Nothing Beats The Simplicity of In-Camera Panoramas

 

When you want to take it all in, a panorama is a fun way to recreate a memorable view.

Most panoramas are made by taking multiple photos and painstakingly stitching them together with specialized computer software.

Over the years I’ve put together many such panoramas. Since I’ve made so many, I know the routine by heart. I usually build a panorama from six to ten separate images.

First I set the camera shutter speed and aperture manually so that the lighting remains constant throughout all of the images. Since altering the focus point between shots makes it almost impossible to later stitch the photos together, I also set the focus to manual and choose a focus distance for the most important part of the scene. To make sure that the horizon remains level in all of the exposures, I use a tripod and bubble level. To keep track of the images in a set, I place my hand over the lens and shoot to indicate that the next photo is the start of a panorama. After each exposure, I rotate the tripod head so that the next exposure overlaps the previous one by about 30%.
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One technique for turning an ordinary landscape into a more interesting landscape is to use the ground or ground covering as a way to emphasize distance.

Getting Down (to business)
This beautiful historic building, adorned with bright gold trim sits in the center of Brussels. This photo shows the structure’s intricate detail.	To add a different twist, I placed the camera close to the ground so that the cobblestones become part of an added perspective.

Many of us have a craving for food and drink. Sometimes I like to photograph a memorable dinner. Here’s a simple tip that can help make your food shots shine.

Lighten Up
When photographing food, the texture and details may become obscured when the lighting isn’t perfect. Here the light was coming from the back (backlit) which makes the meat appear quite dark.	Here, I’ve popped up the camera’s flash to bring out the food details. When using the flash to provide fill light, you may want to adjust the camera exposure so that the flash does not overexpose the food.

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