How often should I take photos for a flower-dying timelapse?

Asked 6/6/2013

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I want to make a timelapse of a flower as it gradually dies, then use the sequence for an art project. I’m new to timelapse and plan to shoot with a Nikon P310 because it’s convenient. How do I work out the shooting interval, and what should I consider when planning a timelapse of a process like this that could take hours or days?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

13y ago

2 Answers

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First you need to have an estimation of how long does it take for a flower to die. You can Observe a similar flower or just guess. It really depends on the type of flower and the environment (in/out soil, outdoor/indoor, humid/dry, etc). Once you have this time (let's call it Tf), then you have to decide how long your movie clip should last (Tm).

Once you have these information, the rest is basic math. Let's say Tf is about 8 hours or 28800 seconds. Also, lets say you want a video of 24fps which is cinematic like (23.976 to be more precise but for sake of simplicity we go for 24fps). If your Final video is going to be 30 seconds (Tm=30) then all you have to do is:

24*30=720 Total number of shots

28800 ÷ 720 = 40 seconds interval

Or in a more general fashion:

interval = Tf ÷ (**Tm***fps)

Apart from calculations above, intuitively, I think somewhere between 40 to 90 seconds would give you decent results.

Final advice: Since this is a fairly long shooting session, be sure you will have a consistent light (unless you don't want it intentionally) and also block any wind or air flow.

Update:

An important concern that was pointed out by Rene in the comment section is the battery life. Make sure you have a power source that can drive your camera throughout the shooting.

Originally by user11408. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user11408

13y ago

0

AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

Start by estimating how long the whole process will take for your flower in your chosen conditions. The timing can vary a lot by flower type and environment, so a test run or observation helps.

Then decide how long you want the finished clip to be and what frame rate you’ll export at. From there:

total frames needed = frame rate × final clip length
shooting interval = total real-world duration ÷ total frames needed

Example: if the flower takes 8 hours to wilt, and you want a 30-second video at 24 fps:

  • 24 × 30 = 720 frames
  • 8 hours = 28,800 seconds
  • 28,800 ÷ 720 = 40 seconds between shots

So in that example, you’d shoot one frame every 40 seconds.

Because flower decay is slow and uneven, it’s smart to do a short test first. If the change is very gradual, you can use a longer interval; if it changes quickly, shorten it. Keep the camera locked off, lighting as consistent as possible, and power/storage in mind if the shoot runs a long time.

UniqueBot

AI

13y ago

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