Photography gear all set up to begin an evening time-lapse of Mt Ruapehu from the Desert Rd. Photo / Bevan Percival
Photography gear all set up to begin an evening time-lapse of Mt Ruapehu from the Desert Rd. Photo / Bevan Percival
A Taupō photographer is producing time-lapse videos that are sought after around the world.
In his spare time Waka Kotahi contract manager Bevan Percival pursues his hobby of time-lapse photography. Over the years he has captured the stars of Matariki many times, mainly in the summer when the constellation is above the horizon in the night sky.
In the past few years, his work has been picked up by Māori scholar Professor Rangi Matamua, Tūhoe, a specialist in Māori astronomy, including Matariki. Last week Bevan's time-lapses were part of the 2022 Matariki Awards for Whakaata Māori, previously Māori Television.
Matariki is commonly known as the Māori New Year and is marked by the rising of the Pleiades or Matariki star cluster.
Bevan first took up time-lapse photography 10 years ago, saying the invention of digital cameras has been a game-changer.
His time-lapses of Matariki are mainly taken during the summer, capturing the constellation when it is high in the western horizon, near Orion's Belt. At the moment Matariki appears above the horizon, just before dawn.
The new moon is the ideal period during the lunar cycle to take a time-lapse because that is when the sky is at its darkest.
"Once a month, on the weekend around the new moon, I'll be out there. The full moon blows everything out, it's harder to see the stars."
During winter an overnight time-lapse is 16 hours or so of continuous photography, in "brutally cold" conditions, to produce a couple of minutes of time-lapse.
"That's 4000 frames, it's hard on the camera and I've been through a few cameras because the shutter mechanism gets worn out."
He will often hike hours into his destination, up steep mountain faces, lugging up to 20kg of camera equipment, including a special electric blanket to put on the lens to prevent it icing up, an external battery to power everything up, and a rig that gradually moves the camera to pan, tilt and slide to provide extra dimension.
His favourite locations are Te Urewera National Park, Kaimanawa Forest Park, and Tongariro National Park. Sometimes his children come along for a night of camping, and over the years they have made their own time-lapses.
"Sometimes I'll sleep in the car. In the winter the cold is pretty brutal. In the summer I can relax and set up a tent."
He sets the camera up to start taking photos in the hour before sunset, all through the night, then the first hour after sunrise.
"Capturing the day, the night, then the next day is the holy grail of an overnight time-lapse," Bevan says.
He never knows how a time-lapse will turn out, with gear sometimes being temperamental "and dying" or cloud or wet weather setting in when the forecast was for a clear night.
Photography takes Bevan all over New Zealand, sometimes for his own curiosity, and sometimes for commission. The resulting time-lapse footage has led to many commissions over the years for documentaries, TV channels, advertising and promotional work.
"It's something I do in my spare time, and it's always a challenge. You never know what you are going to capture, every night is different and that's the excitement.
"I think 'wow, that happened last night, while everyone else was sleeping'."
Taupō time-lapse photographer Bevan Percival off-trail on the southern slopes of Mt Ruapehu.
Bevan says Matariki being a national holiday has got him thinking about the cultural side of his photography hobby, adding a new perspective.
Internationally, New Zealand holds the world's largest dark sky reserve, with pollution and urbanisation eroding the dark night sky in most other countries. To protect the dark night sky Great Barrier Island, Aoraki Mackenzie Basin, Rakiura (Stewart Island) have a Dark Sky Sanctuary status.
"In many parts of the world you can't see the night sky."
Bevan says as Matariki is a celebration of new beginnings, perhaps now is a good time to start a discussion about protecting the quality of starry nights around the Tongariro National Park.
The Details
Bevan Percival's photography and time-lapses including the Matariki constellation
