The Greatest Time Lapse Videos Ever – Volume 1
For some reason that I can't necessarily explain (not that I need to), time lapse videos have become somewhat of a hot commodity as of late. For me, they entertain my obsession with time, automation, and natural progression. Much of the equipment that is required to create these incredible pieces has become very affordable, allowing even the most inexperienced to come out with something decent with only a minor amount of dabbling.
In any case, I have yet to see a anywhere online that has put all of these amazing films in one place. So, I've decided to present some of the most recent cinematic time lapse masterpieces right here for your viewing pleasure. I would recommend, if your computer can handle it, to turn on HD and view these in full screen. It'll be worth it, I promise.
Android Dreams is the visual genius of Samuel Cockedey combined with the soundtrack from Blade Runner by Vangelis. This is the first time I've seen a time lapse put to this type of soundtrack, and I must say, it definitely works well. The entire work took about a year for Samuel to shoot, using a Canon 5D MkII. There's a great interview with Samuel on Season 9. Also, don't forget to visit Samuel's website for more of his great work.
The opening scene to Toronto Tempo, by Ryan Edmond simply fascinates me. Nearly every time I get the chance, I love to sit in the front of the train and watch it pull in to each and every station along the way. Ryan's execution of this is perfect. What makes this time lapse from the city I love so great is that he gets places that not many people see in Toronto, and even brings along his Dynamic Perception Stage Zero Dolly to get the moving time lapses. All in all, a great execution, and certainly one that should make Toronto proud. More of Ryan's work can be found on his website.
If I ever needed any motivation to move to Iceland, this video by Joe Capra (SCIENTIFANTASTIC) would most certainly be it. Captured over the course of 17 days, Joe pulled off what I truly believe not many people have the ability to do. Simply amazing landscapes with great vantage points, and once again, a great use of that beautiful motion dolly. What's also great is that I'm pretty sure the plane at the 30 second mark is the same plane that Sean Stiegemeier incorporated into his time lapse, Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull (considered, by me at least, to be the one time lapse that started this whole trend). Definitely visit the Vimeo page for the video and check out Joe's other works.
With possibly one of the most beautiful time lapses you'll ever see, Dustin Farrell has created an amazing video that I think I've watched at least 10 times. Serene, yet invigorating, I think this video might just become the video that I use to pump myself up for whatever creative endeavour I intend to take on. Also, if you were thinking that some of these photos would make great desktop wallpapers, Dan Levy is way ahead of you.
Check back in a couple days to see Volume 2 of my favourite time lapses.
Steph and Damion
Steph is kind of short. Damion is kind of tall. Together, they make the most adorable couple!
(See full post for more)
In the Windy City
The civic long weekend at the beginning of August seemed like the perfect time to take a trip. We booked the hotel, fueled the car, and made the 800km journey to the Windy city. Melanie and I had such a great time. Right by Michicagn and Harrison, we easily walked to many of the city's attractions. Not an easy feat, mind you, in the sweltering heat that has been sweeping much of North America. We visited the Shedd Aquarium, the Abbott Planetarium, and the Willis (nee Sears) Tower to name a few. The City Pass certainly made it easy to skip the lines and head straight in to all of the attractions we visited.
I decided to challenge myself a little bit for this trip. Seeing as I am not yet able to afford - or get my hands on yet, for that matter - a Fuji X100, I figured I'd might as well go the closest route. Yes, I made a makeshift X100. Ok, not really, but I just needed an excuse to use the word makeshift. I actually used my D700 with a 35mm F/1.8 DX lens. For those of you paying attention, the D700 is an FX - or full frame - body, which means that the lens I chose is not technically made for my camera body. Regardless, I turned off auto-DX crop mode, and slapped the lens in place.
The great thing about using this lens on a full frame body, aside from the fact that prime lenses are just awesome, is that the smaller the aperture, the more noticeable the vignetting becomes, which you'll definitely see in the photos below. I could have cropped or otherwise adjusted to remove the vignetting, but I rather like the effect. Enjoy!
Simple One-Light Setup
Back when I sad that my trip up north for the May long weekend was full of shooting, I wasn't quite joking. After a day or exploring, we thought the setting sun and expansive fields by Christine's house would be the perfect opportunity to capture just a couple more photos while there was still light. This time, I pulled out all the stops and we used artificial light as well.
Shooting outdoors can sometimes be a hassle. The sun is a light source without a dial. Without the proper know how, under compensation for the sun's intensity results in way-too-bright pictures, and overcompensation results in the exact opposite. The key is to find the middle ground that will give a nice light, but not distract or blow out the image too much.
Today's cameras and flashes come equipped with some pretty awesome technology, but one of the most impressive is TTL, or through-the-lens metering. This allows the system to determine the proper flash exposure with little user intervention. That doesn't mean you're out of the woods for doing any work though.
First, you'll want to determine your ambient exposure. Before you mount the flash to the camera - or if you already have, before you turn it on - adjust your settings to meter how you want your background - or anything that the flash doesn't hit - to look. Don't worry if your subject is dark, they'll be lit by the flash. You only want to worry about overall exposure here.
Now I'll admit, the sky in the photo above is a little blown out. But hey, mistakes happen. Besides, I think it works for this shot as it removes the detail from the sky and puts the focus back on Christine and Jason. So if the subject was too dark in the first step, how did we get them so bright? Mount your flash, my friends, and let TTL do the work. After you've got your baseline exposure, you can turn the flash on and take another shot. Subjects too bright? Don't adjust your camera; adjust the flash, maybe putting it down by a third of a stop.
Once you get the hang of it, it should be pretty simple to do a lighting setup like this in less than a minute. Not only does it look impressive when you do so, but the final results are much better than using that dreaded pop-up flash.
Oh, and when I said simple, I meant simple. Sometimes a VAL (Voice Activated Lightstand) works wonders as well.
PS, take note of the difference in light between where the flash hits. That was the difference between my ambient exposure and my flash exposure.
Happy shooting!
Christine and Jason at the Abandoned House
On the May long weekend (the same long weekend where those amazing photos of Boo the Raccoon came from) we went for a little drive on our way to Mono Cliffs Provincial Park. We couldn't help but to notice a very odd looking abandoned house off of one of the roads. Me, eager to flex the All-Wheel Drive muscles of my Suzuki SX4, and my passengers, white-knuckled and pale-faced from a combination of my maniacal laughter and the muddy, bumpy, and unpleasant road surface, made our way along the winding path that was the driveway and did some exploration...
Hit the jump for more...
Boo the Raccoon
I hope that everyone had a great Victoria Day long weekend, because I most certainly did. My friends and I travelled about an hour north to Shelburne, Ontario to spend the weekend at the home where my friend Christine grew up. The weekend was great to relax and not worry about any city related issues. I also took many pictures this weekend. Some of the first are some of the most shocking. I had a close encounter with a raccoon.
More below the fold...
Jason and Joash, Musicians
Take three photographers, 2 musicians, and a whole bunch of talent, and this is the result. This is the second part of the post from Thursday May 12, "Behind the Scenes - Before the Shoot". In the first part, I gave a little bit of a behind the scenes breakdown of the thought process during setup. This post is for the final results.
See the finished photos after the jump...
Cotton Carrier – Canadian Made and Built to Last
Now for something from our neck of the woods. I met with Brook from Cotton Carrier and he was kind enough to tell me a little bit about this great camera-carrying product. From Vancouver, Cotton Carrier is a unique strap and holster system that allows you to keep your camera closely attached to you on your chest or just above your hip, but in one fluid motion it can be lifted and used without any trouble at all.
More below the fold...
Everyone Loves Nikon
Ok, well not everyone. But they should. Here's just a quick break for some good old fashioned Nikon pr0n.
