Capture the vastness of a landscape with panoramic photography techniques.
Panoramic photography used to belong only to the professional photographer as the only individual with the need or desire to purchase the often expensive specialized equipment needed for these kinds of photos. That is not the case any longer. Today, anyone can take a panoramic photo. There are several ways of accomplishing this, but one of the most common means involves taking several overlapping shots from the same location and then "stitching" them together using photographic software.
Instructions
1. Setting up your shot is more of a mental exercise than a physical one.
Set up your shot. Begin by identifying the scene you want to shoot and the spot from which you want to capture it. Make sure this is a place you can get to easily as you will need to haul your tripod and camera equipment here. Determine when is the best time of day for the scene (hint - for full 360 degree panoramics you'll want the sun high in the sky but for more dramatic partial panoramics afternoon light may give better results) and have an idea of how long it will take you to get your equipment set.
2. Although panoramics can be taken from a hand-held position, stitching images together in the studio will be easier and less time-consuming if you use a tripod.
Prepare your equipment. At the appropriate time, set up your tripod at your location making sure it sits level and stable. Brad Templeton, a professional panoramic photographer, recommends using a special panoramic tripod which will help with this process although any tripod will work. The primary goal is to keep your camera focused on the same vertical or horizontal as you take multiple images around your central axis point. Attach your camera to your tripod and you're ready to start taking pictures.
3. Whether vertical or horizontal, you'll want to overlap the images taken by about 50% for better stitching later.
Capture your images. Start taking pictures by shooting the scene, rotating the camera to capture about 50% of your first scene plus new area until you've captured the entire area you want in your panoramic. The tricky part here is ensuring that the exposure time is set for the finished panoramic rather than the individual shots. If you are using a digital camera, you will notice that it automatically adjusts for the light in each individual frame. James Rigg, also a professional panoramic photographer who has dedicated himself to sharing the art with others, offers some good tips on overcome this problem.
4. Transfer images to your computer using whatever means appropriate to your system.
Transfer your images to the computer. If you used a digital camera, this will be pretty straightforward. Print cameras make the process much more difficult as you must first get the film developed for high resolution, then printed at high resolution and finally scanned into the computer at high resolution. High resolution is important when attempting to capture the sense of wonder and space that are part of the panoramic experience.
5. Use photo software to "stitch" the various images together in a long or tall panoramic on your screen.
"Stitch" the images together using photography software. There are a number of software products on the market that will help you stitch your images together seamlessly as long as you were careful about evening out exposure times. Some examples include Photoshop, PhotoVista, Panorama Factory and AutoPanoPro. These programs work in different ways to blend overlapped images together without a visible seam.
6. The vivid quality you will get by sending your project out to a professional printer is worth the expense.
Send your panoramic off to the printers. You can print your panoramic image from your home printed but chances are high that your printer can only handle single sheets of standard-sized paper; is limited in resolution printing; and/or does not use vivid inks. If you choose this option, you can use the same kind of "stitching" technique with clear tape to accomplish a panoramic feel. After all this effort, though, it is worth it to send your project out to professional printers to be printed on a roll using high quality inks in high resolution on quality paper.
Tags: images together, high resolution, your images, your panoramic, your tripod, digital camera, panoramic photographer
