Salt Lake City Night TimelapseTimelapse over Salt Lake City at night with a summer thunderstorm off in the distance. Salty dust can be seen blowing across the city to the left.

My nose wrinkled when I stepped outside my front door. "What is that smell?" The balmy, dry Utah air smelled of brine and dust much like the ocean breeze, but fouler. The normally calm summer night was replaced with gusty winds that were picking up dust from the Great Salt Lake to the north. Lightning was flashing in the distance, however, the rain would not fall tonight. 

I wanted to take some photographs of the night sky, with the conjunction of Venus and Jupiter well under way. I had caught a glimpse of the event from the front window as I was gathering up my camera equipment. Once the clouds and wind had moved across the valley, there was little hope of capturing the celestial dance tonight. Determined to make the most of the situation, I drove east towards Mount Olympus. The trailhead that leads up to the summit of Mount Olympus was full of starry-eyed teenagers perched on concrete barricades overlooking the city lights. 

"Why did I wear flip-flops, and why didn't I bring my headlamp?" The Mount Olympus Trail attracts heavy traffic from tourists and locals alike, as evidenced by the beaten and packed down dirt along the way. Giant's stairs made the climb much faster but more tedious with a camera and tripod. In the dim glow from the city lights, I could just make out the trail and the rocky obstacles as I arrived at a rather large rocky outcrop looming over the streets below. From this perch I set up my camera and tripod.

Timelapses haven't been my thing, however, just today I was having a conversation about just that with a roommate of mine. So, the idea was fresh on my mind. The Nikon D800 has a delightful timelapse feature that compiles the entire thing in-camera, leaving me nothing to do afterwards except minor corrections, of course. I shot this timelapse using my NIKKOR 14-24 mm lens with a fast exposure and interval to give it that smooth look. The lightning continued to flash and occasionally streak across the sky. Without the actual photographs, these are reduced to quick flashes in the final video. The salty dust cloud was easier to see blowing across the city from right to left in the frame, too. 

All in all, it was an enjoyable evening from a beautiful vantage point that I had never visited before. Also, I was able to put my hands on a rocky outcrop which, I have to admit, hasn't happened in quite some time. Please enjoy the brief video and feel free to leave comments at the bottom.