panoramic photographs
Unlike traditional photography the panoramic image-maker must pre-visualize how the stitched picture will appear
when considering where to position the camera
- Pivot around lens
Though not essential for shooting the odd
sequence of images, most panoramic
professionals insist on using a tripod
coupled with a special panoramic head
to capture their pictures. The tripod
provides a stable and level base for the
camera; the panoramic head positions
the camera and lens precisely over the
pivot point of the tripod and also contains
regular click stops to indicate points in the
spin to capture a photograph. Each stop
is designed to provide optimum coverage
for each frame, taking into account the
required edge overlap.
This set up increases the effectiveness
of your stitching software’s ability to
accurately blend the edges of your images.
Companies like Kaidan (www.kaidan.
com) and Manfrotto (www.manfrotto.com)
manufacture VR equipment specifi cally
for particular cameras and lenses. You
can purchase a tripod head designed for
your camera or choose a head that can
be adjusted to suit any camera.
Specialized panoramic or VR (virtual reality) tripod heads
are perfect for ensuring that the lens’ nodal point is over the
pivot point of the tripod. This precision pays dividends at
stitching time as panoramic software such as Photoshop’s
Photomerge will produce much better results when the
edges of sequential images can be exactly matched.
(a) Adjustable Manfrotto VR head suitable for a range of
cameras.
(b) Camera-specifi c Kaidan head suitable for a single
camera body only