When you shoot a day to night time-lapse, you get to document the way different times of the day affect a landscape.
It takes time, but a day to night (or night to day timelapse!) is a fantastic way to improve your videography skills and make some extraordinary footage.
Choose an Interval of Time That Will Make Your Time Lapse Look Interesting
There are a few questions you must ask yourself before you start shooting. How long you want to be outside? Or what exactly you want to include in your timelapse?
Do you want to create a sunset timelapse and get a few seconds of nighttime footage? How many elements do you want to include in your final video? All these questions will determine how long you spend outdoors.
It is best to choose a convenient time that doesn’t exhaust you. You need to be awake since you’ll be controlling your camera settings.
The time and settings ultimately depend on you and your preferences. If you’re not sure, you might want to create a day to night time-lapse from your window. Practicing will give you a better idea of what you’re comfortable with.
Find a Safe Location Where You Can Shoot for Hours
Once you have a clear idea of what images you want to capture, choose a safe location. This can be the top of a hill, the beach, or even a roof.
Your goal is to choose a location that will keep you safe and won’t disturb anyone around you. The weather conditions need to be ideal, especially if you plan on shooting for hours at night. If there’s a lot of wind, your camera will move around and take blurry time-lapse images.
Make sure you bring something to keep you entertained during your shooting. You should also wear warm clothes, bring a chair, and make sure you have something to eat and drink.
Select a Long Interval to Avoid Overwhelming Your Camera
You’ll need to use your internal or external intervalometer to set an interval. This interval will determine how often your camera takes pictures. For example, timelapse sunset timing is usually around 3 seconds.
If you’re going to be shooting for hours, your interval doesn’t have to be that short. The longer the interval is, the less overwhelmed your camera will be over a long period.
Keep your camera battery and memory in mind when you set an interval.
Shoot in Live View Mode to Know When to Adjust Your Exposure
You don’t have to use Manual mode to create great timelapse photography, but it will make your life easier. If you use it, make sure you shoot in Live View mode.
Live View mode will let you see what’s happening on your camera screen. This will make it easier for you to adjust your camera settings as the lighting changes.
Make sure you check the screen as often as you can. This will take more effort than using another mode, like Aperture Priority. But it will give you much more control over your images. This can save you a lot of time in the long run.
