Business

When a post focuses more on the business aspects of being self-employed.

Way Up There All The Little Things Matter

As more construction time lapse projects come into my office that require long term self-contained self-powered systems, it became imperative
to develop a check list to ensure that camera controls, intervalometer settings, power set-ups and connections are appropriately set so I can sleep at night.
And by association you’ll sleep better too. A checklist takes on more importance the higher up and less accessible the installation location is.
To wit: The Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement Project currently under way at the Port of Long Beach, (POLB) is the type of assignment I’m talking about here…

That's my little baby up yonder
That’s my little baby up yonder

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The corporate headship and its’ variations…

 Photographer Michael e. Stern

Michael e. Stern, professional headshot photographer

The day has come when you (gulp), can’t put if off any longer. You need a professional head shot, an update or a brand new one. And you want it to be really good. You may not realize it but trust me you also want to experience a good time, enjoy a few laughs and gain insight into the process of crafting a professional level head shot. But don’t overlook the most important aspect…the delivered image must work for you. I certainly keep that in mind for you. FYI, the photograph above is a self-portrait. I don’t recommend the “Selfie” technique unless you’re knowledgeable in what to do.

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Related Images:

Head and shoulders portrait of conctruction worker. Group portrait of workers underground on the Crenshaw Line. Group portrait of workers above ground on the Crenshaw Line. Head and shoulders portrait of a male and female conctruction worker Group portrait of workers underground on the Crenshaw Line. Group portrait of workers underground on the Crenshaw Line. Group portrait of workers above ground on the Crenshaw Line.

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Time Lapse Logistics

If you want your organizations’ story told using time lapse as the format, for social media to engage, entertain and inform your followers, please read the following and consider the elements necessary for a successful outcome.

Putting cost aside for the moment…

Gear Up!

First off, time lapse photography at its’ core is documentary in nature. Time lapse photography is usually a straight forward process: one or more cameras diligently record a scene, event, process or phenomenon. It can be as straightforward as a single stationary camera set out for several hours, or it be exponentially more complex when cameras are placed in remote locations for weeks, months or years. Recording a variety of ambient sounds for use in the editing process is also a consideration. (Sometimes easier than trying to source it online after principal photography has been completed.)

time lapse camera mounts.
Camera rigs atop a forty foot light pole: a GoPro Hero 2 with a Bogen Magic Arm and a Canon T3i inside my custom made weatherproof housing. The shield below the housing was for blocking the night lights as both cameras were on a 24-hour schedule, recording an image every two minutes.

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Decisions That Drive The Time Lapse Narrative Forward

Dynamic Perception Stage 0 Dolly and the eMotimo TB3 Black
Dynamic Perception Stage 0 Dolly and the eMotimo TB3 Black

What should be your guiding principal when planning shots, especially when it comes to motion control time lapse sequences? The four keywords I keep in mind are: education, documentation, preservation and entertainment. Every decision I make rides on the backs of these four words.

I jumped into time lapse photography in ’03 and have been hacking away at it ever since. During this time, I realized I was developing a new specialty: the commercial time lapse narrative. Now I offer a boutique experience to my market in that I shoot time lapse projects with the mindset of a movie director. I offer and provide multiple camera set ups daily, weekly and monthly. In addition to the usual fixed or static camera that records all that happens in front of it I also place what I call rover units throughout a site in order to tell the complete story, whatever it may be…thus the decisions that come with this approach.

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