Photographing London from the BT Tower: My Time-Lapse Setup

I was lucky enough to be invited to the BT Tower to celebrate BT's 180th birthday. With the tower now changing hands, this was likely my last opportunity to visit unless I happened to stay or dine there in the future.

The revolving floor at the top of the tower once housed a restaurant that offered spectacular panoramic views across London. However, it closed to the public in the 1980s following security concerns related to IRA terrorism. Today, the rotating floor still provides an incredible vantage point, completing a full revolution approximately every 20 to 30 minutes and offering breathtaking views across the capital.

As soon as I received the invitation, I started thinking about how I could capture the experience. A time-lapse seemed like the perfect way to showcase the unique rotating view from one of London's most iconic landmarks.

Planning the Shoot

Before the event, I checked that cameras would be permitted and started planning how I wanted to capture the experience.

The first decision was lens choice. For this type of photography, my Canon EF-S 10-22mm wide-angle lens was the obvious option. The wide field of view would allow me to capture as much of London's skyline as possible while minimising the number of images needed for the final sequence.

My plan was to shoot entirely in manual mode. Consistent exposure is essential for a smooth time-lapse, as automatic settings can cause distracting flickering between frames. I did take a couple of test shots using automatic settings to get a baseline exposure before switching everything over to manual.

Calculating the Time-Lapse

To capture a complete 360-degree rotation, I needed to know how frequently to take photographs.

Since the rotating floor completes a full revolution in roughly 25 minutes, and I wanted the finished video to play back at approximately 25 frames per second, I calculated that taking one photograph every four seconds would give me enough frames to create a smooth sequence covering the entire rotation.

Taking hundreds of photographs manually at precise intervals isn't practical, so I purchased an intervalometer specifically for the project. Once configured, it automatically triggered the camera every four seconds, allowing me to enjoy the event while the camera did the hard work.

In addition, don't forget your tripod so the camera doesn't move between shots. Nothing worse than the frames being slightly different in each shot.

Camera Settings

For the final sequence, I used:

• Manual exposure mode
• Manual focus
• RAW image capture
• Canon EF-S 10-22mm lens
• Interval shooting every 4 seconds

Using manual settings ensured consistent exposure and focus throughout the rotation, resulting in a smoother final video with minimal flicker.

Selecting and Copying Time-Lapse Images on macOS

After transferring the photographs to my Mac, I needed to isolate the images that made up the complete rotation.

Because camera image filenames are sequentially numbered, it was easy to copy only the files I needed once I knew the starting and ending image numbers.

Rather than manually selecting hundreds of files in Finder, I used a simple shell command:

for i in `seq 2000 1 2600`; do
    cp img_$i.jpg /dest
done

This loops through every image number from 2000 to 2600 and copies each file into the destination directory. When working with large image sequences, this approach is much faster and less error-prone than manually dragging files around.

Once copied, I reviewed the sequence and removed any unwanted frames before creating the final video.

Creating the Time-Lapse on a Mac

One of the nice surprises from this project was how little software was actually required. Many photography tutorials recommend expensive editing packages, but for a simple time-lapse you can create the finished video using software that comes free with macOS.

After organising the photographs, I imported the image sequence and created the final movie using QuickTime on my Mac. Because the images were captured at regular four-second intervals, the resulting video produced a smooth rotation around London's skyline.

The process was straightforward and avoided the need for specialist photography or video-editing software. Sometimes the simplest tools are all you need.

Gear Used

Camera

• Canon DSLR body (insert exact model)

Lens

• Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM

Accessories

• Intervalometer
• Tripod
• Spare battery
• High-capacity SD card

Software

• macOS Terminal
• QuickTime Player

Lessons Learned

Overall, the project worked exactly as planned. Using a wide-angle lens captured the scale of the city, while shooting in manual mode ensured consistent exposure throughout the sequence.

The intervalometer was probably the most important purchase for the project. Without it, accurately taking photographs every four seconds for the duration of the rotation would have been almost impossible.

I was also reminded that creating a time-lapse doesn't require expensive software. With a little planning, some basic command-line tools, and software already available on a Mac, it is possible to create impressive results with very little cost.

The Final Result

The combination of the BT Tower's rotating floor, a wide-angle lens, and carefully planned interval shooting created a unique perspective of London's skyline that would have been difficult to achieve any other way.

What started as a simple idea became a memorable photography project and a lasting record of one of London's most iconic landmarks before it entered a new chapter in its history.

Watch the finished video below:

About the author

Tim Wilkes is a UK-based security architect with over 15 years of experience in electronics, Linux, and Unix systems administration. Since 2021, he's been designing secure systems for a telecom company while indulging his passions for programming, automation, and 3D printing. Tim shares his projects, tinkering adventures, and tech insights here - partly as a personal log, and partly in the hopes that others will find them useful.

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