clouds | At Home with Tech

July 7, 2024

Why I Woke Up Early on Vacation to Spot the Sunrise Instead of Sleeping In

I used the early mornings from my summer vacation to capture timelapses of the sun rising over the mud flats in Cape Porpoise, Maine. Here’s how I set up my photo gear.

Creating a timelapse video of the sunrise is like looking at a snowflake. One is never exactly the same as the next. The sun may arrive on schedule, but the surrounding weather is always the wild card.

Specifically, it’s all about the clouds. They will make or break your sunrise timelapse photography every time. Yes, you don’t want a cloud to be blocking the sun as it makes its grand entrance on the horizon, but that’s only one piece.

Wonderful Clouds
Properly positioned in your shot, clouds are the secret ingredient that can create a spectacular sunrise in a timelapse. They’re always on the move, and a timelapse will speed up their motion. Plus, clouds augment the visual drama by reflecting the orange hues on the horizon and adding stunning contrasts to what can otherwise be a boring blue sky.

But it all must organically come together for your camera at the right time. Every morning doesn’t offer the perfect sunrise. So, repetition is key.

The Magical Mud Flats
Over the past three summers, my family and I have been driving up the Maine coast to the same beach house for a little R&R.

The house overlooks the mud flats of Cape Porpoise near Kennebunkport. And if you walk for 15 seconds to the edge of the ‘flats’ at the crack of dawn, you’re offered a magnificent environmental canvas for the sunrise. (Whether the flats are dry or filled with tidal ocean water, it’s always a stunning view.)

We’ve been sharing this Maine vacation experience with two other families, and each morning while everyone was still asleep, I got up at 4:35am to get my gear in place ahead of the sunrise. (And if you’re concerned that I haven’t been giving myself the opportunity to sleep in and rest up, don’t worry. I caught up on my Z’s during luxurious afternoon vacation naps.)

DJI Osmo Pocket 3
My camera of choice for my ongoing sunrise timelapse project is currently the DJI Osmo Pocket 3. Its superpower is its tiny gimbal design. The lens can be programmed to pan left or right throughout the timelapse sequence. (DJI calls that a ‘motionlapse.’)

I bought the original Osmo Pocket back in 2019, and I’ve just upgraded to the third-generation model (Pocket 3), which among other improvements boasts a larger 1” sensor size for better image quality.
I usually set my timelapses to run for 30 minutes, with each frame set at 3-second intervals. That creates a 20 second timelapse. (Sometimes I double it and go a full hour for a 40-second timelapse.)

I try to start at least 10-15 minutes before the first edge of the sun peeks out, and then I let my Osmo Pocket track the sun during those wonderful early minutes before it becomes too intense for the camera. (I also use a DJI ND16 magnetic filter which acts like sunglasses for the lens.)

Holiday Parade
This year, the best sunrise presented itself to my Osmo Pocket 3 on July 4th.

When I stumbled out of bed with my Pocket 3 and tripod, I spotted a few clouds already in good position. I set up my gear at the edge of the flats for the full hour, crossed my fingers and walked away to get a cup of Joe. When I returned, I was so pleased with what I got. The clouds offered up a perfect parade.
My Magic Hour
Waking up early to document sunrises may seem like a counterintuitive vacation activity. But when the opportunity is literally right in front of you, it’s hard to pass up.

Plus, I usually rise on the early side throughout the year for what I call my ‘magic hour’ from 5:30-6:30am. I use this time for my blog writing and photography editing. My mind is fresh, and I find that the creativity flows.

So, waking up 40 minutes earlier for my vacation sunrise timelapse project isn’t such a big change from my usual routine.

Another benefit of greeting the sunrise is the massive sense of accomplishment you get before most people are even awake. I’m a huge believer of ‘doing’ in the morning hours. The rest of the day then feels much fuller.

Tend to your Flame
There’s nothing wrong with waking up late when you’re taking some time off.

But for me, I find happiness practicing my personal photography. Capturing a glorious sunrise always juices my joy factor.

Even capturing the energy of a blustery, cloudy morning brings me great satisfaction.
This cloudy morning on day 2 of our Maine vacation obscured the sunrise, but my resulting timelapse still did not disappoint.

It’s about exploring the art of the unexpected. Results will inevitably vary.

Practicing your craft, whatever that may be, will always revitalize your spark.

July 9, 2023

A Cloudy Morning Doesn’t have to Ruin your Sunrise Photography

If you’re looking to photograph the sunrise, but it’s a cloudy day, consider a time lapse instead. Here’s what you might discover…

It’s not really the sunrise. It’s everything else that surrounds the rising, warm circle. That’s what matters when you’re trying to capture this magical moment. It’s the state of the rest of the sky that makes our sun the star.

Placed properly (as if the photographer has the power), clouds can make a sunrise truly spectacular. All of those wonderful colors in the early morning sky are immediately enhanced by clouds.

Clouds are your friend. Clouds are your special ingredient. Until they take over and ruin your shot.

But even after they creep in and mask the glow, don’t call it a day. It’s not over.

Speed up the Clouds with a Time Lapse
If you choose to look at clouds differently and start to observe their motion and trajectory, you can begin to unlock their beautiful intensity with your camera. Often, you can accomplish this with a time lapse.

Even the grayest and foggiest morning may contain its own cloud dance that can be revealed through a time lapse. You just need to speed up time to really see what’s going on…

Stormy Predictions?
Last year, I captured some amazing sunrise time lapses overlooking the mud flats in Cape Porpoise, Maine. And yes, the best ones had lots of clouds circling the sun, and they all gave it enough space to visibly rise.

This summer, my family and I returned to this incredible part of Maine, but my photography encountered more challenging weather conditions. In fact, the forecast was for rain each day of the week. It was as if a storm cloud would be parked overhead for the entirety of our vacation.

But as my wife likes to say, coastal weather conditions can be unpredictable. And that’s where the opportunity lies.

So instead of sleeping in, I still woke up early every day to evaluate the cloud cover.

Vacation Report
The first morning totally fooled the weather forecast, and I was there to witness the sun making its glorious appearance.
This was my gift for the week. The remaining days, I would have to work harder to find my shots…

On the next morning, the clouds rolled in during my time lapse recording to obscure any hope of seeing the sun. As I stood there at 5am, I wondered what the point was to keep going. But I continued my 30-minute time lapse recording by my little DJI Osmo Pocket.
When I reviewed my Osmo Pocket’s video clip, the sped-up motion revealed a morning rush hour of Maine cloud traffic.

It was dark. It was moody. It had great flow. I loved it.

The Dark and the Light
Yes, I was drawn to the power of the dark side. And I had plenty opportunity to experience it on this vacation. It’s pretty cool. I get it now.

I’m pleased that I found both the dark and the light during this trip to Maine.

Like a great restaurant, nature just serves it up. And you enjoy it.

I learned that it’s not about finding the shot you want, it’s about experiencing the uniqueness of each new day.

And if your camera can capture just a little of that, you’ve accomplished your job as a photographer.

Here are my morning time lapses.

February 23, 2020

How your Timelapse Videos will Reveal a Different Reality

Shooting timelapse videos will remind you about the very nature of existence. Here are a few of the ways they can expand your perspective.

Capturing that perfect moment with your camera can be a life-long ambition. Along your photographic journey, you might want to also consider the opposite exercise. Explore the opportunity to scoop up the ever-changing landscape in front of you… across time.

Use Your Camera as a Time Machine
Many cameras and smartphones today can act as a time machine and perform the trick of timelapse video capture. You’ve just got to give some thought to which environments you’d like to explore and how they might look when you squeeze twenty minutes down to twenty seconds.

Shooting timelapse videos is easy to do. You’ve simply got to keep your camera steady and allow it to slowly snap a frame of video every two or three seconds. Along the way, it stitches the frames together to generate a scene that moves at lighting speed when you play it back.

Beyond the exploration of timelapse video as an art form, this technology is also exciting, because it bottles up time and then reveals your world in ways you’ve never experienced before. It’s a whole new way to experience reality.

Here’s what I’ve learned from these timelapse videos I’ve recently shot.

So Many Rushing Clouds
I’m always impressed by the hidden intensity of ‘normal’ weather conditions in timelapse mode.

Clouds do not lumber along. Here on a beach, I see that they are clearly on a mission to quickly reach some important destination.

Our Fleeting Existence
When you speed up time, people become momentary blips. While this video’s final form creates a dance of frenetic fun in a snow storm, it’s also a sobering reminder of our own brief presence in space and time.

So, always remember to enjoy the dance.

Your Own Sunrise
Capturing a quickly-moving sun at dawn is hardly an original concept. It’s a scene we’ve all be exposed to countless times on TV and at the movies. Still, there’s always a way to make a sunrise your own.

Where you choose to experience your sunrise is always the unique factor.

Adding Motion
You may have noticed the panning movement in my time-lapse video examples. This trick is courtesy of the ‘motionlapse’ mode in my DJI Osmo Pocket Gimbal camera. After every snapped frame, the gimbal auto-pans a wee bit as part of a preprogrammed move. And that creates the effect of a smooth pan across the shot.

Patience
Timelapse videos are fun to do and usually generate amazing results. Just don’t forget one important variable. These videos will take a while to shoot. So plan ahead.

Capturing time takes time.

Tag: clouds

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