Post #6, Attempting Videography

One goal I had when starting this blog was to make a video.  I don't have experience creating and editing videos, but this weekend I jumped in, and if nothing else, learned how much I have to learn!

My first thought was that I could set my camera to video mode, and shoot.  However, since it is so dark at night, and the shutter speed is so long, I realized that I needed to take still photos and compile them later into a video.  I googled some other time lapse videos and came across some really great videos.  One came with a behind the scenes description: the video was created over several months, taking photos for hours (talking at least 2-3 hours) at a time.  That was one detail I read, but didn't take seriously.  Later I would learn the error of my thinking!

Another google search was for how-to tips.  I was mostly thinking about the compiling technique/software after the photos were taken, but one search result also came with advice on equipment.  The website said I would need an "intervalometer."  I didn't know what this was, and in reading about it, I learned it would take pictures at a timed interval so that I didn't have to keep pressing the shutter to take a picture.  I learned through experience how valuable this would be later.

So going into my first night taking pictures specifically for a video, I was vaguely aware of the challenges I would face, and considered this a "dry-run." So, how did it go?  The answer will be revealed in my next post, when I will share what I learned, what I will need for my next attempt, and challenges I faced with video editing software.  For now, here's a picture taken last weekend.  It is a stacked image, meaning this one picture is actually five images blended together.  Faintly, you can see the stars, blurred by the earth's rotation.