Photographer Shoots 12,000 Photos of Amsterdam for Epic Timelapse
A photographer shot over 12,000 photos and hundreds of gigabytes of data as he created a frenetic timelapse of the iconic Dutch city of Amsterdam.
Kirill Neiezhmakov is no stranger to creating stunning hyperlapses, where the camera dynamically moves through the city.
“One of the most challenging parts of this project was the tight time frame,” Neiezhmakov tells PetaPixel. “I had only 2.5 days in Amsterdam, and capturing so many complex sequences without falling behind the schedule required a lot of planning and flexibility. In the past, I typically needed a full week or more to shoot a full city piece like this.”
The video takes the viewer through Dam Square, Centraal Station, the Rijksmuseum, the National Opera House, and The Basilica of Saint Nicholas, while taking in the splendid architecture and thousands of boats that populate the canals and the Amstel River.
The subsequent video features a series of timelapse, hyperlapse, morphing transitions, hyperzooms, and complex multi-layered mask editing techniques that capture the city’s buzzing energy.
“Amsterdam had long been high on my creative list. Its energy, rhythm, canals, historical layers, and unique architecture made it the perfect subject for a dynamic visual story,” he says.
Neiezhmakov shot almost 60 sequences during his brief visit to The Venice of the North, but the editing process took another two weeks. This includes stabilization, color grading, transitions, and sound syncing.
“In terms of data, I ended up with hundreds of gigabytes of RAW footage — not surprising, given that most of the clips were shot at high resolution for maximum flexibility in post,” explains Neiezhmakov.
The Ukrainian photographer also employed AI-generated morphing transitions — something he had never done before.
“I previously used Re:Flex plugin in After Effects to create smooth morphing effects. But for this video, I wanted to try something new — I experimented with AI-based morphing techniques (Pixverse),” he says.
“In particular, you can see transitions where the camera appears to rotate around a building, and that building then transforms seamlessly into another one — all without cuts. It gave the video a fresh visual identity, while keeping the rhythm fluid and engaging.”
However, Neiezhmakov struggled to generate the correct AI transitions, and it took “many attempts and prompt variations” before getting the right movement.
“In many cases, the output didn’t match the intent at all, and even unsuccessful generations still consumed credits, which made the process both time-consuming and costly,” he adds.
Neiezhmakov has previously captured hyperlapses of Vienna, Singapore, and Rome. More of Neiezhmakov’s work can be found on his YouTube and Facebook.
Image credits: Photographs by Kirill Neiezhmakov
