Time Lapse Photography is a technique where the rate at which a professional/amateur photographer captures the frames of the film is much more spread than the usual frequency used to view the video normally. When such a video is being played normally, the video appears to be moving faster that is known as lapsing. For instance, if you capture the image of a particular scene at 1 frame per second and then played back in the video at around 20 frames per second then it means that there is a rise in the speed by 20 times more.
Time lapse video is the stepping stone to use advanced technicalities. Time lapse video editing goes well ahead compared to normal video editing as it has better and more variant editing patterns to choose from for the video. Here the cuts are longer and the static shots are more dynamic. In a time lapse video, the surrounding sounds are being filtered out and replaced with the music so it does not distract them from the main storyline the video is trying to convey.
Which are the spots and situations to include a time-lapse video on London?
London is made up with many spots that you can cover as part of your time-lapse video that you can share on your social media handles such as YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. In this write-up we will focus on the best locations to shoot and some tips or tricks that may come in handy while doing the videography. Most of these places are free to access.
- Tower Bridge of London – The best time to capture this place in your lenses is during the night using a tripod to get excellent results another time to capture shots of the Tower is during the sunset and a good way to emphasize the sunset’s color is by exposing the sky and not the Tower Bridge in the forefront. The tower Bridge acts as a silhouette against the skyline until it is too dark to capture.
- Buckingham Palace Most famous and popular attractions in London .There are hordes of visitors during the day trying to take pictures. If you need a quiet shot, the best time to be there will be very early in the morning.
- Paul’s Cathedral— Another of the greatest place to capture photos .It is better to take the elevator to the higher floor to get a better view of the city line. The sunset will provide a better lighting opportunity for photography. Also, as the location id free to access you will not need to make a hole in your pocket to get the photos or videos of your choice.
- The Shard – The most favorite spot amongst amateur photographers is the Shard .There is an option where you can go to the viewing platform on the top floor or the Shangri La Hotel beside the Shard to get the wide angle view of the City of London. This is also a good spot for sunset and blue hour pictures.
- Canary Wharf – The Blackwater Basin small water body close to Canary Wharf is a good spot for taking photos or videos as there is no wind in the area that helps with getting the perfect reflection for the picture. The best time to take the picture is during the blue hour/night. Another good spot to take a picture of the Canary Wharf is the Cabot Square which is accessible anytime. However, the security guards may show up sometimes for queries but no need to worry about that.
- Westminster Bridge- Another most common tourist spot like Buckingham Palace and St. Paul’s Cathedral whose countless photographs and videos are floating across different hoarding signs, Internet pages, etc .Can try using ND filters and the tripod to get a slightly different long exposure shots of the place .
- Albert Hall – It is a beautiful concert hall whose both back and front ends make good photographic spots .
- London Eye – This is one place that looks the best in the videos or photographs when shot at night .As it is moving, to capture a picture or video in slow motion then a long exposure is necessary. If you want to capture the details of the wheels and the pod, a faster shutter speed will be necessary, increase the ISO or wait for it to pause. The tourism department of the government has kept this popular tourist attraction free of charge so you can go there any time to shoot the video or pictures to capture moments for your London tour.
Final tips while clicking your cameras around London
- Keep an eye for reflective objects around to make the pictures look much attractive and this also helps frame picture square or portrait.
- Try to go as early to avoid large crowds and to get hold of better lighting.
- Use the long exposure for day photography for the time lapse videos.
- Most of the tourist spots are very close to each other so you will not need to spend much on the travel expenses.
- A tripod would be the best idea for night photography but be extra careful about the traffic and pedestrians.