A time-lapse study of mist and clouds at twilight, filmed in Great Torrington, North Devon, England. The swirling mist is very eerie and allows the viewer a glimpse into another world, one which exists in a much slower time frame.
As I experiment with time lapse photography, I begin to see nature at a
different, much slower speed. Mist and clouds have a completely different life
if you slow down your perception. At 30x speed, mist and cloud move like
creatures, they swirl, grow and dart from pace to place, they move like giant
waves and seem to have their own societies and will. This is not seen at normal
speed, as they are moving too slowly. We see them as static forms, devoid of
movement, but in a time-lapse film they come to life.
I can see that my own life has a deeper flow at this and even slower
speeds. There is the industrious 30Hz Beta brainwave frequency, in which we spend
most of our waking life, and the delta frequency of around 1Hz which is present
during deep sleep. The difference in frequency is the same magnitude as the
difference between our waking perception of static clouds and the time-lapse
speed where the clouds and mist come to life.
You cannot turn a supertanker on a dime. Life is like this, we may
make changes at 'normal speed' but only see the context of our life at the
slower speed. We become impatient for change because we expect everything to
happen at the Beta frequency. Our life comes into focus in months and years and
only then does the overall pattern become apparent. For me this is the pattern
of meditation, peace and subtle communion with the elements. To be at one with
this level of being I need to slow down, moving from staccato to stillness.
A haunting moonrise over Torrington on 20th July 2016. This short film
features real time and timelapse footage of the Full Moon rising over
Torrington, Devon. This moon is known as the Hay Moon, Thunder Moon and
the Buck Moon.
Background music Mature Sounds by Jingle Punks,
from the YouTube audio library. Wide angle shot, Excelvan Q8 action
cam, 5 second delay timelapse. Zoom shot, Lumix FZ45 video.
This is one for all you cloudspotters out there. A timelapse film taken at twilight in Great Torrington, Devon. It starts with a color study of clouds and an arching rainbow and ends with the moonrise of the August 2014 supermoon.
Excelvan Q8 action camera tutorials, including timelapse, slow motion, camera mounts and fresh ideas, along with a range of videos made with some Q8 footage.
A review and quick start guide for the Excelvan Q8 4K Ultra HD action camera. Includes video resolution and video mode, time lapse mode, digital zoom, still image modes (timed, Auto, Drama Shoot), and slow motion mode 1080p 60fps and 720p 120fps. Also includes some sample videos and stills, including audio recorded with the Q8 and simultaneously with a Lumix FZ45.
Good Points Excellent value for money Highly portable, light and uses standard Go Pro fixings Large array of features, timelapse and slo mo are particularly useful. Image quality reasonable at 1080p / 8MP and below Stable and reliable, not prone to crashing. Packaged with many different mounts and a waterproof case.
Bad points Zoom is practically useless Sound quality is very poor Still images above 8MP are poor Image poor in low light, particularly slo mo
Conclusion An excellent way to experiment with an action cam if you are on a budget, has an array of useful features and reasonable quality up to 1080p / 8MP. Performs best in good lighting and can produce some amazing time lapses.
4K on YouTube and Vimeo
I have tried to upload 4K footage to YouTube and Vimeo and only get 1440p (2K) maximum resolution. This may be a problem at my end and not the Q8, but is worth mentioning. At the moment I cannot edit 4K video.
The Excelvan Q8 4K UHD Action Camera has a Digital Zoom Feature. The zoom is good for getting rid of fish eye distortion, but at higher magnification lacks definition. It can easily be accessed by using the up and down buttons on the side of the Q8 when in one of the recording modes.
On Halloween (31st October 2004) I was out for a walk with my partner on
Bodmin Moor to celebrate the pagan festival of Samhain. It was just
after 4pm, not long before sunset, when I took some pictures of Golitha
Falls, an enchanted waterfall in the wilds of haunted Cornwall. To my
amazement I had caught a water dragon and a water fairy (or water
sprite). On closer examination I had captured the apparition of a group
of faeries, or perhaps Cornish pixies. The main fairy appears to have
well defined wings and a face, with other supernatural beings dancing
around. These faerie beings appear to be nymph like, just like those
described in English folklore. All the wee folk were formed using the
water in the river and flitted in and out of existence beyond normal
perception. It was only after looking at the stills that I discovered
the presence of these magical beings. All five frames in the video were
taken within the same minute (4:12pm). To me these images are proof of
the paranormal and a hidden world beyond our perception. Take a look and
see what you think.
A cloud timelapse filmed with an Excelvan Q8 4K UHD action camera. Look out for the airplane contrail at 14 seconds, it appears at the top near the middle.
Pareidolia- A psychological phenomenon where you see familiar shapes in
random patterns, such as clouds. Also forms the basis of the Rorschach
inkblot test, which uses a random pattern to gain insight into mental
states. What do you see in these clouds? Faces, angels, letters?
A short introduction to my Sky Timelapse YouTube channel. Here you can see my cloud, sun and moon timelapse videos, find out how to make timelapses with LapseIt on your mobile, with an action camera such as the Excelvan Q8, or with a didgital SLR.
