NZPhotographer Issue 34, August 2020
As of December 2022, NZPhotographer magazine is only available when you purchase an annual or monthly subscription via the NZP website. Find out more: www.nzphotographer.nz
As of December 2022, NZPhotographer magazine is only available when you purchase an annual or monthly subscription via the NZP website. Find out more: www.nzphotographer.nz
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
PURAKANUI FALLS SWIRL<br />
F9, 6s, ISO500<br />
Why I’m Passionate About<br />
Time-Lapse Photography<br />
by Brendon Gilchrist<br />
Fast-forwarding time that we can’t see but that exists<br />
in front of us, this is what I love to capture!<br />
It took me a long time to understand why I enjoy timelapse<br />
photography but I ultimately realised that I like<br />
the surprise of not knowing what I’ll get. You see, on<br />
some occasions, I will set up my camera in hope that<br />
the clouds will be going in one direction, then when<br />
I process the stills I find out that the clouds are going<br />
in 2 different directions. Other times I’ll have captured<br />
the aurora but won’t realise how spectacular the<br />
event was and what I missed with my own eyes until<br />
I’m home and viewing what the camera picked up.<br />
I also enjoy the challenge of time-lapse photography<br />
as I always think carefully about where to put the<br />
camera rather than just putting it down anywhere<br />
as so many other people do. Composition is key for<br />
me, working out what I’ll put in the frame, considering<br />
what will be moving into the frame and what I can<br />
hide at first but then show at the end. For example,<br />
I might place the camera low where there is a broken<br />
stump of a tree, the Syrp Genie will then slowly move<br />
up revealing a waterfall.<br />
Time-lapse challenges me to look around and think<br />
‘Where is this water flowing?’, ‘How fast is the tide<br />
rising and how long do I have before the tripod is<br />
underwater’?, Which way are the clouds moving?<br />
There’s also the question of ‘Which way do I want<br />
the motion time-lapse system to go and should I pan<br />
or keep it static? Not panning is great for telephoto<br />
situations such as close ups of mountain tops but<br />
moving in the same direction as the clouds can give<br />
the finished time-lapse a certain wow factor.<br />
It is hard to visualize what you don’t know is going to<br />
happen but over time, you develop an understanding<br />
of what is likely to happen with a hint of surprise still<br />
thrown in to the final sequence.<br />
Another thing I greatly enjoy with time-lapse<br />
photography is that once I have set up the camera<br />
I can relax and enjoy my surroundings, letting my<br />
8<br />
<strong>NZPhotographer</strong>
Change language