Photophys.com: The Science of Photography

     Whenever a complicated procedure is involved, it is wise to make and to use a checklist. I rediscovered this truism the hard way. I realized that all-angle (spherical) panoramas require the use of a spherical tripod head and benefit from high-dynamic range image capture techniques. Accordingly, I equipped myself with a Nodal Ninja 3 MKII panohead and prepared to take spherical panoramas with my Canon Rebel XTi.

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     Of course, one needs a plan. The lens determines the field of view, and the images must have some area of overlap to permit a single panorama to be stitched together. So with a little help from online suggestions I decided to use a 10mm fisheye lens to make an eight shot panorama by first combining 24 shots (3 at a time) to make an HDR set. This works if one has the right software. At the time I was using Photomatix for the HDR part and Autopano Pro for the stitching. It is also possible to do tone mapping and stitching in one program. The possibilities are displayed at www.hdrlabs.com under tools. I can attest that this procedure works, and the results are amazing when viewed with appropriate software such as the Photoshop Extended CS4 or higher. However, there were many disapointments along the way.

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     Here are some reasons that my panoramas failed: (1) The carefully adjusted camera angles slipped during the shoot and I didn’t notice, (2) I forgot to cover the camera viewfinder during the shoot, (3) I forgot to set manual focus, (4) I forgot to set manual white balance, and on and on. I finally realized that I could minimize my loses by making and forcing myself to use a checklist. Airplane pilots use them and surgeons should use them. I have two versions: a short list to carry into the field with the camera and a more complete list to contemplate when I am getting things together for the shoot. The longer one has attached tables of step angles and locations of some no parallax points (NPP) for lenses. All of this can be seen here. Of course, one size will not fit all. Take a look at my lists and then make your own checklist taking into account your camera, lens, and panohead. Maybe your list should mention checking the ISO setting. The important thing is to look at the checklist when you are setting up for a shoot and when you think you have finished. If the adjustments have slipped, it is much easier to retake the sequence immediately than to drive (or fly) back to do it again.