About time lapse

A Detailed Definition: Time Lapse

According to the American English dictionary, time-lapse photography (or "Time lapse accelerated" in French) is a cinematographic technique where a photographer captures a series of still frames of the same scene at set intervals over time, then plays them back rapidly. For instance, individual snapshots of a flower growing over time can be merged to produce a video that depicts its progression from seedling to full bloom.

The History of Time-lapse

You might be astonished to discover how long time-lapse has been a part of our culture. The origins of time lapse go back to the late 19th century. Eadweard Muybridge was a trailblazer in time-lapse photography by photographing galloping horses in action. Nowadays, time-lapse photography is widely utilized to record slow-moving occurrences that would be dull or barely noticeable to the unaided eye, such as the development of a plant or the movement of traffic. On the other hand, time-lapses can also document rapid movements and render them even faster, like a cascade.

The Experiment

While time-lapse photography began in the scientific domain, its use has broadened to encompass artistic endeavors. Relative to hyperlapse, the scientific pace is more gradual in time-lapse. Numerous scientific time-lapse investigations enhance the aesthetic allure of photography. The craft of photography has undergone immense growth, showcasing a vast transition in its purposes and experiences.

Creating Videos from Static Images

Comprehending the concept of time-lapse photography renders it less of a foreign notion. To understand how time-lapse functions, it's essential to comprehend how videos are made. Motion in cinema and television is perceived through a rapid sequence of still frames shown at a fixed frame rate, generally between 24 and 30 frames per second. Watching 10 seconds of footage equates to viewing 240-300 discrete images displayed swiftly to simulate motion.

In applying this to photography, we seize a set of frames over a designated duration and replay them at a certain frame rate, like 25 frames per second, to generate a time-lapse video. When setting up your shot, take into account the subject's potential movement. Are considerable alterations expected over time, or will the scene largely stay unchanged? Subjects in vibrant settings, such as a descending sun, bustling city streets, or shifting climate conditions, often yield more captivating results.