Share your world in a whole new way using tilt-shift and time-lapse photography.
Here at Animoto, we’re always looking for new ways to inspire ourselves—and our users—to be creative and see the world in new ways. That’s why we were so excited when we watched the tilt-shift video that director Sam O’Hare made of the Coachella Music Festival. The film captures the incredible energy of a three-day festival in a 4-minute short using more than 50,000 frames—incredible, isn’t it? Check out the Coachelletta video and prepare yourself to be amazed!
Tilt-shift photography
There’s something exhilarating and empowering about witnessing a miniature, lego-like world unfold before us. For those wondering how this tilt-shift technique can be recreated at home, here’s the lowdown:
1. Buy a tilt-shift lense to attach to your DSLR camera.
If you’re serious about tilt-shift photography and want to take professional-quality tilt-shift photos, this is the way to go. For this we recommend Canon’s TS-E 45mm f/2.8 or Nikon’s PC-E Micro NIKKOR 45mm f/2.8D ED.
2. Use digital post-processing techniques.
Keep in mind though that you don’t necessarily need to spend a fortune to create amazing tilt-shift photography. If you’re only looking to play around with the technique (I mean, who wouldn’t?) we have some great news for you: using Adobe Photoshop or the power of the Internet, you can create your very own tilt-shift photos. All you need is a little understanding of miniature-faking and an adventurous spirit.
Tilt-shift makers online:
Photoshop tutorial:
The blurring, selective focus effect (achieved by the tilt-shift makers or the Lens Blur effect on Photoshop) simulates a shallow depth of field and produces the illusion of the scene being miniature. Increasing the saturation and contrast of the picture helps make it look even more like a model.
Time-lapse photography
Another technique the Coachella video employs is time lapse, each film frame is captured at a slower rate than the playback rate – time appears to be moving faster than it really is. To do this, you can use timer settings to shoot with a point-and-shoot camera, use a single lense reflex camera with an intervalometer, or—if you’re like us and want a free and easy solution—simply use webcams with programs like Gawker that give you a one-button time-lapse recording solution. Choose your subject, find the best angle to capture it in, take the photos, and assemble them all together in a video – it’s that simple.
Here is a quick and easy tutorial on time-lapse photography by Photojojo: http://content.photojojo.com/tutorials/ultimate-guide-to-time-lapse-photography/
Here we go
Here’s our humble attempt at utilizing tilt-shift and time-lapse techniques on our own, we created this Animoto video. Here’s a top-secret sneak peak at life in the Animoto office using a simple webcam and a few stills from NYC’s Earthcam. As Director Sam O’Hare said, the best part of it all is “the serendipity of occasionally finding people doing interesting things.” Enjoy!
Make your own slideshow at Animoto.
Just can’t get enough of tilt-shift and time-lapse photography? Here are some more great examples that you have to check out:
- The Uniqlo calendar
- Beautiful examples of tilt-shift photography
- Amazing tilt-shift videos
It takes some extra effort to see and capture the world in a different way but the end product is amazing! So let your creativity run wild—tell us how YOU see the world (and be sure to share it with us)!
