Murlark Rally – Go 500kms in 2 minutes!

Murlark Rally – Go 500kms in 2 minutes! from Ryan Jackson on Vimeo.

Driver Brian Birch and his navigator Bill Bakelaar start a new section during the 500 kilometre, 13-hour 2009 Mudlark TSD Rally that ran from Calgary to Cochrane overnight May 2nd to 3rd, 2009.  Photo by Ryan Jackson/Edmonton Journal

Driver Ian Seda checks his wheel for damage near Rockyford after miscalculating a turn and going into the ditch during the 500 kilometre, 13-hour 2009 Mudlark TSD Rally that ran from Calgary to Cochrane overnight May 2nd to 3rd, 2009.  Photo by Ryan Jackson/Edmonton Journal

A view from Journal photographer Ryan Jackson’s rooftop camera during the 500 kilometre, 13-hour 2009 Mudlark TSD Rally that ran from Calgary to Cochrane overnight from May 2nd to 3rd, 2009.  Photo by Ryan Jackson/Edmonton Journal

Here is how I mounted my Canon 1D-Mark III for the time lapse video. I build the bracket from scrap wood and two giant suction cups from Princess Auto. I then used a tie-down strap wrapped around the inside to keep the mount and cups squeezed down. I used a Canon 24mm f1.4 lens and kept it at f1.4 most of the time. I ran a 10-ft USB cable from the camera to my laptop so I could control it with my laptop.

At night I set the camera to ISO6400, f1.4 in Av mode with -1EV exposure compensation. This gave me around 1/200 sec which was surprisingly fast for night shots. As the sun came up I lowered the ISO more and more until I was at ISO100, f1.4. I set the Canon software to take one picture every five seconds. In total 5315 frames were taken. I put them into a video using Final Cut Pro. For some of the parts in the video I play at 60fps. Most of it is at 30 fps.

*** Check out more photos and my first story ever published in the Journal ***