Photoscout

• Panoramas Part I: What To Capture

  There are times, as a photographer, that you come across a view that is simply too majestic for you to take in. It might be a placid lake or an expansive view of a naturally made chasm such as the Grand Canyon. Whatever it may be, you just know one thing: you have to capture that scene right then and there. The problem with most scenery is that it is too wide for you to frame. You’d like to capture a part of the horizon that is at your left but the right offers a good view of a particular tree masking the sun. You know that you could take two separate pictures of those subjects but as a photographer, you’d like to give the people who will be seeing your photograph tangible evidence of what you saw. What you need is a panorama.

  A panorama is basically defined as a picture that is composed of different pictures which shows an entire horizontal view of a place. By doing this, one is able to provide a complete view of a single location which in other cases would not be able to fit in a single shot. Panoramas are essentially constructed by taking three or more photographs across a horizontal line.

  The first step in creating a panorama is to decide first on what you would like to show. You could capture places or things in the following criteria:

  Mountain range

  This is one of the most popular things to show. Whether you would like to feature snow-capped mountains or a simple yet evocative barren mountain range, making panoramas of a mountain range is one of the many things that a photographer would like to capture. You will be able to highlight the different peaks in the range which will essentially speak for the photograph itself.

  City skyline

  Definitely one thing that every photographer should get: a shot of the city skyline–or any city for that matter. What’s important is that you are able to get one whether during the day or at night.

  Bodies of water

  Whether it’s small or big bodies, everybody loves to see a panorama of a sea or a quiet lake with the sun just rising behind the horizon. There is something greatly picturesque when looking at the ocean during sunset or at a lake at the crack of dawn.

  Countryside

  Finally, you can choose to take a panorama of a great field. The rolling hills or the great flatlands of the countryside are definitely a great subject for a panorama.

  All in all, panoramas work best if you are out in the open—in the midst of nature and all its glory. Whether it’s including a skyline or the water below it or maybe even a combination of both, panoramas will definitely challenge the photographer in you. More than challenging yourself, capturing panoramas of the aforementioned places will amaze all of the people who will get to see the majestic and beautiful photographs you have.

  Posted in Photography Tips

  This entry was posted on Friday, May 25th, 2007 at 9:46 am and is filed under Photography Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

  May 25th, 2007 /

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