Over the past few years, timelapse photography has gone from being the cream of the crop of DSLR videos to a somewhat trite technique that is nothing if not overused. However, what if a piece of technology came along that could open up a whole new world of possibilities for the world of timelapse photography? What if the limits of what had previously been possible with long exposures could be stretched infinitely, and with a relatively inexpensive piece of technology. Well folks, that piece of technology is here, and it's called Pixelstick. Check out the details below:
First, have a look at the Kickstarter video for Pixelstick, and prepare to have your mind blown.
The idea behind the Pixelstick is a relatively simple one. It's a string of 198 individual LED's that can be programmed to read out an image from an SD card one line at a time for the length of your camera's exposure. This allows the art of light painting to go further than it ever has before.
However, what makes the Pixelstick one of the coolest photographic inventions in recent memory is its ability to increment exposures over an extended period of time, therefore opening up an entirely new world for timelapse shooters.
As I mentioned before, timelapse photography experienced a massive boom at the same time all of us began to shoot films with DSLR's. As a result, and somewhat unfortunately, the technique itself became kind of a cliché because of how widely used it was.
But, Pixelstick infinitely broadens the possibilities of what can be done with timelapse photography. Not only can aesthetically pleasing abstractions be created with relative ease, but animation can be captured in camera without the need for any expensive computer animation and compositing.
Even though the visual possibilities of the Pixelstick are only limited by the imagination of the user, the potential for this device within the context of narrative filmmaking is likely limited, perhaps with the exception of photographic animations. Where a device like this could potentially shine however, is in the category of experimental filmmaking, where the beautiful abstractions created by moving the Pixelstick could be used as an infinitely expressive tool.
Make sure you head of over to the Pixelstick Kickstarter page to learn more about this fascinating piece of technology. Even though it's already well beyond its funding goal, it could very well be worth it to get your hands on one of these before they hit the market at a higher price.
What do you guys think? Do you think this has the potential to change the way we think about timelapse photography? What kind of projects would you make with a Pixelstick? Let us know in the comments!
