<P> Time - lapse photography is a technique whereby the frequency at which film frames are captured (the frame rate) is much lower than that used to view the sequence . When played at normal speed, time appears to be moving faster and thus lapsing . For example, an image of a scene may be captured once every second, then played back at 30 frames per second; the result is an apparent 30 times speed increase . In a similar manner, film can also be played at a much lower rate than it was captured at, slowing down fast action, as slow motion or high - speed photography . </P> <P> Processes that would normally appear subtle to the human eye, e.g. the motion of the sun and stars in the sky or plant growth, become very pronounced . Time - lapse is the extreme version of the cinematography technique of undercranking . Stop motion animation is a comparable technique; a subject that does not actually move, such as a puppet, can repeatedly be moved manually by a small distance and photographed; the photographs can be played back as a film, showing the subject appearing to move . </P>

What does time lapse mean on a camera