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A lot of people have asked me what is the best way to do timelapse photography, and frankly, I can't really answer that for there are a lot of different ways. There are many ways from leaving your video camera on a tripod and press record (but you'd be working with hours and hours of unnecessary footage). Another is using an SLR or any photo cameras with a tripod, and make sure, whatever you do, do not move the camera. The most convenient way though is to have a remote or time-lapse "wand". Below, I am sharing pretty much the best way to do timelapse photography (using Canon 20D for an example). It can get pretty boring, but I can assure you, the result is priceless with some amazing footage! Have fun.

Timelapse by Actual Films (Jon Shenk jon@actualfilms.net)

1. Dial camera to manual or "M" mode using switch on top left (looking down) of camera.
2. Adjust shutter speed using the dial right behind the trigger button (on top right-hand side of the camera). In order to achieve good time-lapse shots (especially for landscapes with trees, grass), I have found that ideally you want to have a relatively long shutter (1 or 2 seconds). This reduces jerkiness when things moving in the frame.
3. Adjust aperture by using large dial on the back panel of the camera (you need to have the off/on switch set in the "top" position so that the two white lines line up in order to adjust the f-stop. Ideally, you want to have the f-stop around 5.6 or 8. If you go to 22 you risk seeing "dust spots" on the lens, etc.
4. Adjust "ASA" by pressing the "DRIVE-ISO" button on top of the camera - after you press this button, use the large dial on the rear of the camera to adjust. You can set it anywhere between 100-3200. For exteriors daylight, you'll find that you want to have it on 100.
5. Use ND filters. For daylight time-lapse shots, you'll find, given the long exposure length, that you will always be struggling against over-exposure. There are two ND filters in the kit. One of the filters is actually a "variable ND." If you use the variable ND, you can use it as another means of setting exposure (it actually works quite well). Be careful not to dial the variable ND all the way to "max" - you’ll notice that at the "max" setting, it creates a strange vignette. Also, you can "stack" the two ND filters. With both ND filters, you can reduce exposure up to 5 or 6 stops. So, they are quite useful on exterior shots.
6. Step-down ring. When using the ND filters on the longer lens, you need to use the step down ring. I usually leave it on, so you might need to take it off the filter when using the wide lens.
7. Clean lens and camera! Before you initiate a shot, take lens off and use canned air to blow out dust from the inside of camera. When doing this, it is v. important to blow off the CCD itself - you can do this by setting the camera at a v. long shutter (like 10 seconds) which can be achieved by using the dial right behind the camera trigger. With the throat exposed (cap off), fire the trigger of the camera - when the mirror lifts up, blow baby blow! Also - clean lenses and filters using fluid and tissue. Take precautions to clean BEFORE each time-lapse session. Dust is a major problem with these shots.
8. Use the time-lapse "wand." Attach time-lapse wand to left side of camera by pulling back the rubber "cap" and inserting three-pin plug into the appropriate receptacle. Using the LCD readout on the "wand," you can set the time-lapse interval by pressing the dial on the right side of the wand in, then scroll the dial to change the number of seconds, minutes, hours. Press the start-stop button to begin sequence. The large grey button is simply another trigger button. You can use this to do "test" shots.
9. Make sure the lens is on manual focus (MF) while doing time-lapse shots in order to avoid "breathing."
10. Make sure the white balance is set to DAYLIGHT or TUNGSTEN and NOT to AUTO. This also avoids "breathing" between different white balances between shots. You can set white balance by press the AF-WB button on top of the camera and then use the large dial on the rear of the camera to choose the correct setting.
11. MENU - use the menu button (in conjunction with the dial/button) on the rear of the camera to set quality and other settings. I usually leave the quality on Large (L), but M is good enough for HD (if you are not going to be doing much cropping.
12. Remember that these images will be cropped to 16X9, so compose with that in mind.
13. You can use the camera's built into little "scope" meter by pressing the INFO button on the back of the camera.
14. TEST Image - always shoot a test image to look at on the LCD before leaving the camera to do a time-lapse. You can zoom into the image by using the two buttons on the rear, right top on the camera - to check focus, etc.
15. Insert a CF (compact flash card) into right side of camera. There are three cards in the kit (an 8 G, and 2 - 2 G cards). This should be plenty to take several time-lapse shots.
16. At the end of the day, copy the contents of the cards to a computer by using the USB card reader. If you want to check some images, you can easily pop them open in Preview on the Mac.
17. Image stabilization (on barrel of the lens) seems to work fine with time-lapse.
18. Battery charger - pretty straightforward. There are two batteries. There is also an adapter for AA batteries in case you cannot charge.
19. Lenses - there are two lenses in the kit. Wide: 10-22mm and Longer: 17-85mm. Quality-wise, they are both pretty sharp. With the wide lens, be careful about vignetting with ND filters.

More tutorials to come.

Labels: jon shenk, timelapse photography, tutorials