Timelapse crazy

I just ran the camera for ten days without stopping

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Last week I told you about my latest endeavor: running two smartphone cameras pretty much non-stop for ten days, to capture a gonzo timelapse video of Manhattan Beach, California. I finally turned the cameras off Friday morning and put this video together of the amazing footage.

In a timelapse video, we’re talking multiple sunsets, moonrises, fast-moving clouds and beach action the naked eye usually doesn’t even see. Fun stuff, right?

I shot this on an iPhone 15 and Samsung Galaxy S23+, and have lots to say about how the video was made, what accessory gear I used and more.

I’ll be back at you tomorrow to fill you in, at length, about all I discovered about timelapse during this process, (and it’s a lot!) which camera is better for timelapse—iPhone or Galaxy, and the tools you’ll need to make a great timelapse on your smartphone.

I’m sure you’ll have some questions after watching the video. Please leave them in the comments and I promise answers in tomorrow’s post.

While I was filming the timelapse video, and all looked quiet on the beach, this was happening on one of the days, when 10K people attended the Friendship Pier to Pier Walk, to raise money for special needs youth.

Newsbites

TikTok. Remember when a food critic from the New York Times could enter a restaurant and change its life forever? Now, it’s all about TikTok. Keith Lee caused a stir when he went to visit and rate Atlanta restaurants, which got written about in the Washington Post, CNN, Rolling Stone and other publications. Worth a read!

Apple. ICYMI, the company turned a lot of heads Monday by introducing new speedy Mac computers via a 30-minute informercial that was filmed on an iPhone. Apple traditionally uses super high end production cameras and accessories for its presentations, which cost upwards of $1 million to produce. In this case, it kept the accessories (dollys, jibs, cranes, ultra-expensive lighting and more) but added in about 50 iPhones. The biggest takeaway was that Apple bypassed its own native “Camera” app, which we all use on the iPhone, for a third-party app, Blackmagic Camera. Scott Bourne and I discuss in depth on the podcast this week.

Netflix. People will apparently do anything to save a buck. Even willingly watch commercials. Netflix said this week that some 15 million accounts had now signed up for its cheaper tier with ads, allowing them to watch for $6.99 monthly, vs. the starting tier of $15.49, a savings of $8.50. Personally, I found the ads so obtrusive, I’ll happily pay, how about you?

The Beatles. Video of the week award goes to the two new ones from the band that broke up in 1970, a new song, brought to life via AI, and a making of. The story: Paul McCartney got hold of a song John Lennon was working on before his death, “Now and Then,” from a hissy cassette, and he and George and Ringo tried to add their touches to it for the 1995 Beatles Anthology documentary. They ended up scrapping it, but director genius Peter Jackson from the Get Back documentary, devised new AI software that could remove all the background noise, and magic was made again, for what’s being billed as the last Beatles song. I’m not sure how much I like the song, but I sure love watching the videos. And if you haven’t gone there before, look to enter a fun rabbit hole with a visit to the “Beatles” authorized channel on YouTube. So many great videos that will keep you entertained for hours!

Now and Then

Making of

My favorite lighthouse from the recent Northeast trip, in Lubec, Maine

Thanks as always for watching, reading and listening! Like what we do here at the Photowalks newsletter? Help support us with a paid subscription, which starts at $5 monthly. Meanwhile, I’ll be back at you tomorrow with way more about the timelapse project. Eager to answer your questions!

Jeff