Since the release of “A Taste of Taiwan” timelapse video in 2018, the beautiful work conducted by Henrik and Jonas has gone viral on the internet in Taiwan. Many appreciated the way they presented Taiwan using such a special method. “A Taste of Taiwan II” is sponsored by the Taiwan Tourism Bureau and EVA Airline. MK has had the opportunity to closely watch Henrik and Jonas worked during their stay in Kaohsiung.

We are doing something different this time. We tried to visit places different from the first timelapse video, and we used unique techniques as transitions in “A Taste of Taiwan II”.

It was a perfect 28 degree sunny/cloudy day in Kaohsiung when MK met up with Henrik and Jonas. They were busy planning and preparing for the shooting. Timelapse requires carefully planned routes and camera exposures in order to get stunning and seamless timelapse videos. Henrik is an expert in shooting timelapse, while Jonas is one of the very few professionals who has mastered hyperlapse.

My Kaohsiung: How did the team come together?
Henrik: I first saw a piece of work by Jonas on Vimeo in 2016. It is amazing to see someone doing similar work as I do. I made the contact, we ended up spending 6 hours chatting at a coffee shop. Since then, we started to work together on projects in Denmark. By the end of 2017, we established FIRSTLAPSE as our official label.

My Kaohsiung: What inspires you to become a hyperlapse photographer?
Jonas: I like photography. Although my background was electronics, I studied media and photography journalism after an internship opportunity to work with one of the best photographers in Denmark. Then, the introduction of timelapse came out at around the same period of time. I was interested in such kind of technique, that was how I started. I have been having my own career as a hyperlapse photographer for two years now.

My Kaohsiung: Could you tell us more about the difference between timelapse and hyperlapse?
Henrik: To shoot timelapse, I stay at one spot for a couple of hours. My camera is attached to a rail that moves my camera in a controlled direction. Hyperlapse is a combination of manual movements and adjustments of camera settings. In other words, if the photographer set a 5-second duration, he/she needs to get ready for the next shoot under that time. That is why planning is important: routes, steps, distance can largely influence quality of a hyperlapse video.

Hyperlapse is basically a moving timelapse. It is especially difficult for photographers because each manual movement needs to be carefully planned and perfectly executed. Large time gaps between each exposure cannot make the smooth quality in a timelapse video.

The weather cooled down in the afternoon. It was rather refreshing compared to the heat in the morning. A short while after we arrived at the EDA shopping center, it started to drizzle. The drizzle turned into rain. Before we knew it, the rain poured down ruthlessly. Determined to make a complete timelapse, Henrik had to use an umbrella to provide some shades for the equipment. The last thing the photographer wanted was to have raindrops on the lens.

My Kaohsiung: In what ways can the weather influence the outcome?
Henrik: We prefer not to shoot timelapse video on rainy days. Wiping off the raindrops from the lens is very hard to do, as any camera shake while trying to wipe the lens could result in a blurry picture, or that the camera just moved a few pixels but the image frame will no longer be entirely same. We can stabilize the latter in post processing, but would have to sacrifice on the final quality to do so.

Raindrops on the lens will influence the outcome in a negative way- it will blur the photo, and if just one photo is missing from the timelapse, the entire timelapse is destroyed.

Henrik and Jonas did a “Day to Night” timelapse video at the EDA shopping center. That means over 3 hours of shooting from one same spot. It requires 100% dedication (even under the rain!), patience, persistence, and last but not least, passion to make timelapse videos. That day, we spent around 12 hours outside only for 2 timelapse locations!

“A Taste of Taiwan II” is scheduled for release this summer. Stay tuned!

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