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A few days ago I posted about how important it is to have a sturdy mount for your long term time lapse projects. I even called this Rule 1 and rambled on about how this is the only rule you need to follow, the rest is up to you. Well, I broke Rule 1 and mounted a time lapse camera in a less than ideal location and now it will be a few months before I find out how bad this decision was.
A local builder contacted me about doing a time lapse house construction project form start to finish. My first task was to scout the location which turned out great. It was going to be a nice home with a south facing front, as an added bonus there was a street light, across the street from the house which would serve as a perfect mount for a camera, or so I thought.
I do a lot of work with our local utility company so I contacted them for permission to use the light. Permission granted, now I was going to construct a sturdy mount for the camera. I got a call from the builder the morning digging started which was a week earlier than originally planned. I didn't start on my custom mount but I had to do something quick, the custom mount could wait. I grabbed a few clamps and this is what I rigged up.
At the time of installation I immediately noticed how unstable the light pole was. The pole moves with a very slight touch. I would never have thought the pole would move as much as it did, sure a strong wind may cause some problems and I could accept that. I did not expect one finger would make the pole move. The LED light does not weigh much so the pole does not need to be as sturdy as a conventional street light.
I had no choice, the digging was starting across the street and the light pole was the only option. Using a Fat Geko clamp I positioned the camera. I added a note in the camera housing stating the camera was placed with permission in case an uninformed utility worker decided it should come down. I also attached a nylon cord to prevent the camera from hitting the ground should the clamp give way.
I have downloaded the first week of video and yep it shakes. However, the builder and others still like it so the camera is staying put. I will post a sample clip here once I have a bit more action to show what not to do with your long term time lapse.