[Video] Stunning Timelapse Sheds New Light On California

Into The Atmosphere, the new timelapse video by San Diego-based photographer, Michael Shainblum, spotlights epic, natural spots in California--from Santa Barbara and Marin County, to La Jolla and Gaviota. The environmental visual magic can be watched above, and it might make your heart flutter (especially if you're from the Bear State).

Reminiscent of timelapse classic, Koyaanisqatsi, Shainblum's work hypnotizes viewers with footage of giant fog banks seen from mountain tops, God rays shooting into the middle of the desert, and cloud-covered seascapes all throughout the west coast. His knack for timelapse wizardry is evident in his past projects, including Existence and Mirror City.

This video was an ongoing project for about a year with an estimated 75,000 images taken, and about 12,400 made it into the three and a half minute piece. Learn more about his photographic process in our documentary on Shainblum below, and also get an inside look into the specific parts of California visited to make his work.

The artist broke down his creative process to The Creators Project in our documentary about how and where he makes his work (below).

"Rather than hit all the famous landscapes you've seen a million times, I wanted to showcase the ambience and the emotion of these specific places," he told us.

This includes waterfronts at the Sutro Baths in San Francisco, shots of the star-splattered cosmos seen from Borrego Springs, and cloud views via the Santa Ynez mountain range.

The photographer doesn't use hyper-expensive gear, but rather a DSLR camera, a fast wide lens, a mechanical dolly system (his robotic photo assistant), and some serious time spent with the Adobe Suite. Everything else comes down to organization and patience.

He noted that the key to capturing this organic allure "really comes to down to planning as an artist and doing the preparation of the shot. You need to be away from light pollution. You need to be away from the city."

Watch our documentary on the gifted artist, and continue reading to see specific stills from Into The Atmosphere, as well as a list of all the locations filmed at throughout California.

Other locations captured in Into The Atmosphere include:

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