Time Series Photography Challenge
Taking Single Exposures That Give Suggestion of Elapsed Time
Mar 22, 2008
Time series photography simply involves taking a number of single exposures at equal time intervals to give the suggestion that time elapses in the scene or scenes. Unlike time lapse photography, there is no intention of speeding up the film to create movement.
Time series techniques appears to be relatively unknown or little talked about on the Internet as a web search will quickly reveal, but nevertheless, it is a legitimate form of creative art photography. This article only considers introducing the topic and presenting the challenge of using any camera to capture a subject of interest, together with adopting a time framework and building the suggestion of elapsed time.
Time series rules
A Time Series project starts with a set of instructions or rule, for example:
- go to such-and-such a place
- place camera on the tripod
- make an exposure every X minutes
One notes that the above rule calls for a fixed camera but there is no mention of recording time. Alternatively the rule could include:
- always show the passage of time using a large clock in the photographs
We could invent a different set of instructions where this time the camera is not fixed but is moved to different locations. As long as time is suggested, this would still constitute a time series project.
- go to any place
- put camera on the tripod
- make an exposure every X minutes
- always show the passage of time using a large clock in the photographs
Note that if the exposure is taken every X minutes, locations to visit should not be far apart. Therefore, the first step of the above rule could be improved with a qualification:
- go to any place but no further than 30 minutes away from the last location
Different rules may be thought of to make projects different and interesting. As such, rules are only limited by our imagination.
Examples from the Internet
It is recommended to visit the website Time Series Projects to note some interesting time series photography rules, such as:
- A day at Vista point – camera is fixed but there is no record of time
- A day at the pier – camera is fixed but clock always shows passage of time
- A day on California One – camera is not fixed but clock shows passage of time
- 25 Frames – the rule is four people shoot a photo every 30 minutes. Passage of time is recorded on each set of four photos.
More examples of Time Series photography are shown at:
- Australian Institute of Marine Science
- Photo Series Gallery (some suggest time)
Activity
- Decide on a time series technique, or rule
- Formulate a plan and write it down
- Use a digital camera to take the photos, upload images to the computer
- Save images as JPEG files
- Present your project in a suitable format (MS Publisher 2007, MS Powerpoint 2007, etc.)
Other Photography Challenge articles by the author:
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