Timelapse Photography: 5 Tips for Getting Started

Photography Tips  •  Time-lapse Photography

Timelapse photography is a really interesting art form. By taking a series of photos at certain intervals and creating a video out of it, it feels like you’re traveling through time. And as complicated as the process may seem, it is actually quite simple. If you’ve ever wondered how to get started with timelapse photography, we have the right video for you. In today’s video, filmmaker and photographer Joseph DiGiovanna with B&H shares five tips for making an awesome timelapse video. You can learn how to make a timelapse using your smartphone or a camera and almost any editing software:

If you’re just getting started, your smartphone can be the perfect tool. You can take pretty amazing timelapse videos using just a smartphone—it’s as simple as pushing a button. But, as DiGiovanna explains in the video, you can take it to the next level by adding a bit of motion. You can easily do this by using a gimbal and panning while recording the timelapse.

You need to dedicate a good amount of time (as in, hours) when recording a timelapse. Keeping your devices powered up can therefore be a challenge. DiGiovanna shows you how you can tackle this issue by either using simple power banks or other, more sophisticated power backup solutions.

He also shares some tips on how you can gain more control over the timelapse videos. As he explains, the period between consecutive shots can vary depending on what’s you’re aiming for and for how long you’ll be shooting. And to control the interval, you can either use the camera’s interval timer function or an external intervalometer. For complex tasks, he suggests you get an external intervalometer.

Toward the end of the video, he shares how you can post-process the images (if required) and explains the different software options available to automatically generate a timelapse video. So if you are a beginner wanting to try out timelapse photography, be sure not to miss this video.