Inspiration Tuesdays: The City Limits

I should perhaps rename this weekly segment to be “Timelapse Tuesdays”. Dominic Boudreault (dominicboudreault.com), a “motion photographer” from Quebec City posted an amazing timelapse contrasting urban settings with nature.

The quality of this work stands out but also the range of locations:

• Montreal, Quebec, Canada
• Quebec city, Quebec, Canada
• Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Manhattan, New York, USA
• Chicago, Illinois, USA

In an Skype-based video interview with the Today Show, Dominic explains why and how he did it.

He attributes much of his success to preparation. After selecting a city, Boudreault scouts locations online, first looking for major landmarks, then exploring Google Maps, Flickr and other sites to get a feel for what he will see when he arrives. Once there, he uses his vision and expertise as a photographer to insert his own point of view. Boudreault talked with us about his work.

How did he do it?

Inquiring minds want to know, how does a person go from a hobbyist to a producer of cinema-quality time-lapse photography? On the technical side, camera settings have a lot to do with it. Here are some tips to get you started:

-Know your camera and understand variables that create a picture (ISO, shutter speed and aperture). Many of Boudreault’s compositions were shot with a relatively fast shutter speed (around 1 second). He was able to do this by using higher ISO settings and low apertures.

-Invest in a tripod. Having a firm, steady base for your camera is paramount.

-Consider buying an intervalometer. This little gadget triggers a camera shutter at a user-defined interval. It also reduces camera shake by eliminating your need to press the shutter button to trigger the camera.

-There’s a lot that happens after you shoot the images. After returning from a shoot, Boudreault used Adobe Camera Raw to make fine-tuned adjustments to the images. He then processed the images using Adobe After Effects and put the video together in Apple’s Final Cut Pro. Learning just one of these pieces of software can try a person’s patience, but I’ve found that online training resources like Lynda.com can ease the pain.

For this project, Boudreault used the following gear:
Camera: Canon 5D Mark II
Canon lenses: 14mm 2.8, 24mm 1.4, 135mm 2.0, and 70–200mm 2.8 IS
Support: Gitzo tripod with Really Right Stuff head