#Timeslice photography how to#

Most of my shoots last around three or four hours, to ensure I have enough images to choose from for my time-slice. I usually start just before sunset and shoot through golden hour and into blue hour. To shoot a time-slice image, I start by shooting a time-lapse, also known as a day-to-night time-lapse. You also want to make sure you choose to photograph an object/area that looks good in both the day and at night – the last thing you need is to be halfway through, only to realise the second part of your time-slice will be dark and boring. If you’re photographing in a city, the buildings lighting up will also help show the time difference and make for some eye-catching slices. I find working around sunrise or sunset is ideal, as the natural light change can show the passing of time much more easily, but that doesn’t mean you can only shoot around these times. If there is only an hour between your first slice and your last one, it’s unlikely you’ll see much difference in your images, as not enough will have changed in such a short length of time for it to make an interesting and eye-catching effect. In order to be able to achieve the look of passing time, you need to ensure each slice differs from the previous one. The reason time-slice photography can take so long is because as I mentioned earlier, you need many different images to condense and edit into the final one.

#Timeslice photography how to#

Made from 40 slices taken over a period of three hours How to shoot for a time-slice So you definitely need a little perseverance when it comes to shooting time-slice photography. I got the shot and it came out exactly how I wanted it to. But I’d waited five years for Big Ben to be ready and I wasn’t going to give up eventually, I managed to find a spot nearby that still captured the image how I wanted it, but then 30 minutes into setting up, I was told by a security guard that I couldn’t shoot there either!Īll this after not being able to shoot for a week due to a severe storm. To find there was a Christmas video being filmed and the area was blocked off. My most memorable moment so far was the first time I went to shoot Big Ben after it had been unveiled. I knew I wanted the slices to rotate from the centre of the wheel so that not only did the slice look like a wheel, but it would even show the passing of time in the small details (such as the pods getting brighter in each image).īe prepared for problems. For example, if the object you’re shooting naturally moves with time, it looks more natural when showing this in a sliced image, as you can with my image of the London Eye. Location and weather aren’t the only things I have to consider when planning my time-slices – I also have to think about what I’m shooting and how it will actually look once it’s sliced. This image was made from 30 slices taken over 2.5 hours As unpredictable as it is here in the UK, the weather has a huge influence on whether my images are usable or not, so I always check the weather before heading out to shoot.īrighton Royal Pavilion. To be told I then can’t shoot in the location or it’s closing, so I have to leave. As I need to be standing in the same spot for a long time, the last thing I want is to get set up, only To plan for a shoot, I always make a trip to scout the location first. You need an eye for detail and a lot of patience. Choosing the correct scene is the first challenge, as you have to perfectly blend the images so that you can see the passing of time while still ensuring they line up correctly. However, unlike with a time-lapse, I try to show the passing of time in just one image. A time-slice photograph is similar to a time-lapse, in that it is used to show the passing of time. The answer is simple: to get one time-slice image, I first need around 700 individual ones.

People see me shooting and often wonder why I need to stand in a spot for hours to get a single picture. What even is time-slice photography? It’s a question I get asked a lot. Looking for a creative new way to take and process your cityscapes? Matt Kenneally talks through his unique ‘time-slice’ process