WoodCop: Photo: Time-Lapse

Time-Lapse Creations

      The following photo creations were made using a digital camera and a tripod. With the camera stabilized and locked in position, I shot a series of photos of the subject over time (usually one shot every three or five minutes). Then, I combined the photos together into an animated "gif" file which basically turned them into a short time-lapse video.

      For example, while in Yosemite, I took a series of photos of Yosemite Valley. I took one photo every three minutes for a period of two hours. That gave me a total of 40 photos which, when combined, created a great time-lapse video. Unfortunately, the size of that gif file was impractically large; I was afraid that most people wouldn't be able to run it smoothly on their computer. So I rebuilt the gif file using only every other photo in order to shrink its size and make it run more smoothly. That video is displayed below.

      I really enjoy both parts of creating these time-lapse videos: first taking the photos and then combining them. And watching them always reminds me of how beautiful these places are. I hope you enjoy them as well.

The first link for each image is the entire time-lapse video.

The second is a modified time-lapse using only a fraction (every third or fourth shot) of the original photos. I only created these for some of the projects.

The third is a simple two-frame file that alternates between photos near the beginning and end of the original series.

      NOTE: Some of these files (particularly the full-length time-lapse videos) are often large files (the file size is listed and is actually the link). Because of this, the videos may take a while to load and may run more smoothly the second time. Actually, you may have better luck viewing the time-lapse videos by downloading the files (right-clicking on the link, then selecting "Save Target As...") and then running them from your hard drive.


Preview Image	Description	Complete Time-Lapse	Modified Time-Lapse	Alternating Dual-image
	Sunset in Yosemite Valley.	3,958 KB	1,795 KB	435 KB
	Nightfall in San Diego, CA.	4,594 KB	1,631 KB	416 KB
	Sunset at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington DC.	3,700 KB	1,262 KB	141 KB
	Sunset in Joshua Tree National Park.	372 KB	N/A	372 KB
	Afternoon clouds in Dana Point, CA.	655 KB	N/A	179 KB
	The headquarters building of the Bureau of ATF, Washington DC.	1,217 KB	N/A	1,615 KB
	The Jefferson Memorial in Washington DC.	1,584 KB	N/A	1,178 KB
	The Tidal Basin in Washington DC.	2,037 KB	N/A	998 KB