Time Lapse Photography >>>As We Grow.

[brewmaster15]

I'm always looking for new ways and projects to make use of old "outdated" gear. And if I can turn that into a learning project for my Kids I get really Fired up over it. So I decided to put that old Pentax istDs we used here... back into action to do some time lapse photography with my son Ethan. WE needed a camera we could set up on a tripod and leave undisturbed for weeks. That ruled out any of my current gear but the location was a bit risky for accidental knockdowns. The old ISTds fit the needs. Its a 6 mp camera.. more than enough resolution for this. Its also not something I use regularly. Its lightweight which means I could use an old tripod.

20170310_122441 by Al Sabetta, on Flickr

20170212_161537 by Al Sabetta, on Flickr


We chose the classic Garden Beans. They grow fast and move around a bit. And they grow very distinct big leaves.. a couple of handfuls of dirt in an old Chinese Food take out tray and some seeds and we were good to go. Next we needed the grow chamber. Something that we could regulate the lighting and it needed to be low budget cheapo. A big old cardbox box, with a white poster board back ground and aluminum foil sides worked perfect. For lighting ... a simple low voltage LED strip ($4) and power supply( $3). We also threw on an optional analogue timer for the light ($2.50)

20170310_122455 by Al Sabetta, on Flickr

20170311_082121 by Al Sabetta, on Flickr





Covered the opening with a piece of scrap cloth to prevent stray light in as its by a window.


Everything worked as intended. Over the next few weeks we took random pictures daily.

20170310_122530 by Al Sabetta, on Flickr



Once we had enough pics Ethan took the pics and turned them into a Video. He is really interested in animation so this project was perfect for him.



And here is our First Time Lapse photography... Hope you enjoy it!

al

[Akili]

WOW!! Nice job putting all the frames together and love the use of common household item for the project!

[Discus-n00b]

I really like the focus change to the leaves once they reach a certain height, nicely thought out there. Very cool project, i absolutely love time lapses especially of nature. I'd suggest a little more light next time, even if it's only for the 2 seconds you take the photo with just to illuminate the green a bit more.

Do you remember how many frames it ended up being?

[brewmaster15]

Matt it was roughly 108 images over a 22 day period. Now that he has the basics down we can play around with parameters. Thinking of adding a second LED strip.. or maybe cutting the box and add some side illumination. Also I have a second camera just like this one a second lens similar. One thing we may try is using 2 cameras at the same time from different angles. Then when you make the video, you can alternate short clips from each to make it more interesting. Also want to try it with some macro work and maybe stop motion animation.

Its fun way to use that old stuff sitting around!

al

[RogueDiscus]

Cool! Very neat. So, you took the shots manually yourself, not on a timer? I guess exactly equal timing would matter over the long period.

[nc0gnet0]

I think I recognize those led's

[brewmaster15]

Cool! Very neat. So, you took the shots manually yourself, not on a timer? I guess exactly equal timing would matter over the long period.

Yes, we took the pictures manually over time. Theres was not much exact about it though... Plants grow fast, but not in terms of minutes and hours usually. We tried for at least 3 shots a day(morning, midday and late afternoon/pm.. sometimes more if we were walking by the camera. It would have been great to take a picture every hour as that would have made a very smooth video.....but it was beyond the gear and operators limitations!

al

[brewmaster15]

I think I recognize those led's

Yep... make very decent grow lights... notice how thick the plant stalks are and the health of the leaves..

[two utes]

Very cool project Al. I think its fantastic that you give your children these learning experiences.

[brewmaster15]

Thanks Joe! I enjoy doing them with them as well. I do like teaching them things but really just like spending time with them.
Al

[brady]

Really cool.Always wanted to do that. Does that camera have video capabilities?
If it doesn't how did you do that?
My camera is a Nikon D80 and doesn't have video.
Jay

[Discus-n00b]

Jay, a timelapse is usually always still images. You just put the still images together to create a video file. If the camera never moves it should be a seamless transition through the process to make it seem like you took video. It's like stop motion animation. Any camera can do timelapse, all you need are still photos and a video editing program of some sort or a program to create the video file.

[Filip]

Interesting project and a great video youve made there Al and Ethan .Timelapse videos of living nature are always interesting and fun to watch .
I agree with Matt about putting more lights during taking the shots on your next animation .
I noticed that the second half of the vid. is from an different angle . Is that the same camera in a different position or just zoom from the same POV?

[Second Hand Pat]

Ethan and Al, very cool project and well done Ethan on the video. The music is perfect. Would be really cool to do this with a flower opening with a way shorter time frame.
Pat