News 5 benefits of remote time-lapse capture

Remote capture has multiple benefits: here are five ways in which it can work for you.

Time-lapse photography is a fruitful method in many respects but it is probably best known for its ability to compress time.

Taking its definition from the way it can make time appear to be moving much faster – or ‘lapsing’ – time-lapse can bring out the subtleties of many subjects. A construction build, celestial motion, a child growing day-by-day, a special sporting event: these are all things which can be watched unfolding at a much quicker pace with the help of time-lapse.

Hundreds and thousands of frames come together to make a sequence. These are made incredibly easy to capture with an intervalometer, which regulates the shutter system on the camera according to particular timed increments.

This negates the need to manually engage the shutter button in order to initiate capture. The possibility for remote working has major advantages for projects in numerous sectors, some of which we outline here.

1. Limited access in regulated areas

On sites where construction, demolition or any other large-scale activity is taking place, the presence of contractors and trained personnel are constant but carefully regulated. Plus, access to the camera system itself might also be complex and present logistical complications.

Less personnel visiting site is a viable health and safety option, as well as incredibly cost effective for contractors dealing with tight budgets.

This is equally as beneficial to time-lapse providers, who do not need to undertake impractical manoeuvres returning to the camera.

2. Secure & managed time-lapse capture

Remote capture is facilitated by the hardware of the camera but this is also made a reality via wireless networks.

Images taken by the camera on site are transferred and backed-up, and are then sorted into a secure online archive. This not only negates the need to manually download images part way or at the end of the project, but also enables the camera to be monitored at all times.

This ensures a consistent high quality of images for as long as the camera is capturing, as well as eyes-on the project at all times by trained professionals who are able to initiate changes or fixes to the camera if and when is required.

3. Site monitoring for clients

Above: desktop view of iRis 4.0 viewing platform displaying images of a major construction site captured remotely and archived securely via wireless networks.

For contractors overseeing large-scale works, keeping track of everyone and everything is a difficult task. Remote capture offers a practical solution to help streamline tricky requirements.

Having secure, reliable online access to images from camera systems on site, means that site monitoring is made easy. Workflow, marketing, archival documentation, internal & external communications are readily available through remote time-lapse capture.

Even for smaller projects, such as home renovations or retail fit-outs, a portal through which to view progress and day-to-day developments on the job can give you peace of mind and a sense of validation for the work that is been undertaken.

4. Low maintenance solutions

A camera that remotely captures for a sustained period of time requires a constant source of power. Although this may seem unnecessary in the age of battery-powered technologies, there is only so long that these will last.

Professional time-lapse camera can function indefinitely in any location when connected to a mains source of power. This does require health and safety precautions to be followed, as well as trained personnel to put this into place. However, this does mean that a project is not a slave to a limited battery life and can continue capture for days, weeks, even years.

Of course, access to mains power is not always possible in some remote, external locations. For these, solar, wind and other renewable energy sources can provide other means to keep your camera powered. This does require a certain level of service and considerable expertise to put this into place, but true professional providers can make this happen.

5. Multi-purpose applications

This is true across a wide range of environments and can be moulded to fit any brief and/ or number of specifications. This may include increasing capture rates relative to activities on site, altering exposure to deal with extreme indoor lighting changes, and climate control housing ensuring capture at optimum capacity in spite of some turbulent weather.

Remote capture is that which enables these changes to be made to suit almost any location and still maintain high quality time-lapse. Ultimately, all these benefits assist in offering contractors, stakeholders, and all those involved, more cost-effective, controlled, meticulous documentation of their project(s).

If you want to know more about how remote time-lapse capture might be useful to you and your project(s), get in touch with us.