News Capturing Ice Through Time-Lapse – Part 1

As the weather becomes colder, now seems a good time to explore how ice is captured through time-lapse. Video sequences can speedily reveal its gradual changing state and magnify subtle changes. Ice in its various forms is fascinating to watch, and therefore it is interesting to focus on how it is captured in different ways, from ice cubes melting in a glass to ice crystals rapidly developing.

With such a variety of videos featuring ice, in this blog, we have picked out a selection of time-lapse videos that capture the different stages of ice close up. Not only are these interesting, but they also show how easy it is to get hands-on with a camera – often from the comfort of your own home.

Melting Ice

Time-lapse photography is an ideal way to capture the mesmerising transition between water and ice. Even something so simple as watching ice melt can be appealing. There are numerous variations on this theme. This captivating amateur short time-lapse sequence reveals a solo ice cube rapidly melting.

Ice Forming in Time-Lapse

Other time-lapse videos focus on the sequence of water turning into ice. Just a glass of water gradually solidifying into ice is fascinating.

Whilst the beautiful yet simple “Frostylapse” time-lapses frost and ice crystals forming on a window. Each clip is 4 to 7 hours of real-time freezing, showing the exquisite formations of frost and ice crystals. The ice crystals subtly change colour throughout filming as light and conditions differ and the types of crystals and formation speed vary with temperature. When all the clips are edited together it creates a mesmerising time-lapse sequence.

Macro and Micro Time-Lapse

Daniel Kelly Brown also produced his “Water and Ice” video in a macro version. Having produced the original version in 4K HD, he was able to zoom in to show the growth of the ice formation in further detail.

Macro time-lapse reveals footage that is not normally visible to the naked eye. A macro lens can magnify the intricate developments of frozen matter or capture a carpet of ice crystals creeping across the screen. In this macro time-lapse video, the footage reveals moisture from the surrounding atmosphere condensing at sub-zero temperatures to almost immediately form growing dendritic ice crystals.

Why Use Time-Lapse?

Time-lapse manipulates time, speeding up and emphasising changes to dramatic effect. Time-lapse captures the melting or creation of ice by piecing together all its different states to effectively show its many forms in just a short video.