Find a few places on site that could work well. Think about materials or structures that conducive to mounting a camera rig (e.g. flag pole, tree, lamp post, fence, etc). Also consider the finished video. Will the subject move during the duration of the video? Can the subject be captured with a single angle, or will panning or other adjustments be required? You may want to set up 2-3 cameras to get multiple angles for a more interesting final result.

Staying charged during a long term time lapse can be one of the biggest challenges of the project, especially for outdoor projects. Most cameras can stay powered off a USB battery pack, but time lapses that last more than half a day will outlast even external packs. If you cannot visit the site regularly, or you do not want to deal with constantly charging and changing batteries, check out our gear recommendations for a handy solar panel.

Storing time lapse snapshots locally on your camera’s SD card is the most straightforward option. If you’d like more visibility into how the shot is progressing over time, consider a camera that can perform cloud backups. Regular backups also allow you to confirm that your camera is still rolling if you are not on site to confirm, and ensure that pieces of your project are safe should any accidents or theft happen on site.

Time lapse setups that sit for several days, weeks, or even months are unfortunately at risk of gear theft. Take proper precautions before the recording process to begins to mitigate the possibility of theft. Choose a vantage point in a secure location whenever possible. For time lapse rigs in public and visible settings, be sure to purchase the right gear to lock down and/or monitor your equipment.