Backpackers.com — We bring you yet another stunning timelapse video, and yet another insightful interview with the master, Enrique Pacheco.
This film, “Shaped by Time,” is different than the “Reflections From Uyuni” video that we highlighted last month. Instead of shooting in one location, Pacheco crafted a beautiful exploration of wind and water erosion, shooting malleable canyons and caves over multiple locations to create this film.
Here’s Pacheco, hunting scenery in the cold.
What drew us to this film is the exploration of a natural element that occurs all over the world, pulled together in one short video. You gain a clear sense of time in the majestic shots. This couples with the score, by Peter Nanansi, which lends spirituality and movement to already stunning images. Lastly, the night shots, in which the sky rotates as the wind eroded monuments remain silhouetted and still, are incredible.
See “Shaped By Time” below, and revel in nature. And read our interview with Pacheco, too!
Shaped By Time
Interview with Enrique Pacheco
Backpackers: Where were you in this video? Did you visit places with the intention of shooting this video?
Enrique: This video is a bit different, the topic is not just a location, but the erosion and the passage of time. I love landscapes that have eroded — deserts, mountains — and I love seeing how millions of years of wind and water flowing have sculpted these incredible formations.
Therefore I looked for some of the best locations to find these images. Two of them were Utah and Arizona, in the Southwest U.S., but I also found that around my mother country, Spain, there are a lot of good locations.
Backpackers: Where is the cave pictured at the 1:28 minute mark? It is incredible.
Enrique: That is the Cave of Los Verdes, in Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain. An amazing cave hundreds of meters long and with water in some parts of it.
Backpackers: The last shot in the video shows a number of low-lit cameras and sensors. What are those?
Enrique: That shot was done during a Timelapse Workshop that I did with my friend and amazing timelapser Dustin Farrell. He knows the Southwest pretty well and took us to that incredible place, where everyone had the chance to shoot a night timelapse with our technical orientation. That’s why you see so many cameras. It’s like a behind the scene shot.
Backpackers: How many days did it take you to capture this footage?
Enrique: As I said, it was shot in two countries, I spent around 3 weeks in the U.S. plus another 2 or 3 in Spain. So let’s say more than one month of shooting plus one more of editing and processing.
Backpackers: Did you camp during this trip, or drive to location and return to a hotel/hostel?
Enrique: To be honest, I don’t usually camp. I rather spend all the hours I need at night shooting and drive a few hours if needed afterwards to get a good sleep. Also I like to have a couple of hours in a comfortable place to load the video cards, check the material, and do backup. Then I drive to next location and keep going.
Backpackers: Did the making of this video give you a broader sense of the earth, and water’s role?
Enrique: Of course, when you are in those locations, contemplating the huge mountains, canyons, caves, etc., it’s impossible not to think in how powerful and patient nature is. You feel insignificant next to such wonders, but also with the responsibility of keeping it as it is, so next generations can enjoy what we have been lucky to inherit.
Backpackers: Any words of inspiration, wisdom, or impact you have after witnessing these sites in person?
Enrique: As I said before, I like to travel alone, but even if I’m with some buddies, I like to find my spot and spend hours just looking at the landscape by myself. Many people ask me what do I do while waiting for the camera to finish, and the answer is unexpected … I do nothing! I don’t read, watch movies or check my phone, I just look at nature, I contemplate, I think, I look into myself.
I think that shooting time-lapse has helped me a lot to be the person that I am now.
Enrique Pacheco has a ton of other videos, stunning images, and a blog in which he gives advice on timelapse and modern photography. Check them out on his website, and follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
All images courtesy Enrique Pacheco, All Rights Reserved
