Anybody else shoot Panoramas? (Hopefully ongoing thread)
This topic is locked to prevent further replies.
Aug 25, 2011 13:12:28 #
I would like to open a thread and invite people to experiment with and post their results from shooting panoramas here. If you have never shot a pano before here are a few guidelines.
1 If you have a pano mode on your camera, use it. That locks in WB, focus, exposure etc to make stitching the images seamless (at least it is supposed to, I still have an odd pano now and again that doesn't stitch up quite right, but those are rare).
2 If you don't have a pano mode set your camera to Manual and disable autofocus, leave everything set at the same settings for all the photos.
3 Expose the brightest part of the image first, you don't want blown out hightlights 2 or 3 pics into your pano.
4 A tripod is best but I shoot handheld all the time, overlap your photos by about 1/4 and do your best to keep the horizon level. I crop out a lot of stair step edges in my panos.
5 Rotate the camera in space preferably around the 'nodal point' (the spot where the sensor is located in the camera) as opposed to turning your whole body, this will minimize, but not completely eliminate curvilinear distortion. The farther away your subject the less distortion too.
6 If you don't already own pano stitching software let me recommend Autostitch. FREEWARE available at Autostitch.net. It is the only stitching software I use and it's free!
7 I usually resize my panos to 1000-1200 (longest side) x whatever but I'm not sure how this website will like that. Can a moderator make a 1200 by whatever sizing exception for this one thread? Just asking but may not be necessary, I'm not sure because I'm new here.
Finally if you have any questions, post 'em here; chances are somebody else has the exact same question.
Ready, set, go!
Here's a few of mine to start out.
The first one is of the house I used to live in, in TX. The brown one on the far left. A lovely little town called Bayou Vista.
The second pano is from the Profile Trail on Grandfather Mountain NC looking toward the towns of Beech & Sugar Mountain.
The last pano is a vertical B&W Infrared image of Elk River also in NC. Remember panos can be vertical too.
I hope you all enjoy panos as much as I do.
Let's see some panos and remember, this is supposed to be fun and stir up your creativity.
Eric
1 If you have a pano mode on your camera, use it. That locks in WB, focus, exposure etc to make stitching the images seamless (at least it is supposed to, I still have an odd pano now and again that doesn't stitch up quite right, but those are rare).
2 If you don't have a pano mode set your camera to Manual and disable autofocus, leave everything set at the same settings for all the photos.
3 Expose the brightest part of the image first, you don't want blown out hightlights 2 or 3 pics into your pano.
4 A tripod is best but I shoot handheld all the time, overlap your photos by about 1/4 and do your best to keep the horizon level. I crop out a lot of stair step edges in my panos.
5 Rotate the camera in space preferably around the 'nodal point' (the spot where the sensor is located in the camera) as opposed to turning your whole body, this will minimize, but not completely eliminate curvilinear distortion. The farther away your subject the less distortion too.
6 If you don't already own pano stitching software let me recommend Autostitch. FREEWARE available at Autostitch.net. It is the only stitching software I use and it's free!
7 I usually resize my panos to 1000-1200 (longest side) x whatever but I'm not sure how this website will like that. Can a moderator make a 1200 by whatever sizing exception for this one thread? Just asking but may not be necessary, I'm not sure because I'm new here.
Finally if you have any questions, post 'em here; chances are somebody else has the exact same question.
Ready, set, go!
Here's a few of mine to start out.
The first one is of the house I used to live in, in TX. The brown one on the far left. A lovely little town called Bayou Vista.
The second pano is from the Profile Trail on Grandfather Mountain NC looking toward the towns of Beech & Sugar Mountain.
The last pano is a vertical B&W Infrared image of Elk River also in NC. Remember panos can be vertical too.
I hope you all enjoy panos as much as I do.
Let's see some panos and remember, this is supposed to be fun and stir up your creativity.
Eric
Aug 26, 2011 08:10:40 #
cwilliams31
Loc: Salisbury, North Carolina
Love the panaramic's - I have a Siny Cyber-shot camera in the closet that I should be using but getting my photo's printed is my problem. An 8X10 I can do but I'm after a three or six footer - Where could I get one printed ?
Aug 26, 2011 08:19:42 #
eugene666
Loc: Westchester
Here are a couple that I took.
This is my house.
Mohegan Lake looking south.
Rockland Boulders Stadium in Ramapo.
Muscoot Farm
A dinosaur at the Yale Univ Museum of Natural History.
Aug 26, 2011 08:23:54 #
cwilliams31
Loc: Salisbury, North Carolina
More great shots - Ment to say I have a SONY Cyber-shot in the closet. I mispelled Sony in the last message I posted.
Aug 26, 2011 08:54:15 #
Aug 26, 2011 09:00:27 #
eugene666
Loc: Westchester
To Me-Fl
Nice shots, good and level. I think it would have been better to have the same zoom level for both of the top two photos where the palms in the foreground were visible in both for perspective.
Nice shots, good and level. I think it would have been better to have the same zoom level for both of the top two photos where the palms in the foreground were visible in both for perspective.
Aug 26, 2011 09:29:26 #
When i travel i shoot a lot of pano style shots and used to get confused weeks later when i went to do the pano,as which was the start shot,then read about using this trick on the 1'st shot hold 1 finger in front of the lens.on the last hold 2 fingers in front,now i always have a beginning and and an end no matter how long before i get to do the pano
Aug 26, 2011 09:43:19 #
Me-Fl
Loc: Maine - Florida
Point well taken......Palm is now gone, so no going back and starting over. These were long before I even knew what I was doing, and I think I have taken two steps back since then even now. LOL
Aug 26, 2011 12:43:04 #
Aug 26, 2011 12:45:32 #
Aug 26, 2011 12:59:08 #
Aug 26, 2011 15:30:31 #
Aug 26, 2011 16:24:53 #
Aug 26, 2011 16:33:50 #
Aug 26, 2011 16:46:59 #
Great shots. I just designed a motorized pano head for a friend. I might as well make 2. If it turns out I'll make a post.
If you want to reply, then register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.