Tag: clouds

Shooting a Cloud Time-lapse at the Park

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/16, 25 sec, ISO200
 “At the Pond” Cedar Park, 2019

こんにちは！How’s it going?

Today I had a few hours by myself this morning so I decided to head over to the nearby park and take some time-lapse photos with my Fujifilm X100T. Honestly, I’ve been lazy by just shooting the time-lapse videos from the comfort of the house, but I thought I’d try something new and see how it goes. So I packed up my gear and headed off.

Here’s the video I made from two ~30-minute sequences:

I’m pleased with how it turned out! The camera settings I used were not any different from what I use at home, but it was a lot more difficult to see the LCD screen, and the electronic viewfinder wasn’t much better because it was so bright outside.

Photo info: motorola moto g(6), 3.95mm, f/1.8, 1/3600 sec, ISO100
 “Lone Tripod” Cedar Park, 2019

I knew I’d be outside for a while, so to pass the time, I brought my folding chair and my iPad and did some sketching and reading. Under the shade of a tree and with a nice breeze, it was quite pleasant! The only thing that ruined the experience were the ants, which would seemingly appear out of nowhere. I got bitten a couple times on my feet, but luckily these weren’t fire ants so there was just the initial sting. Whew. But still, what a nuisance!

Photo info: motorola moto g(6), 3.95mm, f/1.8, 1/1500 sec, ISO100
 “Relax Spot” Cedar Park, 2019

When setting up for the lily pad sequence, I was entertained by a small catfish that was enjoying the afternoon as well. Can you spot it in the time-lapse video? 😊

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/16, 30 sec, ISO200
 “Lily Pads” Cedar Park, 2019

In addition to the regular camera gear, I think it’s useful to bring a fold-able chair, hat, sunscreen, and water. And don’t forget the lens hood! (I forgot mine).

It was fun to go outside to take the time-lapse photos and I’m looking forward to doing more of them!

またね～

Tonight’s Sunset

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/8, 1/13 sec, ISO200
 “Colorful Clouds” Cedar Park, 2019

こんばんは。How’s it going?

There’s a big storm to the south of us in Houston, but we’re starting to feel the effects up here in Austin. Rain’s in the forecast! I’m thinking of Bay, though, since he’s at school in Houston. He said classes might be cancelled tomorrow if the rain is to heavy. I hope it doesn’t flood down there!

Anyways, we had a beautiful sunset tonight and I set up my little time-lapse rig to capture it. I left the camera in aperture priority for this video, shot at f/8 and let the camera choose the shutter speed to adjust to the dimming sky. I think it did a pretty good job, with just a little bit of flicker. It’s fascinating to me to see how the clouds change color both gradually, and in sudden bursts of color. Time-lapse is like a glimpse into another world that is beyond our perception normally. Isn’t it incredible? I think so!

Fujifilm X100T Time-lapse – September 17, 2019 – Sunset from Barron Fujimoto on Vimeo.

I hope you had a nice day!

またね～

Sunset Shots

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Photo info: SONY NEX-6, 27mm, f/4.5, 1/60 sec, ISO2000
 “Sunset Time” Cedar Park, 2019

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Today we had a bit of rain, which ended just at sunset. I was hoping to get a nice time-lapse, and I think it turned out okay:

The clouds after the sun dipped down below the horizon are most often the coolest.

The photo of of my little rig. Tomorrow a new ND filter will arrive, which will hopefully allow me to utilize a longer shutter speed so I don’t capture specks of dust or birds in the frame. We’ll see.

I hope you had a nice day!

またね～

Refining the Time-lapse Process on the Fujifilm X100T

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2, 1/1000 sec, ISO200
 “Evening Clouds” Cedar Park, 2019

Today I spent a bit of time refining the time-lapse process on the Fujifilm X100T. With each one I create, I notice some tweaks that would make it better. I think I’m close to finalizing on my settings! 😊

For this video, I noticed there is a lot of flickering which I’ve determined is caused by the X100T’s built-in ND filter. It’s similar to the flickering that is caused by the variance in exposure when the aperture rings step down. In that case, even though the aperture might be set to the same f/5.6 for all the photos, the blades will not go to the exact same position each exposure. This causes the flickering in the final video. The solution to this on the X100T is to shoot wide open at f/2, so that the aperture blades don’t move. If you have a camera where you can force the blades to not move for each exposure, that is perfect! Or perhaps switch to a manual-lens with an aperture ring.

Anyways, the X100T’s ND filter will move into place for every exposure, so there is a slight variance in the amount of light that it blocks, and that causes the flickering effect. If you do need to reduce the amount of light hitting the sensor, I’d use a regular old ND filter screwed onto the lens, or take advantage of the extreme high shutter-speeds that the electronic shutter enables.

Speaking of the electronic shutter I suggest making sure you are using it for another reason: eliminating any moving parts during the image sequence capture. This means less wear and tear on the camera. Even at f/2, the X100T will activate the aperture blades. 🤷‍♂️

So, if you hear any noise whatsoever (assuming you have camera beeps turned off), then check your aperture, focus-type, ND filter, and shutter-type. It should be dead silent!

There’s is a lot to remember when making these time-lapse sequences, so I made a checklist of settings. These are specific for shooting JPG on the Fujifilm X100T, but might be helpful for other cameras as well:

  • Set ISO manually
  • Set white-balance manually
  • Set shutter speed manually
  • Turn off built-in ND filter
  • Set aperture to f/2
  • Make sure of external power source
  • Make sure the DR is not Auto
  • Set the shutter type to Electronic

That’s it!

The Fujifilm X100T is a nice little camera to create the time-lapse sequences. The only things that would make it better would be the ability to manually stop down the lens, and to remove the 999 exposure limit on interval shooting.

I hope you had a nice day.

またね～

Evening Clouds

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2, 1/250 sec, ISO200
 “Evening Clouds” Cedar Park, 2019

こんばんは。How’s it going?

I’ve been fortunate to have been treated with some nice looking clouds these days! I am going a little nuts making the time-lapse videos too. Please check it out, and also visit my YouTube channel if you’d like to see more!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2, 1/250 sec, ISO200
 “Evening Clouds” Cedar Park, 2019

I hope you had a good day!

またね～