If you’re one of the many people who thought time-lapse photography is a modern technique, then you will be surprised to know that it’s been around for years. In fact, time-lapse photography dates back to the 1870s. In this post, we will share with you everything you need to know about the history of time-lapse photography.
It All Started
Time-lapse photography started with the photographer, Eadweard Muybridge. He set up a series of 24 cameras and captured photos of a galloping horse. After that, he animated the photos together, which gave birth to the first photographic stop motion.
It was Thomas Edison who used elements of Muybridge’s work to develop the first-ever time-lapse video. On the other hand, Muybridge also helped to advance the technique through his studies in animal and human motion.
Then People Started Using It
By 1897, the film industry adopted the latest technique. A time-lapse was used in the feature film by Georges Melies in Carrefour De L’Opara.
You might also find information that documentary filmmaker Frank Percy Smith was the pioneer of the technique to record natural events by using time-lapse for educational purposes. His penchant for this was only furthered by the work of Jean Comandon and Pathe Freres in 1909.
Now, Comes the Time-Lapse Equipment
By the 1930s, a banker named Dr. John Ott, built a piece of time-lapse equipment that he used to film nature. Due to his fascination with how plants grow, he started to manipulate the photography method to get better effects on film; he even discovered a way to put the recorded video to music. Most of his works were used in the mainstream, including Walt Disney that featured it in one of his documentaries.
Following Ott’s work, the Oxford Scientific Film was also working on the development of time-lapse photography. In fact, they have developed new equipment and systems, like cameras that can move through tiny spaces to capture footage.
A Beautiful Perspective
Besides the beauty of the technique, the real wonder of time-lapse photography lies on the kind of perspective it provides us. Ott’s work revolutionized the method as it helped show people how plants developed and blossomed over time.
Today, timelapse subjects are extraordinary, and they result in stunning visual footage. Additionally, cameras can now capture everything, and having it in time-lapse mode, can have breathtaking results.
Besides that, timelapse photography has become pivotal in letting us see the most influential structures and buildings being constructed. We also got to see how the Earth rotates out in space.
From the galloping horse, time-lapse photography has developed into something bigger. The perspective that it brought us today allows us to take a peek in the things that we don’t normally get to see. Indeed, time-lapse photography has been a huge help in the media industry and the entire world. Without this method, it would take months or years for us to see how things work.
Now, with time-lapse, everything can be consumed, realized, and appreciated in only a few seconds.
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