Shooting
steps
1
Choose the right subject This
scene should work well as a
panorama; it has strong interest
across the scene and a natural focal
point – the lighthouse – to give the
eye somewhere to rest. The close
foreground should be avoided as it
could create stitching errors.4
Meter the scene The final
image will have a wider angle of
view than your lens and the light can
vary considerably across the scene.
Take meter readings from all parts
of the scene you intend to include
in the final image, average them out
and then enter the values manually.
2
Set up tripod It’s important
that the camera is level as you
pan across the scene, so make sure
everything is completely level when
you set up your tripod and head.
Most good tripods and heads have
a bubble level to help you. Specialist
levelling bases are also available.5
Set up the camera Attach
the camera to the tripod in
vertical orientation – an L-bracket
can be very useful as the camera
will balance much better. Double-
check that everything is as level as
possible – your camera’s electronic
level or a hotshoe spirit level will
really help here – and fit any
necessary filters.3
Select camera settings
Settings need to stay consistent
across all the frames you want
to stitch together, so set manual
exposure, manual focus and select
a white balance preset rather than
leave it on auto: daylight is probably
the best option and can always be
tweaked during processing.6
Carefully shoot Take the shots,
panning the camera in between
each one; be careful not to jog the
camera, even slightly, so that it’s no
longer level. Allow plenty of overlap
between images – around 20-40 per
cent – so that when stitching, you
use the lens’s ‘sweet spot’ from each
frame, with minimum distortion.13 45 62shootIng skIlls