How to shoot panoramic landscapes

If the constraints of conventional photo formats are stifl ing your landscapes, why not go for a panoramic photo-stitch? Guy Edwardes shows you how

Shooting panoramics was once the reserve of a minority of photographers who could afford expensive, specialised film cameras. Fortunately this is no longer the case, as it’s easy to create stunning panoramas using software to stitch together photos taken with pretty much any kind of digital camera.

Although it’s possible to make a panoramic image by cropping a single standard frame to the desired ratio, shooting multiple frames and stitching them together means that you end up with a huge amount of extra detail, which enables you to print the image substantially bigger. Large panoramic prints always look impressive as they stand out from more widely used ratios.

Many subjects are suited to the panoramic format, but landscapes tend to benefit most. The power of panoramic vistas comes from the aspect ratio: the extended width of the photographic frame allows us to capture a field of view similar to that of the human eye. Obtaining professional results can be surprisingly straightforward, provided you follow some basic guidelines during shooting. Constant lighting conditions work best, so it’s important to work quickly if lighting conditions are changeable. Try working early or late in the day in order to make the most of favourable lighting. Use a tripod and be meticulous in its setup – time spent at this stage will make aligning the images much easier later on.

Use a lens with a focal length greater than 35mm to avoid wide-angle distortion, and consider shooting in portrait format to help minimise lens distortions, as well as maximise the file size of the final image.

The subject itself should provide sufficient interest throughout the width of the panorama and large areas of deep shadow should be excluded. Finally, avoid scenes that include moving elements, such fl owing water, as this can make stitching difficult or impossible.

What equipment do I need to make a high-quality composite panoramic?

While it’s possible to shoot the necessary images handheld, you’ll get a far better result with much less work involved at the computer if you use a tripod. Any decent tripod will do, but one that has a spirit level built in will make initial set up easier. Your tripod head will need to operate smoothly to allow for precise levelling – both ball and socket and pan-and-tilt heads are easy to set up.

If you shoot a lot of panoramic images you might find it worth investing in a geared head, such as the Manfrotto 410 (www.manfrotto.com). An additional spirit level, such as the Hama Double-Bubble (www.hama.co.uk) that slots into the hotshoe of your camera can also be used to level the tripod if it doesn’t feature a built-in one.

There are specialised tripod heads available that let you shoot panoramas while eliminating or minimising lens distortions – they ensure that the lens is positioned in the optimum position for the images to align correctly. These can be useful if you intend to shoot a scene with a wide-angle lens that includes foreground detail. However, be warned: these heads are expensive, heavy and cumbersome.

Finally, consider getting a remote release – they let you fire the shutter without the risk of moving the camera.