December 10

Learn to Create 360-Degree Panoramas Like a Pro

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panorama image at sunset

360-degree panoramic style still photography

Panoramic shots are incredible for gorgeous landscapes like this sunset, but there are many practical uses too, such as virtual tours in real estate.

Panoramas better mimic a human’s perspective, so can really stand out compared to photos using more standard aspect ratios.

How do you take quality panoramic photographs?

First, you do need some specific equipment for this type of photography, but it doesn’t have to be terribly fancy for good results.  Not every still camera s capable of taking the panoramic view.

As with all forms of photography, it’s not just the gear a photographer uses that matters, but also the talents, technique, systems, and personal creativity. The right combination truly creates art with images that stand out from the crowd. This takes practice, of course.

Camera Equipment

You don’t necessarily need the world’s fanciest 360 camera, but obviously, different cameras give different results.   DSLR cameras are often recommended and the preferred choice of many professional photographers.

Although they are great for almost any type of shooting, including panoramas, for a 360 degree view you can use any digital camera you have, as long as it operates in full Manual Mode and has the ability to lock exposure.  Without those two capabilities, you can’t the wide view properly

Additional gear you need:

  • Tripod for better results
  • Cable release for shake-free photos

Pre-Shooting Settings

When it comes to adjusting the camera settings for panoramic images, these are the recommended modes to apply:

  • Manual mode for locking the exposure
  • Manual focus lens
  • Camera base ISO (100-200)
  • Aperture set at f/8 or f/10 and higher (depending on the subject’s closeness)
  • For metering, take a few photos to find the middle between brightest and darkest areas
  • Adjust the shutter speed according to the metering
  • Use wide and wide-angle lenses
  • Shoot in RAW format
  • Set the white balance to “Auto” when shooting in RAW

photography landscape mountain top

Panorama Photographic Shooting Techniques!

Finally, we are getting to the good part!  Here are the most common techniques to help enhance the beauty of your panorama.

Follow these steps:

  • Locate the site you want to capture.
  • Avoid shooting panoramas with objects on the ground such as trees, bushes, etc.
  • Moving objects are tricky, so watch for the wind and avoid shooting moving water.
  • Check the camera focus and make sure you disable autofocus.
  • Visually mark the starting and end point.
  • Take a few test shots.
  • Shoot from left to the right.
  • Remember to keep the camera close to your head at all times if shooting hand-held.
  • Once the shooting is over, inspect the photos to see if there were any problems with the camera settings.
  • Software Touch ups.

So, you have captured panoramic images, now what?

Now, you correct and assemble the ideal 360-degree view with the power of editing software made for this task.

Photoshop is one of the programs commonly used.  GIMP is a free, excellent open source software tool for photo manipulation available for most operating systems.

 

As with everything, the bottom line is: practice makes perfect!  Give yourself some time to learn and be ok with your first few (maybe) being duds.

Follow these simple instructions and find your unique panoramic perspective.

Experiment around and play with the settings.  Learn to operate in manual mode.  Using manual mode opens up lots of creative possibilities not available when relying on automatic mode for f-stop and focusing.  In fact, I think it is safe to say that the better you get as a photographer, the more you will enjoy manual mode.

After a few trials, you will soon capture the “wow” moment and masterpiece photograph you’ll want to hang on the wall.

I hope these instructions help you.  Have fun!

 


Tags

equipment needed for panoramic pictures, how to do panoramic photography, how to take panoramic photos, panorama pictures, panoramic photography


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