Time-lapse

Time-lapse photography is a particular technique in cinematography where each film is captured at a much slower rate than to be played during projection. During the normal projection of the movie, those captured with time-lapse photography will appear faster. Henceforth, the time will appear to be lapsing.

The favorite subjects of time-lapse photography include:

the blooming of buds

the rotting of fruits

the development of a construction project

the uprighting of grasses

the city people

some supernatural motion

cloud moving in the sky

The setting of a sun

the bullet approaching a person

the eruption of fire

some towers at dusk or dawn

traffic movement in a city

the television screen images

The use of the time-lapse photography technique helps the viewer to view those images on screen which would not have been appreciated in real time speed. The images are captured by capturing photos from just a few seconds to a minute or more apart, they are put together as a sequence allowing you to view the event over a short period.

Dr. John Ott is credited for popularizing the technique of time-lapse photography in films. The first instance of time-lapse photography in a feature film is found in Georges Méliès' motion picture Carrefour De L'Opera (1897). Few of the other stalwarts in time-lapse photography are Roman Vishniac, F. Percy Smith and Arnold Fanck.