I headed up towards Mdina first and took some long exposure time lapse shots, 300 shots with a delay of 12 seconds to permit a 10 seconds exposure time.  I was lucky to get some planes in landing mode in this viewpoint and I might have gotten some shooting stars too.  Sicily was also detected far away through the distance.

I then focused on stars and constellations and moved to Dingli where the stars’ visibility was simple out of this world.  Sagittarius,  Orion, Leo and most of the other constellations could be easily mapped out.  Mars was as visible as ever.  I was alone and was a little too quiet for my likes but it was just great and moon cooperated real well because it was not in view at all.

Then I moved to Sliema where i planned some night HDR and panoramic views.  The sea had some movement so it was just great with the stars on top the man made lights and the movement of the sea.

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I wanted to to give it a try with HDR and flowing water and these are some of the results.

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Creating a time-lapse is time consuming but at the same time it is very relaxing, it helps one stop and see the rest of the world go through its routine like an organism programmed to do one function.

It also helps to see how the environment around us changes without us realising or taking note, the movement of the sea, the clouds, the trees and the rest of the world.

Simple steps on how to create a timelapse

1)- Select a location where you can leave your camera untouched and un-obstructed.
2)- Place your camera on a tripod and set your timer or intervalometer to take x shots per second
3)- You can choose to take either 1 shot per 10 seconds or 5 seconds or even less depending on how smooth and for how long you want to shoot.
4)- Remember that the environment changes over time so take care for the exposure especially whilst taking a sunset or sunrise.
5)- Start the shoot and enjoy the view. Never change the position of the camera whilst shooting.
6)- Always keep the camera as stable as possible, small movements will easily be detected later.
7)- Editing will be as simple as joining all the files together in one with either quicktime, photoshop or premier.

 Watch in full screen and pump up the sound.

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Improvise and change subject.  Luckily it was not raining so I could wander around unobstructed by h2O.  At least I used the clouds in another way to create some dramatic shots of the skies.

It all depends on the capacity to change I realised, you can plan whatever but if mother nature has other plans you have no choice but to adapt.  The story of existence after all.

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It was still dawn and the Grand Harbour in Valletta was still silent and calm.  The stars were still showing off and the moon illuminated the path towards the location where it was decided to lay and take some sunrise shots.  My intention was to take some time lapse shots of the sun rising over Kalkara.  The weather was just perfect and the sea was as calm as thy self.

So many subjects, so many ways of executing a shot, so many thoughts.

I had the time to set up my 5D on the tripod and launch the sequence for then I grabbed the 20D to take some mobile shots and this is the result,  I will publish the time lapse later on.

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Then It started raining, you can guess the rest.

The next day the skies were as clear as hell, as if the air was cleaned.

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“Change is the only constant”

Indeed change is an everlasting constant and whilst travelling through Sicily for a few days in October I realised how the environment can change in a relatively short moment.

The clouds moved and with them a profusion of new shades, new tones and a palette of colours  that every photographer would have dreamt.

There, watching all these changes happening in blink of an eye, all these variables so independent but working together to create a symphony, a subject that never seizes to inspire.

It was not one thought but many that caused my self to act in a different way and move away from any conventional way of shooting this incredible show.  The bright colours and the way they morphed into each other left nothing more but an ocean of ideas, the only problem being how to handle all of them at the same time.  Not even thought was enough to register every single burst of stimulus.

Then blackness, a black so deep that light seemed to be totally absorbed and remained un-reflected from the sharp surface that had flooded the sarrouding. It was this blackness that compelled the surroundings to survive in such a way, keeping balance between life and sudden death.

It is interesting to know that most of the trees surrounding Mt. Etna are dependent on an eco-system based on height like most other mountains.  It is also good to know that some of the trees face sudden incineration when the heart of the mountain expels molten rock.  However so, they remain there standing up, still marking their presence, a natural monument that clearly shows how things can change in a blink.

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These are some of the shots taken during a 4 day trip with some other photographer friends at MIPP and partners.

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I am now looking into another dimension in photography which has dragged me through for 4 days of intense experimentation with subjects through movement.  The result is an endless set of patterns warped and curved in way that is fully controlled whilst I am shooting a long exposure shot.

It is really like painting with the camera.

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