'Lenticular Sunset in Iceland' (Eric Hines)

When photographer Eric Hines first delved into camerawork it wasn’t until he discovered timelapse that his interest in photography “skyrocketed.”

Hines, who is from Indiana, shot his first timelapse piece out in Wyoming and from there he began to explore more parts of the country through the technique. A majority of the photos featured in the slideshow above are single frames from Hines’ timelapses.

Finding interesting and rare locations is very important to Hines, but finding sites off the beaten path, especially in cities, could be very difficult.

“When it comes to city photography, I try to find new and unique views that most people haven’t seen before and capture them in interesting light,” Hines told weather.com. “This is usually easier said than done, though. In a city like Chicago with a population of around 3 million, there are few things that haven’t been photographed before.”

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In addition to providing new and unusual perspectives in his work, Hines also looks for places that can support great sunrise or sunset shots, as well as nightscapes. The latter being the most difficult, as it eliminates areas with a large amount of light pollution.

“The biggest process in capturing these locations is discovering them and figuring out where they are,” said Hines, who has a custom Google Map for almost every state out west marked with interesting locations he’s found.

“After getting plans together to scout and photograph them, I’ll make trips and try to get them in the way I imagine them in my head,” he explained. “Even though I do all of this planning, some of the best images have come from just going with a gut feeling and hurrying to a different location after setting up."

But, sometimes the sequences and images he captures aren’t what he is hoping for. “With timelapse and photography, it can be very hit or miss.”

The weather is a contributing factor in whether the image falls flat or not.

“Sometimes I can get to a location with the best weather hoping for a great sunset, and then nothing happens,” he said. “It’s hard to plan for a good sunset because you can’t really predict if it’s going to be interesting or not. Many just fade into flat colors which usually doesn’t make for good images.”

When he wants to capture something specific, like the full moon rising behind the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, “the smallest bit of clouds on the horizon could block the moon.”

“The opportunity to capture that photo only happens a couple times each summer, so having the right weather is crucial. Along with the moon phases, I like to keep an eye on what’s happening on the sun to try to predict times when there will be Northern Lights,” said Hines, who was able to capture the Northern Lights in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan a few times.

To see more of Hines work visit his website and his Vimeo page.