2017 PHOTOCHALLENGE, WEEK 1: END OF DAY - TIMELAPSE - The 2022 Trevor Carpenter Photo Challenge

Here we are, the first week of the 2017 PhotoChallenge. We have a brand NEW YEAR with some new contributors. Jeanie Sumrall-Ajero, Eric Minbiole and Maaike Groenewege have joined the 2017 PhotoChallenge Team. They are all creative and talented members of the PhotoChallenge who have contributed a great deal to our success as a community in 2016. Each with their unique approach, style and culture will lead us into a new and exciting year of photography.

One of our founding Fathers, Trevor, will be making more and more of an appearance throughout the year. Unfortunately, Gary is taking a break for 2017 but will make a surprise appearance as a Guest Contributor. If anyone else is interested in contributing to the 2017 PhotoChallenge as a Guest Contributor, please step forward and let us know.

Until now, for the exception of our last Hyperlapse Halloween Challenge, we’ve only focused on Still Images or Animated Images. Video contributions weren’t part of our focus. For the most part this will remain the same but we will venture a little into the video world with some assembled time-lapse challenges and other surprises to come. However when it’s a still photography Challenge, please only post still images.

This brings us to our first 2017 PhotoChallenge. Our first ever time-lapse challenge. Those of you who participated in the 2016 Halloween Hyperlapse Challenge will find yourselves on familiar ground. Time-lapse photography is actually easier than Hyperlapse as you just setup your equipment and relax with your favorite drink while your camera and time do all the work. 😉

There are multiple ways to do a time lapse. The most common way is to choose your location, setup your equipment, compose your scene and let the camera shoot the scenes without any camera movement. You can also add movement to your camera with automated panoramic heads and sliders. We’re going to focus on the still camera as the cost of additional equipment can prove to be more than an expensive venture. However if you’re shooting with a small lightweight camera or smartphone then there are plenty of affordable egg timer style trinkets on Amazon and eBay.

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I started with the above scene, letting time pass by while at an angle to the facing sun. I wanted to get the deepening contrasts of a low Summer Sun before the golden hour. My main subject was to remain the Hydro Power Plant, but I wanted to get two facets of light and two distinct environments.

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I then followed up with a scene composed from the opposite side of the Hydro Plant. A race against time that translated into a second day of shooting. This time I wanted to get the golden rays of the sun as the day came to an end.

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The final result, put together the two scenes, trimmed them a bit and added a touch of public domain music to get this final little clip.

Completing Your Challenge

To complete your challenge you will need to submit an end of day time-lapse clip or Animated Gif with a duration of 15 to 30 seconds.

You can use the intervalometer mode of your camera or a remote controller attached to your camera. Certain cameras offer a Time-Lapse mode that automatically creates a compiled video once the shooting sequence is over. With an intervalometer you will have to assemble all the images into one sequential movie using a basic movie editor or a hyperlapse/time-lapse/stop-motion App.

I used a Tiffen variable ND Filter to get longer exposures and create more movement and smoother transitions.

Tools you may need

A tripod is a must as each image will have to maintain the exact framing over and over again.
A remote for your camera as to not shake the camera if you are manually shooting
Filters such as a circular polarized filter, ND, sunset, etc. to create the mood you want. Remember this is still photography and every image in your time-lapse will reflect that.
A chair as you will be shooting for a few hours
An assistant to make the time pass by more quickly.

The time between frames, the length of the exposure and how long you will shoot is entirely left up to you. There are plenty of resources you can Google such as (Intervalometer & time lapse) to get you started. You can also find tools for your mobile device on the App Store or Google Play. The research is part of the challenge and will allow you to learn by searching for your particular piece of equipment. Don’t hesitate to bring forward your questions and findings to our Facebook community. This will help everyone in the community.

For free music I used soundbible.com. Make sure to respect the licenses for each individual sound track and give attribution when necessary.

This is an OUTDOOR CHALLENGE for the END OF DAY part but nothing keeps you from producing your video indoor. Using an eye-pleasing room with windows to a view, you can strategically shoot your end-of-day-time lapse showcasing a special outdoor view from indoors. You may have to shoot HDR images to accelerate your post production…

The rules are pretty simple:

Post one original photograph (Your Image) shot each week per theme posted on this blog to Google+, Facebook, or Flickr (or all three). Tag the photo #photochallenge and #photochallenge2017
The shot should be a new shot you took for the current weekly theme, not something from your back catalog or someone else’s image.
The posted image should be an animated gif or video.
Don’t leave home without your camera. Participating in the 2016 PhotoChallenge is fun and easy.