HDR photographs (3)

Continued from HDR photographs (2)

I have started messing around more and more with panorama pictures. This time rather than combining the images as you would in creating an HDR image one on top of the other. The panorama is made from overlapping the edges of images to create a sweeping image.

This time you take any number of pictures. But you need to ensure that you don't leave any blank gaps in between the individual images.   When I take a series of photographs I tend to sweep from my left to my right. I look for an object on the right hand side and place that towards the centre of the next image.

You also need to turn off any automatic exposure settings, so that the images are all taken using the same exposure settings. Here is one where the two images are slightly different and the joint can be seen.

Panorama images may might appear to be difficult to create. requiring some wizardry with a photographic editor.  But, it's more a question of choosing the right software application rather than being artistically gifted. I use Microsoft ICE (Image Composite Editor) for creating panoramas because it is so simple and easy to use. 

Microsoft Image Composite Editor is an advanced panoramic image stitcher. Given a set of overlapping photographs of a scene shot from a single camera location, the application creates a high-resolution panorama that seamlessly combines the original images.

So you might well be thinking what has creating panoramas to do with HDR photography. Well, I have been experimenting with photographing the same panorama scene at different exposures. then using HDR to combine the two panoramas. I have managed this with up to six images but it requires some manual tinkering.

It has taken a great deal of experimentation to get the technique right. However, sometimes getting the wrong result can make for unusual images. Which all goes to prove the point there is no such thing as a bad photograph.

Continued in HDR Photographs (4)