Time Lapse

Time Lapse refers to a cinematic technique of taking a series of pictures of the same subject over a period of time and then flashing them within a given time frame to display the movement of or change in the subject over time. This method of time lapse photography is closely related to the stop motion technique. Simply speaking, time lapse makes the subject or scene appear as though someone has pushed the “fast forward” button to speed up the natural evolution of the situation.

Traditional subjects captured by time-lapse photography include cloudy skies, growing flowers and urban growth.

Georges Melies was the first filmmaker to use time lapse photography in his films, debuting the technique in his acclaimed film Carrerfour De L’Opera (1897). However, John Ott is responsible for not only popularizing time lapse photography but also for developing more advanced equipment to facilitate the process of taking time lapse photos.

The term time lapse can also describe the length of time that the shutter is open for each shot a photographer takes.