News Some more festive time-lapses

Christmas is one of the most vibrant times of the year. With so much colour, light, and festive cheer (when all your shopping is complete, of course), it is not surprising that there is fun to be had with a camera.

As one year draws to a close and another one begins, Christmas invariably becomes a time for reflecting and looking to the future. With this in mind, we have trawled the Internet for videos that blend the old and the new, if not through their chosen methods, then in other creative ways.

Here is a selection of our favourites.

Despite the exciting technological innovations making noticeable strides with each passing month, there seems to be a growing desire to return to older media.

Early last year, for instance, it was reported that the increasing sales of vinyl records has reached a 20-year high. So much so that the official charts company launched an official weekly vinyl chart to document this growing trend.

Recent years have also seen a revival of instant photography and Polaroids which became incredibly popular in the 80s and 90s. Seemingly inspired by Instagram’s nostalgic premise, with its retro-looking filters and polaroid-esque orientations, this revival is set to continue even in the wake of digital image capture.

A Polaroid Christmas

This brings us to our first video which offers a perfect blend of these old and new photography methods, as polaroid and time-lapse collide before a Christmas backdrop.

Although designed to be an instant method of image capture, the gradual nature of exposure of a Polaroid works particularly well with time-lapse which, by default, shows time progressing at a much greater speed.

The theme of old meeting the new is perhaps most obvious and aesthetically spectacular in the ever-changing landscape of the city. In particular, larger capital cities – in which new infrastructural developments exist in close proximity to older, historically significant architecture.

My Old Town

Edinburgh is perhaps one of the most ‘enchanting’ examples of such a cityscape. With a festive take on Edinburgh’s historic Old Town, Walid Salhab offers a breathtaking film about life in Scotland’s capital.

Full of historical monuments and impressive architecture, the Old Town maintains the city’s medieval heritage, using the Portobello and Arthur’s Seat as a backdrop to the more contemporary aspects of millennial life.

This sequence also incorporates Salhab’s more experimental approach, mixing new filming techniques with more widely recognised practices. Featuring stop-motion photography and time-lapse capture, the film also plays around with perspective using a clever layering of foreground and background.

The inevitability of the changing seasons is a permanent feature of our lives here on Earth, often creating fantastic photography opportunities.

Autumn and winter offer such a rich and vibrant colour palette despite the less than favourable temperatures that come with this time of year.

Winter/ Fall – A Season Changing Timelapse

Luka Belle’s time-lapse footage seamlessly blends these seasonal elements, repeating the same camera positioning and natural scenery to document the passage of time during both winter and fall.

The fish-eye lens also adds a depth to each frame, creating an immersive experience of these extraordinary seasons.

In the absence of incredibly expensive lighting to adorn every inch of the exterior of your home and a sizable bank account to pay for the electricity bill, why not use CGI to create such scenes?

Christmas Lights Time Lapse

This video combines the age-old tradition of elaborate illuminate decorations with more of a modern hobby.

The sequence works as a ‘kind of’ masterclass in how to use Photoshop’s brush dynamics and layering style tools. The result is an impressively realistic-looking Christmas light display that’d be sure to win no end of accolades. Well worth a watch.

With Christmas trees, snow and lights, we’ve covered nearly all the main festive ingredients. Now add some Dickens into the mix and it’s the perfect recipe for success.

Author of one of the most iconic festive stories, A Christmas Carol, first published in 1843, Charles Dickens tells a tale of Christmas through the eyes of the Ghosts of the Past, Present and Yet To Come.

Responsible for popularising phrases like ‘Merry Christmas’ and ‘Bah! Humbug!’, Dickens’ story has become synonymous with the festive season in Britain.

Nancy builds her Christmas Village

This time-lapse shows an impressive miniature model build that illustrates this quintessential idea of the traditional British Christmas as represented by Dickens.

Capturing the construction of a Dickensian Village collection from Department 56 – renowned manufacturer of holiday collectibles and lit villages – this lengthy sequence demonstrates the great skill and patience needed for a pastime that is still very much part of the present.

These festive time-lapses show incredible versatility of the genre, even at Christmas time.