My biggest project ever.
January 28, 2012
This will be the first of many “behind the scenes” blogs dedicated to my kickstarter.com project proposal.
I have always been amazed by time lapse photography. I remember the first time lapse I saw in school of a plant sprouting. The ability to take something so simple and show it in a different way really caught my attention.
Time Lapse is becoming very popular. It can be seen in almost any nature related documentary, movies, or even Jersey Shore! If the ability to do it isn’t built in the camera itself all you need is a programmable remote. If you can’t afford a remote, one will be appointed to you in the form of a smartphone. There are many full featured apps out there that will do the job as well.
When I started to do time lapse photography I quickly realized there is more than just plunking down the camera where I wanted it and getting the settings right. I was constantly worried about the weather. Is it going to rain? How cold is it going to get? There were many times when I would stay up all night, and basically keep one eye on my camera.
I experimented with a couple different methods but none were very successful. I needed something I could trust to protect my camera from the elements. I was basically at the mercy of the weather, and I didn’t like that. It put a great hindrance on my creativity. My search for products online came up empty. I did find a couple DIY solutions, and that’s when I basically had that stereotypical light bulb going off moment. Ah ha!
It took the normal planning and acquiring materials but I started building my own version of a weather proof housing for my dSLR. After a couple hours and a few Dr Peppers too many I had a working “prototype”. Then there was some testing and adjusting. Finally, it worked as I imagined and hoped it would.
I sent off my project proposal to kickstarter.com and in 24 hours I got an email letting me know I was approved. Initially I was very excited, then the reality of what it takes to do this correctly and hopefully successfully took over. Finding a manufacturer I could work with, patents, etc. I have that pretty well figured out now, and I am back to being excited about finally taking something I have created and making it a reality.
Keep an eye out here, and if you have suggestions for something you would look for in a product to protect your dSLR, smartphone or point and shoot camera from the weather let me know. Maybe you’ll get to be a product tester!
