Capturing Stunning Sunrise Time-lapses with the DJI Action 5 Pro and Nd 64 filter
- gear4greatness
- Apr 8, 2025
- 5 min read
Updated: Nov 16, 2025
🌅 Capturing Stunning Sunrise Time-Lapses with the DJI Action 5 Pro and ND64 Filter
There’s something about waking up before the city even stirs that always gets to me — that quiet moment when the sky is still half-asleep and Winnipeg feels softer, almost unfamiliar, like the world hasn’t fully loaded yet 🌄💭. Every time I head out with the DJI Action 5 Pro for a sunrise time-lapse, I feel that tiny flicker of excitement in my chest, the one that reminds me why I still love doing this after hundreds of shoots. There’s this mix of cold air, stillness, and possibility, and as I’m walking toward whatever spot I chose the night before, the camera feels light in my hand but heavy with anticipation. The ND64 filter clicks onto the front with that satisfying magnetic snap, and instantly I know I’m shooting in full manual — total control, no excuses. That’s how sunrise photography feels to me: the camera becomes an extension of my patience, and the ND64 turns the rushing, chaotic changes of morning light into something I can gently sculpt.
Setting up early is everything. I’ve learned that the light doesn’t wait for you — it moves fast, faster than your brain expects. I always try to arrive about forty minutes before that first sliver of sun because there’s this beautiful transition between blue hour and sunrise that most people never see unless they’re up and out with intention. The Action 5 Pro sits on the tripod like it belongs there, and even though it’s small, it holds its spot with this quiet confidence. Dialing in the settings is almost meditative: locking ISO at 100, setting 1/240 shutter, choosing 4K because sunrise deserves that clarity. Everything manual. Everything steady. There’s a rhythm to it, the kind that calms you — white balance around 5500K, interval set to two seconds, one last check on the histogram just to make sure nothing’s blowing out too early. And then the waiting begins, that beautiful stillness where the only sound is your breath and maybe a distant car rolling across a sleepy street.
As the light shifts, the ND64 really shows its value. Without it, sunrise blows out highlights faster than you can blink. But with the filter on, the exposure stays controlled, like the world is agreeing to slow down just enough for you to capture it. Clouds stretch across the sky in slow motion, pulling softness behind them like brushstrokes. Shadows lengthen and melt, reflections shimmer on any nearby water, and the overall mood feels almost too perfect to be real. The 1/240 shutter holds that balance between clarity and blur — sharp enough to show movement, soft enough to feel cinematic. I love that sweet spot. It’s the kind of look that reminds me why time-lapses still feel magical even in a world full of AI shortcuts and instant edits.
There’s always a moment during these shoots where I stop looking at the camera completely and just take in the scene. Sometimes I can even feel the cold metal of the tripod under my fingers, grounding me while the sky warms up in front of me. Other times, I’m watching the horizon thinking about how many mornings I’ve missed by sleeping in or getting caught in routine. But when I’m out there with the Action 5 Pro capturing frame after frame, I feel genuinely present — like the gear disappears and I’m just witnessing light unfold. Shooting sunrise is a reminder that creativity isn’t always about speed or convenience. Sometimes it’s about patience, stillness, and trusting that the world is about to give you something beautiful if you’re willing to wait for it.
By the time the sun breaks fully, the frames have stacked up into something meaningful. The battery’s still holding, the ND64 did its job, and the footage already feels golden in my mind. It’s only later, when I’m back at my desk and dragging the files into DaVinci or Premiere, that I see just how smooth the transitions are — how the exposure stayed balanced, how the sky shifted naturally from blue to gold to soft orange. It’s the kind of result that feels earned. Sunrise time-lapse footage isn’t just a clip — it’s a memory of the morning and a quiet little victory over the chaos of changing light.
Capturing Stunning Sunrise Time-lapses with the DJI Action 5 Pro and Nd 64 filte
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FINAL THOUGHTS
There’s an emotion in sunrise shooting that hits me every time — that feeling of being awake before the rest of the city, standing alone with a camera pointed at a horizon that’s slowly breathing to life 🌞✨. It's peaceful in a way that almost feels sacred, and every time I pack up after a shoot, I feel like I’m carrying a piece of that calm home with me. The world feels gentler during those moments, like you’re part of something bigger but quieter, something that doesn’t need noise or speed to feel meaningful.
What I’ve learned from these shoots — especially with the DJI Action 5 Pro and an ND64 locked on — is that creativity rewards patience. You can’t rush a sunrise. You can only prepare for it, dial in your settings, and trust your instincts. Shooting fully manual taught me how much control I actually have when I slow down and think like a filmmaker instead of a guy trying to beat the light. The ND64, the 1/240 shutter, the careful composition — everything becomes intentional. And that intention shows up in every frame. It's a reminder that even small tools, like tiny action cameras, can create truly cinematic results when you approach them with purpose.
There’s a symbolism in sunrise that always stays with me — the idea of light breaking through after darkness, of colors slowly revealing the shape of the world, of transitions that happen almost imperceptibly until suddenly everything feels different. Sunrises are like quiet metaphors for change. They start subtle, then bloom into something undeniable. Every time I film one, I feel like I’m watching time itself stretch and deepen, like I’m learning the language of light all over again. It reinforces why I love what I do — the blend of technology, observation, and emotion that turns a simple morning into something cinematic.
And if I’m honest, every sunrise shoot leaves me thinking the same final thought:the world always rewards the ones who show up early with their eyes open and their hearts ready.
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