Time Lapse Camera Outdoor Construction

A time-lapse video is one of the most brilliant ways to exhibit a construction project. The different stages are captured and put together beautifully into something viewable and enjoyable. It makes a great visual reminder of past works for construction firms and can even be given to the project owners as a special gift to keep the memory of their projects’ journey. In fact, the end result from a time-lapse camera outdoor construction video is so good that it forms a vital part of marketing campaigns. It is used to captivate guests in housing expos, on the website and social media pages and during presentations to potential clients to showcase expertise.

Now, there are many standard cameras in the market and even smartphone devices with time-lapse camera features that work really well and take great shots of the evolution of both natural and man-made phenomena. Nevertheless, when it comes to outdoor construction, these may not suffice.

What makes time-lapse camera outdoor construction different?

Well, filming outdoor construction is far different from other types of time-lapse events and even indoor construction because it comes with a distinct set of challenges. Outdoor construction is spread over a really long period of time. This rules out the possibility of using short term camera devices that have limited storage and power capabilities. Some projects may take months to complete and others even surpass a year meaning they go through various seasons all year round mounted in the open.

Speaking of seasons, a time-lapse camera outdoor construction takes a beating from a number of environmental factors and weather conditions. The scorching sun, stormy weather, settlement of dust just to mention but a few. These can have the most undesirable effects not only on the image quality but can also be damaging to the system itself. For these reasons, only time-lapse cameras with special adaptive features to combat the aforementioned hitches can be used.

What characteristics should you look out for?

Housing

Whether the camera comes with its own housing or you have to purchase one separately, its built must answer Yes to the following questions. Is it dust repellant? Is it water tight? Is it rust resistant? Can it withstand strong wind impact? Is it anti-radiation? You want something tough for even the harshest of conditions.

Battery life

Since outdoor construction has a longer timeframe, you want a heavy duty battery that will keep going for a long time, perhaps months before running out and needing replacement.

Power

Sustainable energy sources are preferable for this type of filming whether as the main power source or as the backup to electricity or battery. Check out for cameras that come with solar panels or air conditioning.

Storage

Reliable storage is of utmost importance because if it fails, you risk losing part or the entire photography work. Cloud-based storage is ideal for this amount of footage because it offers unlimited space. Large capacity SD cards may suddenly stop functioning especially when packed with huge amounts of data. You can choose a camera with instant upload or that with an SD card storage as a temporary holding place for images while awaiting upload into the cloud system.

What are other shooting and maintenance needs?

Besides buying the camera, if you are to do your own time-lapse camera outdoor construction videography, you will also need to purchase equipment such as the mounting pole, intervalometer, clamps and weatherproof housing. You also need additional SD cards and batteries on standby.

Mounting the camera is no rocket science. However, getting the settings, distance and angles just perfect needs a considerable amount of professional experience. Otherwise, getting the parameters right makes it self-sufficient and will need no manipulation once shooting begins. The camera can be monitored remotely and in case of any problem it is easy to notice.

If you would like a versatile video with several points of view, getting two or more cameras will do the trick. This is also important in case of unforeseen or unexpected breakdown of one camera. At least you will have a back-up plan than having the recording stop altogether as you await repair or replacement.

Editing is the final part which also needs some advanced skills for polished results. It entails removing unnecessary parts of the footage. These could be days where there was no ongoing activity, perhaps or a time when the weather was not conducive, or scenes with blocked view may be due to a leaf stuck at the window, or perched birds, and so on.

How much does it cost?

The financial cost is really dependent on the camera model you choose to buy and where you buy it. In addition to the total cost are equipment and accessories. But looking at the bigger picture is more critical here. There’s also the cost of time and the cost of your business reputation (depending on the success and quality of the outcome) to consider. Perhaps even the cost of your sanity. It is more affordable, time effective and quality guaranteed to have a time-lapse camera outdoor construction expert do it for you professionally.