A photography technique in which the frequency of frames captured (the frame rate) is much more spread out than the frequency used to view the sequence. When played at normal speed, time appears to be moving faster or slower and thus lapsing.
A holy grail timelapse sequence is a timelapse shot during sunset or sunrise. As the ambient light changes, so do the exposure settings, chasing the light.
Panchgani - Holy Grail Timelapse
All of us, especially those who do landscapes, try to avoid shooting a scene with a clear blue sky. As much as we like seeing puffy or stormy clouds to spice up our photographs, we have no control over what nature provides each day. Sometimes we get lucky and capture beautiful sunrises and sunsets with blood red skies, and other times we are stuck with a clear, boring sky. A couple of weeks back I was in the stunning hill station of Panchgani and Mother Nature obliged with some spectacular skies. I decided to make the most of Mother Nature’s magnificent display and spend some time doing sunset timelapses and day to night transition timelapses, otherwise called the Holy Grail Timelapse.
Day to night or night to day timelapses are called the Holy Grail timelapses. It gets the “Holy Grail” epithet because of just how insanely difficult it was to make given how the light changes SO DRAMATICALLY from the beginning up until the end of the shoot. Luckily for us today, camera technology has caught up and it’s made shooting and editing a holy grail timelapse almost as simple as any ordinary timelapse.
I used my trusty Canon 1Dx Mark ii paired with the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM Lens, EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM & the EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM at various times and the GoPro Hero 7 Black. The camera was usually perched on my ever reliable ProMediaGear sticks and the GoPro on the SwitchPod. These two have proved invaluable in keeping the cameras steady making it easier to edit later.
Read the entire blog to know more about the locations and how to shoot such beautiful timelapses.
The entire video is also available on my YouTube channel.
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The Bansilalpet Stepwell Timelapses
The Bansilalpet stepwell is believed to have been built in the 16th or 17th century primarily meant to access, manage and conserve ground water. The exact age of this stepwell made of stone masonry and lime plaster with architectural features reflecting an amalgamation of styles from the Kakatiyas to the Nizams is not known as no records seem to exist on its commission and construction. This medieval age structure is beautifully detailed, ornamented and stands as a testimony to exquisite craftsmanship and architectural heritage. This six-layer stepwell bears the indefatigable mark of the Kakatiyas, the artistic touch of the Nizams and the stamp of the British Empire. Earlier known as Naganah Kunta, this freshwater stepwell from the Kakatiyan period, during the rule of the British, became a part of a planned model village conceptualised and built by the British resident Terence Humphrey Keyes funded by Seth Bansilal after whom the stepwell and village came to be known.
Read the entire story of the restoration of this spectacular stepwell.
The following are some of the timelapses that were included in the final documentary screened at the Ramanaidu Studios on 15th March 2024. Watch the 16:9 aspect ratio of the film on my YouTube channel.
To create these Timelapses I have used only the 1Dx Mark ii with the EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM & the EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM at various focal lengths to frame my subjects.
Find the gear I have used here and more in my Kit Bag or a detailed listing here. I have also used the following filters stacked on one another as required:
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Kangchendzönga
Kangchendzönga - 0541 hours, as the first faint glow touches Senjelungma, as she is revered by the Yakthung, at 28,169 feet and photographed from 10,000 feet.
Seen here are the peaks which form the sleeping buddha. From left to right: Kumbhakarna & Kumbhakarna East in Nepal forming the nose & mouth; Rathong, Frey, Kabru South & North form the rise leading up to Kanchenjunga in the middle forming the belly sloping down to Gochasda and then rising again to Simovo South & East and then peaking at Pandim.
Cloud Inversion
A cloud inversion, or temperature inversion is when the normal temperature distribution of air – warm at the bottom, colder as you go up – becomes inverted or flipped upside down. This means you have a cold layer of air trapped at ground level, overlain by warm air. But why do we care? Because it looks amazing if you can get above the cold air! In the right conditions, cloud inversions lead to a thick layer of mist or cloud clinging to the ground. If you are lucky enough to be standing on a mountain ridge when it happens, like I was, you can be treated to incredible vistas of a sea of cloud, with island-like mountain tops rising out of the mist.
Sunrise Timelapse: 597 frames at 135mm.
Sunset Timelapse: 471 frames at 70mm.
Cloud Inversion: 351 frames at varying focal lengths.
The cloud inversion was the toughest one because it was our first evening and I was almost frozen stiff after 4 hours of trying to stand still in the cold.
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Milky Way Timelapse
Timelapses of the Milky Way are a timeless way to capture the natural beauty of our galaxy as it moves across the sky. It helps provide a real sense of how large and beautiful the band looks as it crosses the night sky in video format. As we all know, the Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy, it is a large object but is not as big as the closest galaxy to us (which, incidentally, is on a collision path with the Milky Way): the Andromeda Galaxy. We, as part of the Solar System, are at about half the distance from the center of the Milky Way galaxy to its outer edges. We are located in a smaller spiral arm – the Orion Arm – between two large arms.
To create this Timelapse I have used two cameras with a combination of lenses which you can find in my Kit Bag or a detailed listing here. I have not used any Night/ Light Pollution filters. The exif for the different sequences are as follows.
Exif: Canon 1Dx Mark ii | EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM | f/1.8 | 10 seconds | ISO 2000 | Manually focused with WB set to Manual at 5500k.
Exif: Canon 1Dx Mark ii | EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM | f/1.8 | 10 seconds | ISO 3200 | Manually focused with WB set to Manual at 5500k.
Exif: Canon 7D Mark ii | Samyang (Rokinon) 14mm f/2.8 IF ED UMC | f/2.8 | 14 seconds | ISO 3200 | Manually focused with WB set to Manual at 5500k
Exif: Canon 7D Mark ii | Samyang (Rokinon) 14mm f/2.8 IF ED UMC | f/2.8 | 14 seconds | ISO 2000 | Manually focused with WB set to Manual at 5500k
Exif: Canon 1Dx Mark ii | Samyang (Rokinon) 14mm f/2.8 IF ED UMC | f/2.8 | 19 seconds | ISO 2500 | Manually focused with WB set to Manual at 5500k
Exif: Canon 7D Mark ii | EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM | f/4 @ 16mm | 15 seconds | ISO 3200 | Manually focused with WB set to Manual at 5500k
Milky Way timelapses don’t need as much control as a day to night time-lapse. In day to night time-lapses, one will have to change the exposure so that the photos look consistent. Fortunately the light tends to be the same in Milky Way photography, so you don’t need to be as alert. The one thing that may get in the way is bad weather, though. Bad weather can make any shoot uncomfortable. It can force one to change the settings or even move the equipment resulting in shaky and unevenly exposed pictures.
The following sequence was filmed in 2019 at Sungai Rengit in Malaysia and played back at three different frame rates. Two cameras and two lenses used, no tracking. A vertical film. Notice how the stars seem to glow when the clouds pass over them.
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Sunset Pastels
“I know not how it falls on me, This summer evening, hushed and lone; Yet the faint wind comes soothingly With something of an olden tone... ”
A bulb ramping timelapse in 4K on a beautiful summer evening - a holy grail timelapse.
Canon 1Dx Mark ii wearing the EF 24mm f/1.4L ii and the Moment CineBloom 10% on my trusty ProMediaGear TR424L.
Background score: Prelude No. 12 by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.
A second holy grail bulb ramping timelapse in 4K of passing time under the clouds.
Canon 1Dx Mark ii wearing the EF 16-35mm f/4L IS and the Moment CineBloom 10% on my trusty ProMediaGear TR424L.
Background score: Lone Harvest by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.
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