Kauai Pano's

d-bledsoe · Jul 16, 2007

Hello everyone,
this is my first posting here and im am very excited. I wanted to share a few panos i took while on vacation in Kauai last month. This set of panos are my very first ever, and doing these have taught me a lot about the art of panoramic photography.

I am very open to feed back so if you have something you'd like to say feel free.

Thanks
-Derek Bledsoe
-flyboyAP.com

snaremop · Jul 16, 2007

Welcome to the forum!

These are pretty good, but I think you should work on your subject matter more. Panoramas are good because because they are large photographs and therefore can make a dramatic subject even more dramatic because the viewer can see more of it.

Obviously in number 4 your subject was the lighthouse. But couldn't the same subject have been conveyed with a normal sized photograph? I think using panorama would have been more appropriate if you were going to photograph the ocean that the lighthouse looks over.

In number five, half of the photo is dark uninteresting beach, which I presume you included to contrast with the bright sunset that silhouettes that woman. However, if half of the photo is simply "filler", I think you should consider not using panorama, because the same effect can be acquired with a normal size photograph.

Good photographs nonetheless, but I encourage you to think about whether panorama is going to help or hinder your photograph.

d-bledsoe · Jul 16, 2007

Thanks for your honest feedback, and I agree with what you are saying.

-Derek

Big Mike · Jul 16, 2007

I disagree somewhat with the first comment. I like panos and I like seeing pano shots of things that most others would take regular shots of.

I think that, for the most part, there is a good reason for using this type of shot. The first shot, for example, is framed by two logs and encompasses the whole beach and an interesting sky. The second one is similarly framed by palm trees.

The lighthouse shot is interesting/different because it's a vertical subject in a pano composition. The sky is interesting enough to carry the extra space and the curve of the sidewalk adds a nice element.

Then there is the medium of pano images themselves...Marshall McLuhan coined the phrase "The Medium is the Message". In this case, one could argue that well done pano images are different enough to be interesting, even if the viewer finds the subject matter unworthy.

d-bledsoe · Jul 16, 2007

Thanks for your comments, This was defiantly a fun learning experience in not only what it takes to stitch the images together but what makes an interesting pano. Some of my shots that i thought were going to just be awesome turned out to be a real disappointment and visa versa.

I do have a question about reducing the bend that you get in some of the photos using a wide angle lens.
The photo below i particularly like except for the bending of the horizon towards the left side of the image. Does anyone have any simple easy tips for reducing that in PS, or am i just better off using the clone stamp tool to level out the horizon?

Thanks
-Derek

Big Mike · Jul 16, 2007

I'm not all that experienced with stitching panos...but It would probably be best if you straightened the horizon of each shot before you stitched them...if that would work.

Also, I heard a good tip once. Turn the camera 90 degrees and shoot in portrait orientation. You may have to take more shots to cover the area you want to shoot...but them most of the distortion will be at the top & bottom edges, rather than when the images join.

Jcoffee · Jul 16, 2007

nice work. Is it just me or did you cut the women on the left in the second pics leg off?

lockwood81 · Jul 16, 2007

Yes, you should shoot portrait for pano, you just have to take more pictures. A wide angle lens, gives the distortion you see in that last one.

notelliot · Jul 16, 2007

you could shoot normally with a longer focal length, if your subject can tolerate it.

KaleyEs · Jul 17, 2007

i think these are gorgeous. the composition is amazing.

d-bledsoe · Jul 17, 2007

Wow thanks everyone for your kind comments. I have a lot to think about now on how to proceed with the next set of pano's. It wasn't until after i started processing the photos did it accure to me to shoot portait. From now on i will do just that.

Thanks
-Derek