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Long-exposure night shot of City Tower at Reading

News Using time-lapse to win future contracts

20 January 2015 Daniel Curtis

Above: Night shots can produce vibrant images that are brilliant in visual marketing plans.

The construction industry saw encouraging growth throughout 2014.

Output rose from about £120bn to between an estimated £127bn and £133bn across 12 months, which is a huge amount of investment into an industry that promotes positive change to the way our towns and cities not only look, but also act, work and live.

Every year we see new and ground breaking buildings spring up across the globe, with billions of working hours spent at the forefront of human innovation. What a shame that, even in today’s world of cheap technology, stakeholders are not full embracing time-lapse photography.

There are three major reasons why it should be an important consideration at the planning stage of any construction work.

Construction site monitoring
A number of clients find that an online viewer helps them to keep tabs on a particular project, no matter where they are in the world.

The Ultra HD images captured by custom camera systems are uploaded securely to a bespoke image portal that only you have access to – all year round and in any weather conditions.

With the images taken at intervals you chose, and uploaded in real time, you have constant access to the work being undertaken on your site. This can help you to manage everything from plant being delivered to foundations being laid and steelwork going in, as well as providing a full record of your project being completed.

Marketing your work
There is often a range of parties that are affected by construction work being carried out. This, of course, starts with the staff themselves. Providing workers with access to the viewer means they get a broader view of the work they are carrying out and can see visual changes – which are near-enough impossible in real-time – over a prolonged period.

Everything is built with a purpose in mind. A particular company or institution might commission building work for a particular purpose, such as new headquarters or a distribution centre. However, there are still many situations where space needs to be sold after it has been built.

Housing output is said to have grown by as much as 15% last year, with office space also a precious commodity. What better way to attract buyers and tenants than by using images captured on the best DSLRs, showing progression at set intervals throughout the build. Or using a fully post-produced, professionally finished time-lapse video as a final way to attract interest.

Creating a portfolio
Trying to win contracts going forward can be enhanced with high quality images, as it can prove difficult to give potential clients an accurate impression of the standard of your previous jobs without visual aids. And after all, ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’.

Whether you use the still images produced or the finished edit, there is a real benefit in enlisting a time-lapse company to capture your build. The camera’s continuous capture is both effective and efficient in demonstrating your company’s techniques and abilities, particularly in tricky environments such as central London or remote locations.

Time-lapse photography has its purpose on any construction site, but how it is utilised is very much up to you. If you think using remote capture photography might be for you or would like information on how you can best use it on your project, please get in touch.

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Time-Lapse Systems are a part of Hideaway Media Ltd (est. 2007). World leader in the provision of bespoke time-lapse capture and site monitoring solutions. UK and Worldwide.