|
Rules for
Photographing Panoramas
|
| 1)
Set your tripod level |
| 2)
Set your camera level. |
| We
recommend turning the camera to portrait (tall not wide) to
give you a taller field of view. Either way, (portrait
or landscape) it is very important to be accurate. Use
a pole or building corner in the viewfinder to align the
camera vertically. Make sure the tripod shoe and
clamps are secure. Your don't want the camera to
change angles throughout the shoot. Your digital
camera will display portrait shots laying on their side
which is easy for us to correct. |
| 3)
Adjust the camera settings for your main subject. |
| All
pictures should have the same focal length, filters, white
balance, and exposure. The widest angle setting will
produce consistent results. The final, stitched image
can be cropped to effectively "zoom in." Do
not change any settings throughout the shooting process. |
| 4)
Avoid objects in short range. |
| Especially
on interior shots, try to position the camera away from
objects too close. Using auto-focus is suggested, but
it can change your focus on nearby objects. |
| 5)
Shoot sufficient overlap. |
| Use
the calibration marks on your tripod to accurately pan the
camera between shots. The standard 360 panorama is 18
pictures (20 degrees / shot.) If your tripod does not
have calibration marks, just overlap each picture by 50%.
More is better, it makes
adjustments easier. For any difficult situation,
multiple light sources, variable light, objects in the
foreground, windy days, or others you encounter, shoot in 10
degree increments. (36 pictures for a full panorama,
approx. 90% overlap). |
| 6)
Start shooting left of your
main subject and proceed clockwise. |
| Your
standing in the middle of a clock, your main subject is at
12 o'clock, take your first picture at 10 o'clock.
This helps us in processing your panorama and makes it
easier for you to be consistent. |
| 7)
Shield your lens from direct sunlight for each picture.
|
| I
just hold a clipboard up to cast a shadow over the camera
while shooting. As your angle approaches and leaves
the sunlight it will cause a reflection in the lens.
This is difficult to hide in the stitching process. Do
this for every shot in the sequence. |
| 8)
Including moving objects in your panorama.
|
| It's
okay to have a moving car, person, or animal in your
pictures. Let them move out of the view of your next
picture in the series so they don't appear twice. |
| 9)
Time lapse between pictures. |
| The
time between taking each picture is only several seconds but
it creates a unique paradox. This time delay can allow
a movable object to appear in your panorama more than once
or create odd subjects. |
| Example:
Two people playing tennis in your panorama. Player one
is serving in one of your pictures. By the time you
photograph around to player two, they are returning a
volley. Your panorama will have both players hitting
at the same time. |
