TL1-Time Lapse.
Why use an intervalometer for time-lapse photographs?
It helps to measure small intervals of time that are very important for time-lapse photographs. Using the intervalometer, a photographer decides equal intervals between different photographs.
What Is the best way to shoot GoPro time-lapse?
GoPro is one of the best cameras that have just added time-lapse mode to their HERO4 cameras. You need to keep the camera in the same point of view by fixing it on a helmet.
Can I use a drone to capture time-lapse photographs?
Yes, drone cameras are extensively used for capturing time-lapse photographs. Most commonly, the photographers who capture natural life use drone cameras because capturing with a normal camera is impossible.
Is a time stacking and time-lapse photograph the same?
Yes, they are almost similar. In a time-stacking photograph, you take many images of different time periods and then layer them to form a single image.
Wrapping Up
Time-lapse photography is a high-earning career, but only if you excel in your skills. Becoming a time-lapse photographer is easy but making your place in a vast industry where hundreds of photographers are looking for a job makes it difficult for you.
You must be a pro photographer with top-rated skills in your field to earn a handsome amount every month. I hope you have enough information on the tips for carrying your photography.