Panoramic Photo: I've never been to Egypt but I feel like I have now!

Panoramic Photography Tips: 8 Ways to Capture Panoramas with Your Digital SLR

What’s the best way to share a travel experience? Panoramic photography! There is no better way of recreating a place or a scene than shooting panoramas. That is why there are hundreds and hundreds of photographers who use their digital SLRs to specialize in Panoramic Photography. If you want to try Panoramic Photography, read on…

9 Panorama Techniques for Beginners

1. Tripod is your bestfriend

Use it to create a sharp professional-looking panoramic photo.2

2. White Balance = Cloudy mode

Adjust your camera’s white balance to Cloudy. Make sure your white balance setting isn’t set to Auto as exposure may change between segments.

3. Vertical is better than Horizontal

Shooting a panorama on vertical orientation may mean having to take more shots (don’t be lazy now) but the result will be less edge distortion and ultimately a better looking panoramic photo.

4. Perfect exposure

Press the shutter button halfway down so you set the exposure. Then look at your viewfinder and remember the f-stop and shutter speed. Now switch your digital SLR to manual mode and dial that f-stop and shutter speed. Manual mode means you can give consistency to your exposure rather than the camera making it’s own Auto settings for you.

5. Focus, focus, focus

Once you focus on the first segment, turn off auto focus for your lens. That way, your camera doesn’t refocus as you shoot the different segment.

6. Mark before the first and  after last shot

Before you shoot the first segment take a shot of your hands in front of the lens – this way you know when your pano starts. Repeat the same process after your last panoramic photo.

7. Overlapping

Each segment should be overlapped by 20-25%. This means 1/4^th of your first shot appear in the second shot. Adobe photoshop requires at least 20% overlapping of photos so the software’s stitching can match it up.

8. Quick shoot!

Shoot in haste my friend, as clouds, the sun and other natural elements in your photo will not wait for you.

9. Shutter release please

Use a shutter release or if there’s none a self timer so the camera has the least movement. If a segment is blurry then your panoramic photograph is a failure.

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