Time lapse photography is one of the most effective ways to showcase your business, as the process captures the evolution of a project over a period of time. Using this unique and cost-effective marketing tool will enable you to creatively tell a story, demonstrate the uniqueness of a build and scale of operations, showcase your capabilities and the expertise of your workforce, and visually share the status of a project. 

We have found that building project managers, construction supervisors, developers and venue managers have really led the way in using time lapse as not only a marketing tool, but also for other business uses. 

Many businesses are embracing time lapse photography as a means of enhancing their business efficiencies as well as elevating their marketing materials. Below I share some of the ways to consider time lapse as a marketing piece, so you can get more out of your investment.

Highlight successful projects

Time lapse photography is great for highlighting successful projects completed by your company or organisation. You can use it to show off what you’ve accomplished in terms of success stories – something that will be invaluable when trying to win new customers or contracts from potential clients. 

This type of footage will provide proof that your team was able to complete projects successfully despite any challenges that may have been presented along the way, which could give prospective clients greater confidence in working with you going forward.

When Elton John came to Newcastle in early 2023, the McDonald Jones Stadium team realised that it was a great opportunity to leverage to entice other acts to the region. They arranged a two-week time lapse project to show their efficient bumping in and bumping out process. This is an easy and effective way to allay any fears that the site is not equipped for acts of this nature. As the video demonstrates, they are more than well equipped for it!

Present accurate records of projects

Time lapse photography can be used not only as a marketing tool but also as an accurate record-keeping tool. Having this type of footage will allow you to go back in time and review progress on any project at any point in its development cycle. 

This is especially helpful when dealing with complex projects where details matter the most. 

One of the main benefits of time lapse photography from a business perspective is that it also allows you to look for efficiencies in the way that you operate. With the resulting footage you will be able to see what you and your team did well and where you can improve.

A great example of this is a Transport for New South Wales project where they used time lapse photography to demonstrate a lift install at Blackheath Station, as well as including some drone footage to show the scale of the  works. 

Use the high-quality content as social media content

Time lapse videos using your on-site imagery are perfect for sharing on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. 

Video ranks higher for engagement and reach to your audience, and time lapse is a great way to build brand awareness around your capabilities and the full project experience you offer.

Doma Group were able to showcase a significant and well-known local project in just 60 seconds, posting their video to Facebook. For projects like this that are a seemingly long time in the making, it is a great way to showcase the end result, whilst still showing everything that happened to get it to that point.

Time lapse is a cost-effective way to capture the lifetime of a project

Time lapse photography can be much more cost-effective than traditional videography when it comes to documenting and showcasing your building project. With time lapses, you get the same end result—a stunning visual that captures your progress – without the need for an onsite crew or equipment rentals at regular intervals of the project lifecycle. This means that you can save money while still getting a high-quality product.

By using the latest cameras and solar powered units, you can have constant remote access to your project. With remote access, you can watch or review online with your own unique login. Being solar powered, the cameras can be placed almost anywhere on site and can be used for projects that are a day long or even three to four years long! As long as the sun keeps shining, the cameras will keep rolling and you save time and money on having to replace the equipment on a regular basis.

For example, a project we worked on with Laing-O’rourke in Muswellbrook, involved a two-year timelapse project for Transport for NSW. We used four solar-powered timelapse cameras on this site, plus monthly drone flights to show case change from start to finish, all of which was able to be accessed remotely by the client throughout the duration of filming. 

Time lapse photography truly is a cost effective and simple way of telling your story. It could be a good option to consider to promote your next project to the public, demonstrate the process of a monumental task, and show your company’s capabilities.