Today, many cameras have the function of taking panoramic photos directly from the factory and without the need to go through a computer. Despite this, these modes are still not as versatile and will not allow you to achieve as amazing results as you can achieve if you build your panoramas yourself.
In today’s article, you will see the different ways to take panoramic photos, the equipment needed to do so, the key factors, and the programs needed to attach all the photos. You can not lose this!
- Panoramic photographs are.
- As the name suggests.
- Photographs that allow you to appreciate a larger part of a scene than a normal photograph.
- The secret of this type of photo is the proportion of its framing as it allows the observer to convey the feeling of immensity and place.
- In a very effective way and almost impossible to achieve with other frames.
Getting this type of photography will not be very difficult, although like any technique it has its secrets. Below, I will name a few of them and how to get the most out of them.
Panoramic photography itself is not a new type of photography but, as I said in the article “Everything you need to know to frame your photos?”, it’s actually just one of the many formats you had at the time. to make your frames.
Thanks to their “elongated” proportions, which means that the width of the photographs is much larger than their height, these types of photographs are very pleasant for the human eye. But how to achieve such proportions?
The realization of this type of framing is possible by two completely opposite techniques:
1-Using a single photograph: this method is to cut a photograph of “normal” proportions in its height until its proportions are adequate for panoramic photography (width well above height). To do this, you need to cut the photo horizontally on the computer as you will see in the following example:
To achieve the best results it is essential that you are clear about the result you want to achieve in the final photo. Why? Because cropping a photo to normal proportions to make it a panorama will require you to compose the photo in a different way.
2-Cross multiple assembled photos (Stitching): This method consists of taking a sequence of slightly overlapping photos in order to represent a whole scene much wider than high (panoramic). Once you have taken the photos, using a program on the computer (or run inside your camera if you allow it), you must join them to make an excellent panoramic photo.
The main difference between the two methods is: the final quality. Although in both cases the sense of place conveyed by the panoramic framing is obtained, the photograph taken by joining several will have a much higher quality than that in which only a “normal” framing photograph has been cropped.
One of the best ways to take a panoramic photo, if you are using the multi-photo joining method, is to photograph your camera vertically, that is, use a vertical frame and then join them together to achieve the “elongated” horizontal frame.
When shooting vertically, the vertical viewing angle you can get will be much higher than that of the horizontal shot and since the horizontal viewing angle will be given by the number of photos you have said you take and then come together, vertical shooting will ensure better results.
This way, not only will you be able to maximize the quality of the final photo (at the edges of the frame, the cameras tend to lose quality, but if you use a vertical frame, you will reduce this lack of sharpness to the maximum as it will work with a larger part of the center of the frame (these), but you can also maximize the part of the scene that will be captured once on the computer. How do I do that? Don’t worry, you’ll be here.
Although you can take a panoramic photo almost anywhere, not all locations are ideal for getting a good panoramic photo, if you take the time to do an Internet search, you will see that the vast majority of these types of photos are used to represent landscapes. .
Taking panoramic photos in situations where a lot of subjects or objects move in front of the lens will only make your job difficult, but look at the following photo:
The protagonist of panoramic photographs is usually the panorama itself, but once you master this technique, you will be in optimal condition to break the rules and revolutionize your photographs.
I recommend that you check out the following articles if you want to make the most of your next panoramic landscape photos:
Taking a panoramic photo is not as simple as it seems, it will not be enough to take the camera and take several photos and then mount them on the computer, if you do it like this, you will give birth to one of the worst enemies of panoramic photography: the “error parallax “.
What is it? Pay attention to the following images
In the image above, you will notice that as you take the different photos, if you do not keep the optical center of your camera fixed, important distortions can occur that can affect the continuity, and therefore the final appeal of your panoramic photography. The camera varies its position relative to each shot, changing perspective and generating distortions that you can solve with a tripod and adapter (or a little imagination).
At this point, you have noticed that, unlike the previous image, in this case the camera must rotate around the axis of its optical center, in this way you will not only respect the perspective in each shot, but you will also ensure that the Continuity from photo to photo is guaranteed.
The optical center of your lens, also known as the nodal point, should remain as unaltered as possible and for this you can either create a panoramic ball joint designed to rotate around the optical center or do the following: take the camera as you normally do, take it through from the lens and try to keep the optical center as static as possible. You can also rest the camera in the palm of your hand and use your wrist as a kneecap. Again, imagination is the limit.
The sharpness, stability, and continuity of each photo compared to what follows in the series that will make up the final photograph will maximize your chances of obtaining a luxurious panorama. What’s missing? Let the scene you have chosen to shoot and the way you work on its composition convey the message you want to communicate.
Once you’ve downloaded your photo series to your computer, you’ll be just a few steps away from getting the long-awaited panoramic photography you’ve worked so hard for. All that’s left is to get a program that allows you to join everyone and that’s it. The magic will be done.
In the following image, you can understand how these programs work in general:
Once all the photos have been taken and loaded into the program, it will align them (hence the importance of their continuity) and then cut out the areas that have been optimal to do so, after a few clicks the final photo will be ready.
Don’t you know good programs? Here is a short list of the best and simplest programs that I have been able to try to attach all the photos in one:
Stitching photos on your computer is really easy. All you have to do is download one of the programs I just recommended (especially Ptgui) to put the finishing touches on your panoramic photos.
Some time ago Mario prepared a dozen tips for you to get the most out of your panoramic photos, if you have come this far it is almost essential to read the following article: ’12 tips for an impressive panoramic photography ‘.
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