Channelling the excitement and success of Portland Nights I decided to infuse my annual winter vacation to the Big Island of Hawaii with an extremely condensed and challenging time-lapse production. The Big Island is where I was born and raised and as a Videographer and Time-Lapse Photographer, I owe much of my inspiration to the beauty and diversity of the Island. And diversity is the key word. Not many other places in the world allow one to hang out in the snow at above 13,000 feet and then go surfing in 80 degree weather a couple hours later. South Point – Hawaiian Time-Lapse is an expression of diversity, however, the video doesn’t focus on all the different weather patterns and landscapes of the island, it zeros in on one incredible location, South Point. It might come as a surprise to many people that there are no palm trees in this video, the weather is often ominous and dark and the wind and rain come through like a freight train just about daily.
My brother Troy and I spent a total of five days at South Point over the course of two different camping trips. We worked around the clock using two DSLRs, a tracking rig, a telescope head and a grip of various other gear that we hauled in the back of our rental truck. Time-lapse was the mission. We produced around 33 clips and a large majority of them made the cut. We hope you enjoy and please, if you like what you see and hear, share it with your friends and family.
Be sure to check our other two photo blogs documenting our production:
Click here to view Part Two: Challenging Shots
Click here to view Part Three: Flash Storms and Long Exposures
Part One: The Boys and Their Toys
The first shot of our production. Tracking, panning and tilting on the edge of the cliff. This was our first time using the telescope head in the field.
Another shot at the edge of the cliffside. This one looking out at the ocean as we track through the wooden structure.
In addition to assisting with the time-lapse production, Troy worked hard recording audio to go along with some of the clips. Here he is getting the sound of the wind blowing the grass and the waves crashing below.
We used Dynamic Perception’s amazing low cost motion controlled “Stage Zero” dolly kit for all tracking shots.
And for any panning/tilting you see, we used the Celestron Skywatcher Backpacker telescope mount and controlled it using Dynamic Perception’s “MX2” controller. This is the beginning of our shot at the top of Green Sands beach.
Thanks for checking out our production photo blogs! Check back soon for more updates on upcoming projects.
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Thank you for sharing! I love to see how these beautiful shots were achieved behind the scenes
Mahalo for sharing and making this video! This is a great impression of green sand beach and south point, and I am happy you made it. Next time you visit the Big Island, what about making a time-lapse in the Volcanoes National Park? (the halema’uma’u crater gives away great shows)