Camera Labs

Hi
Was after some help please with a little project i would like to undertake...

With the arrival of my first child happening in a week (ARRRGHHH!!!!! so SCARY), i would like to document the changes that take place. What i would like to do is take a photo on a weekly basis, then turn this into a time lapse movie to see the development of there growth.

So i would like some help to do this in the best possible way.

Same place ?
Same focal lenght at all photos ?
Same f- stop at all photos ?
Same lighting conditions ?

Also what is a good program to turn the photos into a time lapse movie ?

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Many Thanks

Dan ( nervous and very excited )

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Canon 40D 17mm - 85mm IS usm

I suppose same location would make sense then you will get more of a sense of change in your subject rather than the background. Something as simple as sleeping in a cot. Then you have a reference object (the cot) against any growing up and you may find similar poses between shots.

There is not really a hard and fast rule and maybe you want to try a couple of different ideas, static location and camera settings as well as all things changing.

Maybe have a search for time lapse photography on the web and see which ideas you like (the subjects do not have to be children) and adapt them to suit you.

The software you use to create your time lapse will depend on the hardware/software platform you are using. On the Apple platform you will be able to use tools such as iPhoto and iMovie to achieve what you require. On a Windows based machine you will also have software that came with the machine that can stitch still together stills to make a movie.

Good luck and have FUN

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Nikon D90
Nikkor AF-S DX; 18-105 f/3.5-5.6G VR, 55-300 f/4.5-5.6G VR, 35mm f/1.8G
Speedlight SB-700

http://keystrokesukimages.com

Interesting one this one

I think I'd pick a chair type cot that will hold the baby in a compact place. If you could set up a tripod against it in the same way each time this would help a lot.

I'd consider artificial lighting so you have control of the exposure.

key to time lapse is controling everything you can to be the same so that they dont take away the attention from the movement it is you want to show.

If you cant find anything about people or babies it would be worth loonking up what folks have found to work with plants as this is a similar issue. i.e. the growth is slow and happens over an extended period of time

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Canon EOS 550D (with Magic Lantern)
18mm - 135mm Kit Lens, 50mm f1.8, Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM
430EX II Flash with Phottix Strato Wireless Tigger Set
Manfrotto 190CXPRO3 with 496 Ball Head. Gorilla Pod SLR
Canon Powershot A720IS with CHDK and intervalometer script. Pentax Optio W90

My Blog - http://www.ianganderton.wordpress.com

Thanks for the replies, think i'm going to try a shoot against a light background as crib, cot are cream then as they grow can try and find similar
colour as they grow.

Will keep you updated with how it all goes.

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Canon 40D 17mm - 85mm IS usm

You could maybe use a piece of furniture/chair, that you know you're gonna keep. Also, if you have a garden, plant a sapling so you can see them both grow, or maybe use a local park & use a tree there.

Good idea btw, it will be a great project over the coming years & something to treasure.

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Nikon D700 & D7100 bodies + Nikkor 300mm F2.8 VR11, 1.7TC, 50mm F1.4G, 16-35mm f/4G VR, 105 F2.8 VR macro, 70-300mm lenses. A couple of filters, Giotto tripod & ballhead. Lowepro Slingshot 302 AW

http://www.flickr.com/photos/oldcarlos/

Have you considered morphing software ?
In any case I think the best results would be if you choose a plain background.
And be careful with flashes. Young ones' eyes are much more sensitive to flash light than older children. Permanent damage may occur. As one of my instructors told me, you don't want to imortalize the moment you've blinded the child.

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Radu
Canon PowerShot S100
Canon 50D , SIGMA 10-20 f3.5 ,Canon EF 24-105 L IS USM, Canon EF 100/2.8 macro Canon EF 50/1.4 ,Canon EF 85 f1.8,Canon EF-S17-85 4-5.6 Old Tamron 28-300 inherited from my Canon Rebel G film camera
Canon580EXII
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