Have you seen time-lapse construction videos? They look pretty amazing, right? If you think that this type of video only appeals to the masses, there’s more to it than that. The truth is time-lapse photography is the ideal monitoring and marketing tool for the construction industry.
It’s beyond the on-the-surface stuff people believe it to be. Construction professionals do need it to monitor their projects as well. There are so many things that you can get out of a construction time-lapse video. However, before you get into it, it’s essential you know how it works first.
How Does it Work
Construction time-lapse photography works a bit differently than regular time-lapse photos and videos. Here, the images are taken at a much lower frequency than the eventual frame rate.
By this frame rate, it gives the impression that building and infrastructure projects are occurring at a much quicker rate than in real life.
It works through various methods:
Intervalometer
An intervalometer is a remote timer that allows you to program when the camera takes photos. It’s a method that is used for DSLR cameras. With an intervalometer, you will be more in control of the camera settings.
However, this is not the best method to use for long-term time-lapsing because it needs to have continuous power and manage its storage space.
In addition to that, this will require you to leave expensive equipment unsupervised.
Cameras with Built-In Time-Lapsing
Now, the most popular method today used in construction sites is using a camera with a time-lapse feature. High-end DSLRs and GoPros can do the trick, and have internal intervalometers.
However, they are more expensive, and usually have limited settings and adjustments available. With that, you might not be able to customize it exactly how you would like.
IP Camera Software Control
IP cameras are designed for long-term applications—you can leave it and forget it, and it will still record the images you need. This is because they have unlimited power and storage.
IP cameras can also be mounted anywhere out of reach and it’s not that visible. So, you don’t need to worry about it being stolen or getting damaged by the weather conditions because you can weatherproof it easily.
With IP camera software control, it can tell the camera to take photos at any time interval and store them in the cloud. This means you can see photos and time-lapse video in real-time, instead of waiting for the project to end.
Even if you don’t have much control over the camera settings, this approach is worth considering as it can be a part of a bigger product suite of features.
Now, construction time-lapse works also according to the settings. The right camera settings in construction time-lapse are important to achieve consistency across your photos. When you don’t choose the right settings, you will be faced with variations in colors and lightning that can increase your post-production workload.
Regardless of the camera you’re using, these camera settings will work for long-term construction time-lapse.
- Aperture priority: For long-term time-lapse, you get to experience every lighting condition possible, which means there will be a huge variance in lighting. The only camera mode to shoot in this condition is aperture priority because it can deliver a consistent depth of field and keeps the shutter speed appropriate to the lighting.
- Manual focus: If the camera and lens set-up has both a focus switch on the lens and an in-camera focus mode, make sure they’re both set to manual. Double and triple-check you have set focus to manual. As much as possible, use a manual focus ring you can secure with tape in a set focus position.
- White balance: Set the white balance to manual to make sure color balance remains the same across all photos.
- ISO: Setting the ISO to auto is okay for daytime shooting, but if there’s going to be nighttime shooting, then it must be set to manual.
- Exposure compensation: Lift the Exposure Compensation when shooting in the sun. Conversely, drop the Exposure Compensation is the subject is a bright spot among a group of dark high-rise towers.
To recap, how construction time-lapse photography works are all about the right camera and the settings you will use. As you can see, regardless of the camera you use, these camera settings we discussed will help ensure you get the best time-lapse images for your project.
What are The Benefits of Construction Time-Lapse
Construction time-lapse provides contractors a compelling way to tell a complete story about the project from start to finish. It’s a powerful and versatile marketing tool that will help boost your construction business by showcasing these projects.
You can illustrate how fast modular buildings are installed, and you can also use time-lapse photography to document the length of time your modular buildings are assembled.
Aside from being an excellent marketing tool, it’s helpful to construction companies to spot inefficiencies throughout the process. Construction cameras with time-lapse features allow companies the chance to address and resolve inefficiencies immediately.
Get the Best Camera & Equipment for Long-Term Construction Time-Lapse
Knowing how time-lapse photography works for construction is crucial. In this post, we have discussed how it works through various methods and camera settings to ensure the best quality of images.
Regardless of where you will use the photos, you need to guarantee that the camera will produce high-quality images that will not give you any headaches during the project.
That’s why you need to invest in high-quality construction camera you can use for long-term construction time-lapse. The good news is, you’ll yield high returns from this because you can use it for your other projects, too.
With that, you shouldn’t hesitate to get a specialized camera that will deliver the quality images you deserve. Since construction time-lapse videos are effective marketing tools, it only makes sense that investing in an excellent camera that will last for a long time.
Visit CamDo, they can take care of your construction time-lapse needs. Get yours now!