how to shoot and stitch panoramic images

I love shooting with my wide-angle lenses.

I've got a 10-24mm which I use on my Fujifilm X-T3 and a sublimely beautiful 23mm for my GFX system.  Both yield terrific results, but there are times when they do not go wide enough and stepping back further isn't an option either in terms of having nowhere to go or simply ending up with a poor image.

At these times, it's handy to know how to produce multi shot panoramic images.

I'm sure you can remember back in the "old days" taking multiple images of a scene and then placing the printed images side by side and trying in vain to line them up perfectly.  Luckily things are much simpler with digital cameras and software (even easier with a phone!!) but there are still some steps you need to take to get the best possible results.

If you've already got a specialist panoramic head for your tripod, then you probably won't need to read on as you'll be proficient in producing pano's already so this isn't really aimed at you.  If you haven't (and you don't need one to shoot successful pano's) and have always wondered how to achieve great looking panoramic images, then read on!  

It all starts with setting up your shots properly, and following these steps should help:

- use a firmly positioned tripod

- make sure the tripod is perfectly level using a bubble level (most tripods have one built in)

- place your camera on your tripod in portrait orientation

- make sure that your camera is then also perfectly level on the tripod head both horizontally and vertically (most cameras have a built-in level to help achieve this)

- lens wise, I like to use a focal length of around 50mm but this is a personal choice

- put your camera into manual mode for exposure and manual mode for focus
- set your aperture to around f8 to f11, ISO to your camera's lowest native value and set the shutter speed by your camera's meter

- pan across the full scene and use your camera's histogram to make sure there are no points where you're blowing out the scene's highlights or totally crushing any shadows and adjust exposure if necessary

- focus to infinity

- take your first shot (I like to go from left to right but it really doesn't matter) and check that it's exposed and focussed correctly

- move your camera to the right (or left) making sure to overlap the first and subsequent  images by at least a third to a half of the frame (if in doubt shoot more images than you think you'll need)
- take your next shot without changing any of your camera's settings  

- repeat the process until you've covered the whole scene you want to capture

- if you're shooting your panorama in the middle of taking other shots, it helps to identify the images later by placing your hand in front of your lens and taking a photo of it before and after the first and last images respectively
- don't take too long between shots in case the light changes dramatically in your scene, and do not alter exposure or focus settings in any way.

You should now have a number of images that you can stitch together later.

When it comes to software there are any number of programs available, some general and some dedicated to making panoramas.  I use Adobe Lightroom to make mine and the process really couldn't be simpler:

- import your images into Lightroom (not the ones with your hand in though)

- select them all

- right click on your mouse and choose merge images and then panorama

- Lightroom will then go about producing a preview

- if you're happy with it, click on"Spherical" and "Merge", and Lightroom will produce a stitched image.

Now, if you've taken the trouble to level both your tripod and camera you'll have an image that looks natural with no "steps" or obvious joins.  You will, however, need to crop the image as no matter how careful you've been it will not be 100% perfect.  Lightroom leaves blank portions where it's stitched your images and this needs to be cropped out.

You can then edit or process your image to taste.

The image above is a composite of eleven separate images shot at Bracelet Bay in Mumbles.  There is no way to capture this scene with a normal wide-angle lens.

As usual with digital photography, don't be afraid of making mistakes when shooting.  Just shoot as many images as you want, to make sure you get things right.  It doesn't cost any more to fill up your memory card after all.

Go on, give it a go!

PS, you can watch a video about this on my Youtube channel if you like at:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeurW6sjuk5zADGhQr-GMOQ?view_as=subscriber