Video: Is This The Best Manhattan Time Lapse Ever?

That question is rhetorical, by the way. Josh Owens, master of timelapses, has released his latest video, taken from eleven different hotels around Manhattan. He writes, "I recently spent a little over a month hotel hopping in Manhattan (March 12th to April 29th) shooting time lapse. These clips were pulled from over an hours worth of footage." The result is truly awe-inspring... in fact, it's making us a little verklempt!

The New Yorker was impressed, as well, and Owens told them one of his main obstacles was tourists! "People are so distracted by the lights in Times Square that I would often have to physically keep them from walking into the camera.”

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By Jen Carlson in Arts & Entertainment on June 3, 2011 1:22 PM

Comments [rss]

jninaphoto

Awesome! I just want to know what equipment was use to make the side motion?

starrygordon

In the long years since Koyaanisquatsi, I think the clouds-flying-by thing has become something of an overworked cliché. Of course, I suppose the clouds are there and there is not much you can do about it -- a sort of occupational hazard? The apparent camera movement is a plus at present, but it, too, could become overworked. I didn't mind the haze.

HymietownHero

Totally cool, some incredible moving shots, too. I'd love to see the equipment Owens uses for these.

Also, is it just me, or did it almost look like a miniature model set of the city in a couple of shots?

asakasan

Thanks for sharing Jen, that was beautiful (no really it was)

Stultusmagnus

Verklempt? Nonsense, just reminds me how I want out of this city... And Times Square, seriously? It's probably the one place that New Yorkers hate most. If anything, this video will appeal to the tourists who got in the way of his camera!

destroy_all_humans

bitter

asakasan

so leave.

Stultusmagnus

Soon, soon. If it could be now, it would be.

Professor Von Nostren

That was awesome - thanks for posting this.

Luke

nice f'in job!

Colonel_Ingus

I, too, hate tourists with a white-hot passion unknown to normal men.

BenjaminRosamond

Very nice. I'm making a time-lapse on 1WTC over the next 2 years - Details here:

http://www.kickstarter.com/pro...

TheOtherBob

If you're in the mood for suggestions (and you may not be, so take this for whatever it's worth), two things I'd suggest:

1. Please, please, please, please, please...not "Bittersweet Symphony." It's so played out by this point that even the act of identifying its played outedness is played out.

2. This one may be harder, but you need a better camera position. From that side of the skyline, you don't get a great perspective because your subject looks like just one more building among dozens. But more than that, you're just too far away -- which means that (a) the haze really destroys the shot, and (b) zooming in leaves you with poor resolution.

It's a good idea, though -- and so long as you flush your Verve cd down the toilet at your earliest opportunity, it may come out decently.

BenjaminRosamond

Thanks for the suggestions. I definitely won't be using that song for the finished version as stated in the disclaimer at the bottom of the project info. I agree, its way overplayed but fitted the 43sec preview too well to pass up. At the moment the building does blend in because its only just over halfway. I'm aiming to show it emerging from the surrounding buildings. The zoom in the preview is a post-production zoom on photos at only ~100mm so I have flexibility for zooming/closer shots in full resolution with other lenses. I agree, the haze is a problem but unavoidable here. Hopefully aggregate haze on 2 years of filming at all times of day should make minimal impact and can be mitigated in post-production. Anyway, I appreciate the feedback and thanks for looking J