Since the dawn of the photographic age, in the early eighteen hundreds, artists and photographers have pushed the limits of this incredible invention. Over the years, constant innovations and advancements in photographic technology have turned novice picture takers into real camera hounds. One aspect of photography that has fascinated professionals and amateurs alike is the panoramic image.
In the early days of photography, capturing a photographic image was a laborious task. Unlike the almost instantaneous results available through modern digital technology, the process of permanently fixing an image to a photographic plate could take hours.
Panoramic images are not formally defined but generally extend beyond what is considered a wide angle shot. Wide angle photo images are taken in a single camera shot using a lens that shortens the focal length of a standard lens and increases the view angle. Panoramic images feature an extremely wide view angle and can produce very unique still images of landscapes, structures and other subject matter.
A super wide angle lens produces a fish eye view that contains a great deal of optical and dimensional distortion. So it is accurate to think of panoramas as super wide angle images that can have far less visual distortion. The lack of distortion gives the viewer the impression of the subject as it might be seen through eyes of the viewer. Some panoramic images are will retain some degree of visual distortion and this may be the result of purposeful decision on the part of the photographer.
Even in the early days of photography, successful attempts were made to create stunning three hundred and sixty degree panoramas. The creation of these images was truly a technological innovation for the time and demand to possess and collect these images began to grow.
By pushing the limits of equipment, lighting, film quality and processing, photographers have discovered new and exciting ways to create photographic images. The advent of digital photography has raised picture taking to an entirely new level. Digital technology has made the creation of panoramic images much easier. Even the invention of the airplane provided photographers with opportunities to give us images that were impossible to capture before the invention of powered flight.
Many panoramas are actually a compilation of two or more photographic images. The multiple images are combined using a process that some refer to as stitching. The entire process of creating panoramas has been made easier with the development of specialized computer software. Many smaller images can be stitched together with a high degree of accuracy. These powerful software tools also allow the panoramic artist to enhance the image in many different ways.
Colors can be balanced and flaws in the image corrected in a matter of minutes. Prior to the introduction of digital technology, retouching the image could be very time consuming. In the days of film photography, the image would need to be spray painted, or airbrushed, using very fine, handheld spray nozzles. The touchup artist needed a keen eye for detail and a very steady hand.
The demand for panoramic images has increased steadily over the years. Digital photo technology has greatly increased the availability of panoramas and the variety of images and subject matter has increased as well. Cityscapes have always been very popular with buyers. Demand has also grown sports and entertainment images like sports stadiums, golf courses and racetracks.
Panoramas can be used to express a number of themes from the starkly realistic to the highly artistic. For the most part, panoramas express visions of reality in ways that are not possible through viewing an ordinary photograph. The grandeur of the Grand Canyon or the power of Niagara Falls, as seen through a panoramic image would surely be understated when viewed as mere snapshot.
Mitch Endick is a short article writer for the popular framed panorama site: http://www.framedpanoramas.com. He provides informative advice on purchasing quality framed panoramas and photoramics.
Filed under Articles by on Apr 30th, 2010. Comment. 
There are many things that you can learn by going to workshops. Traditionally, workshops are time when you can work with an instructor and with other people who want to learn to do things in the same way that you do. You can all work together on the task at hand, and most of the time you can critique each others work as well as do work as a group. Going to panoramic digital photography workshops can be a great way to discuss your various panoramic photos, and to talk to others about the skills that you need to create them in even greater depth.
What You Can Do
There are many things that you can do at panoramic digital photography workshops. First of all, in the group of people there is going to be an instructor, someone who is probably very good at digital panoramic shots, who can give you tips about how to make your digitals even better, and what you can do to improve your technique.
There will also be many people in the panoramic digital photography workshops with you that can give you pointers and help you to get even better at your photography. There is a great thing that happens in most of the panoramic digital photography workshops, which is discussion of the work of others. You can bring in some of your panoramic shots, and the group can talk about the things that you did well, and the things that you should work on so that you can get even better at doing panoramic shots.
Where Can You Find Them
If you are interested in panoramic digital photography workshops you can usually find some adds for them in your local papers or in magazines that deal with arts and crafts like photography. If there is a college near you, you can look to see what kind of photography classes they are offering and see what it would take to do some panoramic digital photography workshops.
If you can find the right panoramic digital photography workshops for you to join with the right group of people, you can find that your skill as a photographer is going to get better and better because you’ll be able to take pictures that have real meaning and that really get the beauty of the panoramic shots across to the people who are looking at your photos. There is simply no end to the benefits of panoramic digital photography workshops.
Roland Parris Jefferson III is an online researcher based out of Los Angeles, California. Need more details and expert advice on Digital Photography? Then please visit our Panoramic Digital Photography Workshops Resource.
Filed under Articles by on Apr 29th, 2010. Comment.
The majority of photographic shots let us see no more than a slice of the general picture. However, panoramic photography allows us to control a more broad-spectrum sight. The effect becomes possible owing to a technique of spinning around in a 360-degree loop while taking shots from only one position in space out to the adjacent setting. Nowadays, it is possible to execute panoramic photography just by buying the right camera and by setting it to do it.
On the other hand, if one does not want to pay a fortune on such a camera, it is possible for them to execute panoramic photography by capturing several images that surround a centre of rotary motion with almost any digital camera. Owing to software development, one can then sew the images up together and, thus, obtain the panoramic representation.
For fewer images to sew up together, the easiest way of completing the entire process is by mounting the camera on the level â?? i.e. horizontally â?? in landscape mode. One will be able to cover the scene shot with a smaller number of images in this manner. On the other hand, when it comes to capturing scenes in panoramic photography, which also include vertical parts, the mode used is portrait and the mounting of the camera takes place perpendicularly â?? i.e. vertically.
Irrespective of the methods used for the orientation of the camera and for the images brought together to build the scene up, panoramas have a very useful application in the form of the panoramic tour. Such a virtual tour can make things a lot easier for businesses, each time that they try to reach new customers. Whether we are talking about products, services, events or real estate deals, a panoramic tour can offer the potential customer a comprehensive view of what interests him or her.
One can place a panoramic photo over the Internet in a manner much related to that of uploading any other type of photo. However, we will make sure that we have uploaded your panoramic photo in such a manner that all plug-ins should be able to pan and zoom it. This will provide the interactive look to your panoramic tour.
Generally, the feature used to enable this interactive level of the panoramic tour is a QTVR. This configuration is a QuickTime VR configuration, i.e. the format in which one has to save the panoramic photo in order to make it available virtually. QTVR then must be supported by the plug-in with which tries to access the virtual tour. Generally, the installation of QTVR is supported by any plug-in or browser, so it should not be a problem.
QuickTime VR then makes it possible for the one who is taking the panoramic tour to rotate in the setting, and even to look up or down, depending on the movement that he or she wants to make in this panoramic environment. Does it sound too complicated to complete successfully? It is not at all like that, as one does not need meticulous IT skills to upload an image that will then become a panorama. Enjoy the experience of having your current and potential customers dive into such levels of interactivity with your offer. You will see its effects soon after they have come out of the panorama.
With panoramic photography, one can get the picture at a more comprehensive scale. By rotating in your panoramic tour, customers will feel closer to the objects displayed and, thus, more motivated to act as you want them to act â?? i.e. in the direction of closing the transaction with you.
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Filed under Articles by on Apr 22nd, 2010. Comment.
Panoramic tours are the new wonders of photography. The result may be one breath taking photo, but it takes more than that to make it. Panoramic photography is all about patience and choosing the right angle for more than one photo. But it sure pays off, for photographers and other people that use it alike. Panoramic tours look great, especially on realtors’ web sites or on photographers’ ones. Inexperienced photographers wish to be able to do that, while the rest of us wonder how they are made.
Truth be told, panoramic photography does not take that much. In the most basic terms, you only need a camera loaded with film, or a digital camera, a tripod that you can use to swivel 360degree (rotation) and to somehow stitch it. However, if you are looking for a more advanced explanation, you need to know the nodal point of your lens (the hole of which the light enters the lens and reflected upside down to your camera) and mount the center of the nodal point using special built camera mount. As well as that you should know there are some cameras that can capture a180degree or perhaps more angle in 1 single shutter click.
But how does panoramic photography work and what are the camera and film requirements? The things you have to do in order to make a panoramic tour are:
• First you need to put the camera on a tripod. This way you make sure it is steady and at the same height throughout the process. Next, you manually set the exposure; you have to average it out for the whole panorama but keep it fixed as you pan. If you are using a zoom lens, select a focal length with the least distortion (usually mid-way).
• Then, take a shot. Rotate the camera a few degrees, and repeat the process until you are all the way around. You have to leave a good margin of overlap on all your shots so you have wiggle room when you stitch them together with software.
But there used to be an easier way of making a panoramic tour – there used to be a 35mm camera that took panoramic 360 photos. It was attached to a tripod, had a slit lens and turned 360 degrees while advancing the film to give a panoramic picture. Although it has not been made lately used ones are still around. You could try and find it by using an Internet search. Another easier option is to use a digital camera in video mode; however, if you chose to do so it would have to be hand held.
There are several ways of stitching the photographs, most of them involving specialized software like adobe photoshop or picasa. These are just a couple out of dozens of programs that do the stitching in panoramic photography. Some of these soft wares can be downloaded for free; others come with your digital camera while others cost a lot of money. The software that a photographer chooses to use mainly depends on the budget and on how good a job he is supposed to do.
Panoramic photography poses one question: how can you print such photos? Some panoramic tour photos are about 60×20 cm, others more like 60×15. None of the standard shops usually does these types of formats. In such cases, photographers and realtors alike opt for specialized sites that print big or unusual sized photos. However, if you are looking for a commercial quality photo (rather than professional), try contacting your local photo processor lab, and if they do not do it, they will definitely know a local source to use.
Due to the latest developments panoramic photography has become of art; more and more people seem to be using panoramic tours, whether for business or personal use.
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Filed under Articles by on Apr 22nd, 2010. Comment.
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