No FaceID on new MacBook Pros?

The new Macbook pro laptops announced just this week are impressive. They look like they'll have amazing performance with the new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips. The renewed focus on versatility - returning several ports they proudly removed a few years ago! - means that these should attract all sorts of professional users - likely to be mostly Apple platform developers and many photo and video creatives.

The upgraded displays look very good. They have proper 2x scaling, adaptive refresh rates up to 120hz and really impressive dynamic range. Some have complained already about the notch and and while it isn't a great solution, I'm fairly confident that it wont cause any real issues for users.

The really odd thing about the notch is that it doesn't solve the problem that it should. The new Macbook Pros have what looks like a slightly better webcam, but why isn't Apple's FaceID tech in that notch?! there is plenty of room for it!

The experience of using FaceID on iPhone is almost completely seamless, but I have noticed it's not quite as flawless on the latest iPad Pros. I believe that this is less to do with the technology and it's limitations. It is likely due to the way we hold and use our devices.

I've noticed with my own use of these devices that I tend to hold the iPhone higher up than a iPad and maybe this is why the FaceID has been a little inconsistent on my iPad? Maybe this combined with the increased distance for a Laptop on a desk means FaceID is not quite up to standard for laptops and desktops yet?

Despite all that, I would be super tempted to buy one of these 2021 Macbook Pros - but I've just splurged on a M1 iPad Pro, which is proving to be the best photo editing computer i've ever owned :)

My 2018 Macbook Pro is safe for now...

Creating Time-lapse Videos

I have been experimenting with time-lapse videos for a while. It's been an interesting process, I've experienced many surprises with my end results as I don't yet have the experience to visualise the final video effectively. Many of these first time-lapse videos capture the movement of people and transport in busy central London. I'm also focusing on capturing those dramatic moving clouds and weather pattern videos that you see in the best time-lapse videos.

London Time-lapse Videos

Uploaded by Heath Gordon-McCall on 2018-05-22.

One of the first time lapse sequences I shot after purchasing an Intervalometer for my camera was a video where I wanted to capture some of the energy of rush hour along with the change in light as the last bits of sunlight faded.

This one was captured from the East side of London Bridge on the South side of the Thames, It was taken looking west. I like the light changing and the travel of boats up and down the river although I would've liked to capture more distinct shapes of people walking along the bridge.

I took the photos for this timelapse on a rainy, cold night on Villiers Street looking down towards the Embankment tube entrance.

This one was one that I initially visualised as a long exposure photograph showing the streams of people going in and out of the Embankment tube station. I might try and create that still photograph in the summer when the days are longer, I'll probably need to purchase an ND filter before trying that one.

Unfortunately I seem to have gotten some slight shake throughout the series of photos that went into the time-lapse video :( I may have to invest in a more solid tripod at some point! I'm not sure that I really captured an interesting transition with this one, I feel that maybe longer exposure for each photo and a more interesting (higher up?) viewpoint might've helped?

Slightly shaky timelapse (wind) in Burgess Park on cold Feburary evening.

I had some major issues with wind in this one, you can see the shake throughout the final video. It's a shame because the change in the colour of the sky and the movement of clouds is dramatic and really beautiful.

This series of photos was captured when looking west from the hill at the east end of Burgess park in South London, just near the large fishing pond.

Gear for Time-lapse Videos

There are many many ways to produce a time-lapse video, one of the easiest ways to produce a relatively high quality time-lapse is to use your phone. Apps like Hyperlapse (made by Instagram) and I used the following  equipment to create these time-lapse videos.

Olympus OMD EM5 (EM5 Mark ii now available!)

Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 (1st edition, the 2nd edition is also excellent!)

Olympus 45mm f/1.7

Aputure Intervalometer/remote release. If you want to pay lots more money you can get the original Olympus version.) - Also keep in mind that many newer cameras include an intervalometer in the built in functions - this generally gives you slightly less control of the time-lapse, but makes the process a little more streamlined and easy - producing a video file straight from camera, no need to render it using photoshop on you.

This thing is new!

Hi there, I’m really interested in photography, video creation and imaging technology and i’m going to make all sorts of content about it! This site is primarily about that stuff, but also about the things worth recording, the important stuff like food, booze, art, music, live performance and all the great cultural stuff that goes on in a big city like London (my current home). I also love exploring the great outdoors so you’ll see natural landscapes and wilderness too and hopefully a whole lot of travel photography and videos.

I’ve just started experimenting with creating my own short videos, you can find these on my video page or subscribe now on Youtube! I’m very keen about the possibilities here, it’s such an exciting time to be someone creating content and telling big and small stories using photography and video.

You can contact me with this form, if you wish to collaborate on some fun photo/video/other creative project, i’m open to all suggestions!

Thanks for reading Heath