Time-lapse Photography: The Amazing Work of Terje Sorgjerd

Photography Tips  •  Time-lapse Photography

One of the most popular and talented time-lapse photographers in the world is Terje Sorgjerd. He has released four videos to the public shown below; all of which have received millions of views. His work has been featured on many of the largest media outlets including CNN, NBC, Reuters, Discovery Channel, National Geographic, The Wall Street Journal and most recently as a moving background on the Bing search engine. Take a moment and enjoy:

“The Water”

Released this week, it was filmed during August 2011 in the fjord landscapes of western Norway.

“Having spent countless days here, I really enjoy even the smallest parts of this landscape. Like hidden streams or dwarfish waterfalls outside of the beaten track that offer a great deal of solitude.”

“The Arctic Light”

Captured this year in the Arctic, on the archipelago Lofoten in Norway. During which time, Sorgjerd experienced many difficulties including lost luggage, fighting through currents to get to shore after falling into the sea, and even ending up in the hospital after one long fall.

“Having lost a couple of cameras and some other equipment up there before, it was crucial to bring an extra set of everything. I also made sure I had plenty of time in case something went wrong. If you can imagine roping down mountain cliffs, or jumping around on slippery rocks covered in seaweed with 2 tripods, a rail, a controller, camera, lenses, filters and rigging for 4-5 hour long sequences at a time, and then having to calculate the rise and fall of the tides in order to capture the essence – it all proved bit of a challenge.”

“The Mountain”

Captured this year at El Teide, Spain´s highest mountain (3718 m), one of the best places in the world for star photography.

“A large sandstorm hit the Sahara Desert on the 9th April and at approx 3am in the night the sandstorm hit me, making it nearly impossible to see the sky with my own eyes. Interestingly enough my camera was set for a 5 hour sequence of the milky way during this time and I was sure my whole scene was ruined. To my surprise, my camera had managed to capture the sandstorm which was backlit by Grand Canary Island making it look like golden clouds. The Milky Way was shining through the clouds, making the stars sparkle in an interesting way. So if you ever wondered how the Milky Way would look through a Sahara sandstorm, look at 00:32.”

“The Aurora”

Captured in and around Kirkenes and Pas National Park bordering Russia (temperatures around -25 Celsius).

“I spent a week capturing one of the biggest aurora borealis shows in recent years.”

Time-Lapse Photography Defined:

Time-lapse photography is a technique involving the capture of a series of photos of the same basic scene at regular, timed intervals from the same viewpoint. Then combining all those photos into a motion picture played back at regular speed. It takes a tremendous amount of time, knowledge and skill to do well. But it is one of the best ways to capture the beauty of the world around us.

For Further Training on Time-lapse Photography:

Check out Time-lapse Photography by Ryan Chylinski; a new COMPLETE guide (146 pages) to shooting, processing and rendering time-lapses using a dslr camera. The level of innovation in this field, especially over the last few years, is incredible. Not only are we quickly fixing problems that have plagued photographers for years, but advanced camera controls and processing tools that used to be cost prohibitive are now becoming affordable for the most basic hobbyist. It’s a very exciting time to pursue time-lapse photography.

This new guide can be found here: Time-lapse Photography Guide