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Chapter 12 Outdoor Photography
Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
will give the photo increased depth and visual
interest, Figure 12-2B. With a small aperture and
careful focusing, the wide angle lens allows you
to have both the foreground object and the distant
subject in acceptable focus.
Another possibility is to use a longer focal
length to bring the distant subject closer, and
then shoot several overlapping horizontal shots
to form a panoramic view. This can be done with
film, but is far simpler with digital images that
can be merged in the computer.
Panoramic Views
A panorama is an extremely wide view of a
scene, typically a landscape. The term, derived from
ancient Greek roots, means to see all. Panoramic
prints have been made from film for over 100 years.
Film Technique
The simplest way to create a panoramic view
with a film camera is to shoot the desired scene with
a wide-angle lens, then crop the resulting print to a
long, narrow form, Figure 12-3. If the original is shot
on 35 mm film, however, the size of the resulting
print will be limited. For very large prints, a medium
format or large format negative will give better results.
An old technique used to create negatives in
panoramic form employed a rotating lens and a
slit-type shutter to “paint” the exposure across
a long strip of film. Special cameras using this
method are still available, Figure 12-4.
Digital Technique
Digital panoramas are created from
individual files merged together in sequence
to create the finished image. See Figure 12-5.
A
Jack Klasey/Goodheart-Willcox Publisher
Figure 12-2. Foreground improvement. A—The wide angle lens used to record this scene emphasized the uninteresting
foreground, instead of the colorful rock formations. B—Including a sharply focused, visually interesting object in the
foreground improves the photo by giving it a greater sense of depth.
B
Jack Klasey/Goodheart-Willcox Publisher
Figure 12-3. Cropping to panoramic form.
Charles A. Hulcher Co., Inc.
Figure 12-4. A modern panoramic film camera.