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Tips on capturing hi-quality night time-lapse videos with your DSLR camera:
(continued from Tips - page 3)
Location:
Choosing a location that would be interesting on camera is key to creating imagery that you and others will enjoy. Pointing your camera up
into the night sky with no landscape in the view is simple astrophotography. Absent is both a sense of scale in relation to the landscape
and nothing Earthly in which your viewers can relate. A dramatic landscape with a well-planned night sky above is a winning combination,
and can make for some stunning time-lapse motion imagery.
Planning the scene and knowledge of astronomy:
In favorable weather and road conditions you can photograph the night sky throughout the year; from no moonlight to full moon, from
mid-summer to mid-winter. A composition that includes interesting astronomical elements makes for a more visually appealing time-lapse
video, and knowledge of astronomy is key.
Knowing the constellations, the planets, the bright band of the Milky Way, the
motions of the stars (rotation of the Earth), meteor shower dates, the phases of the moon, setting/rising times, and the stages of twilight
are all important in composing your scene. This helps you determine what focal length lens to use, how long your exposure should be, your
f-stop and ISO, where to aim your camera, when to start/stop your sequence, and how long your sequence should be.
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Always plan for the unexpected. Things can and do happen; a flat tire, getting stuck in mud/snow,
*dew/frost, rain, nearby lightning strikes, equipment failure, etc. Be prepared with the proper clothing, survival gear, maps, extra batteries,
and communications equipment. Whether it's the bone-chilling cold of winter or the sweltering heat of summer, you never know when your life
may depend on your being prepared!
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* Click image for choices: Flash (SWF), Windows Media (WMV), MPEG-4, QuickTime (MOV/M4V), GIF, StereoFX
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Before you begin; double-check everything:
Much like an aircraft pilot does a pre-flight check you need to do a pre-sequence check. Make sure that all camera/lens/tripod settings are
correct right before you begin. It's also important for your camera to have the correct date and time setting because you may need to
know exactly when a particular frame or sequence was captured. You can use date/time to plan to re-shoot a scene or to help identify
something in the frame like a bright satellite.
After you finish; inspect your images for problems:
When your time-lapse sequence is done being captured it's a good idea to look through all of your images using the camera's rear LCD
screen. This may take a few minutes of pressing buttons and rotating dials, but if you see a problem that you hadn't expected you may have
time to re-shoot your scene while the camera may still be ready to go. If you don't check your images on site then you may have an
unfortunate surprise waiting for you when you get home. It could be anything from light intrusion into the lens (like a car headlight or
light from a flashlight) to corrupt image files that didn't write properly to the camera's memory card.
(continued...)
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Tested
