In addition to watching the unique videos that our customers create, talking to the creators makes all the hard work we do at CamDo worthwhile! I sat down with one of our customers, Sev Samulski, and ask about his experience particularly regarding time lapse.
It’s amazing to hear directly from a creator the little nuggets of information like this:
"A fundamental piece of photography is time. Condensing and stretching time has been a fascination of mine, it brings better storytelling." - Sev Samulski
A fundamental piece of photography is time. Condensing and stretching time has been a fascination of mine, it brings better storytelling.” Coupled with Sev’s other comments about CamDo being the best value 4K quality in the market, helps me realize we’re on the right right track with our mission of helping photographers and businesses capture difficult footage with a simple workflow.
Sev has worked on some amazing projects with big names like the Vancouver Canucks, KTM, JVC, Rockstar and even GoPro. We’re seeing more and more these days that photographers are moving into drones as another element to their creative storytelling, and Sev is also following that path. He’s an all round genuine great guy, with a compelling creative flair. I encourage you to hear a few of his tips and tricks and stay tuned for more from Sev over the coming years.
Tell us a bit about yourself...
"Growing up I did piano, art, a number of creative things... But i was never allowed to go into my dad's prosumer level camera cabinet. If you tell me I cannot do something, that makes me more determined to find a way to do it. I’m bad like that. So I’d always sneak in and he’d end up with random photos!"
How did you get into time lapse photography?
"My first paid gig was the time lapse of a cabin, and knowing a fair bit about construction, I realized that time lapse is such a better way to show the progress. Before and after pictures are just part of the story, but being able to show the bit in between is far more powerful and interesting."
Why do you like it as a medium?
"A fundamental piece of photography is time. Condensing and stretching time has been a fascination of mine, it brings better storytelling.
I look at time lapse the same way as video, moving, or singular stills. It’s all about making a more impactful story… it’s just another element."
What were some of the challenges you experienced in?
"I had tried a few aftermarket intervalometers for DSLR’s but they kept crashing. I also struggled early on with fogged lenses because I did not put the camera in an enclosure. The camera needs airflow and weather protection of course."
Do you have any tips and tricks to share with our audience?
"When mounting the system, the more contact points to avoid the frame shifting the better, however, if you use CamDo’s swivel mountthen the one connection point is fine because that thing is really rigid!
The CamDo time lapse calculatoris key to the planning. This will bring you the peace of mind that you’re within the thresholds for a successful shoot. It’s really simple to use.
The more frames the better for flexibility in post to smooth it out, but it’s a fine line between too many frames taking up too much space on the SD card and then missing out on the end of the shoot. Again, the CamDo time lapse calculator will clearly point out the thresholds.
More megapixels in the still images the better because you can zoom and crop in post. The GoPro has a 12mp camera which is more than enough to zoom and crop while still getting a 4K video.
Power consumption is a key benefit of CamDo’s time lapse solution. On a construction site, being independent from the site power, makes it more reliable. The solar panel trickle charging the camera is perfect for the use case."
How do you go about planning a project?
"I start with Google Earth. I look at the accessibility, perspective and composition. If it’s a shoot downtown for example, I select which building nearby I can contact to mount the time lapse system to.
It’s also about helping the customer understand the value of the video. People spend thousands of dollars on architectural photography after the project is complete, but you could be marketing the project before that date based on the real work. It’s also great for stakeholder engagement, progress reports and even security."
Why do clients reach out to you for construction time lapse?
"Because of my understanding of the industry and my ability to provide a product that is useful for the clients needs. Specifically, I love CamDo’s solution because it provides maximum impact for the lowest price. Other high impact solutions come with a significant price increase and barely any increase in the impact.
It’s also so easy to understand and setup."
In a sentence, how would you describe CamDo’s solution?
"The simplicity of use, installation and video quality at the end, all in all the value is the best in the market."
About Sev Samulski:
Sev Samulski is a professional photographer and owner of ten10 content creation from Vancouver, BC. You can check his personal website out and follow him on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter.
