Category Archives: Showcasing

Liverpool City Mist – More Time Lapse

By Will | Published 18/10/2009

After my first attempt at shooting a time lapse sequence from the roof of the Anglican Cathedral tower, I returned with plenty of time to figure out a different way of supporting my camera and keeping it off the floor. From the results, it looks like it was a success. It’s just a shame the weather wasn’t as kind as it was the previous week.

Never the less, the city still makes for a fascinating show. So, let’s get on with it!

On my next visit to the tower, I think I’ll try something else. The position on the roof I’ve been shooting from is very popular. So, it’s only fair someone else gets a go. Unless the weather is spectacular in which case it’s first come, first served, baby! :OP

Also posted in Blog | Tagged 2009, Anglican Cathedral, dusk, Liveprool, October, sunset, time lapse | Leave a comment

From Way Up High: Liverpool Life at Dusk

By Will | Published 11/10/2009

Until 26th November 2009, the Anglican cathedral in Liverpool is allowing evening access to the tower roof. A new lighting system has been installed which means visitors are now able to enjoy a very unique view of Liverpool after dark until 8pm on Thursdays excluding 5th November which is a real shame.

I’ve been on the roof before and it really is a spectacular view over not just the city centre, but also of the surrounding suburbs and even across the Mersey to Wirral.

Last week, I was on the roof again as the sun was setting and I took the opportunity to shoot a time lapse sequence. Unfortunately, my tripod was resting on some wobbly floorboards which people kept treading on throughout the sequence. So, there’s a degree of jitteriness caused by camera movement, but I really enjoy watching the resultant clip because it reminds me there’s so much life going on all over the city.

Also posted in Blog | Tagged 2009, Anglican, cathedral, Liverpool, Mersey, Merseyside, October, sunset, time lapse | Leave a comment

Time Lapse Photography – A Whole New World

By Will | Published 20/09/2009

Like most people, I find it difficult to detect gradual changes. For example, when you don’t notice the change in people you see everyday, but you notice the changes in those you don’t see often. The same can be said for things such as the movement of the sun, clouds, tide, flowers which open and close with the sun and other such phenomenon.

One way to make these gradual changes more visible is to record snapshots over a longer period of time and then review them over a shorter period. Like drawing a line on a wall to record a child’s height over a period of years. Viewing the snapshots together in a sequence makes the change easier to see.

Photographs are one such means to record snapshots in time and I’ve been experimenting with creating videos made up of photographs of the same scene over a period of time aka time lapse photography. This is where individual photographs are played back in a sequence – as frames of a video clip – effectively compressing time and allow the viewer to more easily see gradual changes in a scene.

Here’s one of my first attempts at time lapse photography from my recent trip to the Lake District (Cumbria, UK)

To make this, I shot 999 exposures using the intervalometer function on the D700 over a period of 2.8 hours, from 06:50 to 09:36 12/09/2009. Then, I batch process the images in Lightroom and used them to create an image sequence in Quicktime. From Quicktime, I exported the sequence as a video file and imported it into iMovie where I added the titles and carried out the final export.

I feel like I’ve discovered a new room at home, since I started doing these time lapse videos. I’m only just starting to touch on the possibilities and I’ve a few more ideas to try yet. I just hope the shutter on my cameras last for the duration!

Quick tip: having a second body to use whilst your first is tied up shooting time lapse is immensely useful and helps to ensure you don’t miss other stuff that’s going on.

Also posted in Blog, Mac, Nikon, Technique | Tagged Catbells, intervalometer, Lake District, sunrise, time lapse | Leave a comment

Whiteboard Portraits – Exhibition Style

By Will | Published 02/09/2009

Watched this?

Pete saw this and was insistent we have a whiteboard installed during our exhibition. So, we did!

Whilst Clay Enos found his subjects on the streets, we engaged the people who came to visit the exhibition. This might seem like shooting fish in a barrel, but it really wasn’t. Getting your portrait taken is probably one of the things you’d least expect to happen at a photo exhibition. After all, the idea is to go and look at photos. Right? So, the process still involved approaching a stranger and asking them to stand in front of a plain white board so you can take their portrait.

Those people who hated being photographed still hated being photographed. Them being within the walls of St. Luke’s didn’t stop them from saying, “No, thanks”, but a little encouragement was often all that was needed to get a willing subject.

Now, you might wonder where the fun and creativity is at. “Where’s the stunning vista or bikinis? All you’re doing is getting people to stand in front of a white board!” On the face of it, that might be all it seems, but when you’re forced to work in such restrictive conditions it really does take a lot of creativity to pull off something a bit different.

Putting creativity to one side, the interaction with people and the actual taking of portraits provided fun on both sides of the camera. Some clearly relished the opportunity to be a part of the exhibition whilst others just enjoyed having their portrait taken. There were probably a few who were less keen, but agreed anyway.

It was a great way to get to know just who was visiting and why they were in Liverpool. Some were locals, lots were from different countries from around the world. Some had come specifically to see the exhibition, others had just been walking past and decided to see what was going on.

Also very interesting was to see just how different the portraits were as they varied from photographer to photographer. Some went for straight portraits, some asked their subjects to do anything but smile, some asked their subjects to pose, some just left it all to their subjects to choose how they wanted to have their portrait taken.

What might seem like a very simple and even boring way to take portraits is actually great fun and very involving. Even if you don’t want to go as far as setting up a board on the street, why not do what one of the collective did and set one up in your back garden and ask family & friends to pose?

Just a warning though, it can get a bit addictive!