Black and white vertical panoramic

[Enda Cavanagh]

Hi everyone

This photo is of the Owenmore river, located along the drive through the mountains from Leenane to Westport in County Mayo in the west of Ireland. What grabbed my attention was the pattern of the white water as it rolled over the rocks in the foreground. I love looking at white water. I find it quite hypnotic. I love to picture in my mind how it will look over a long exposure. I also loved the way the river weaved from left to right as it made it's way diagonally across the scene, and how the Partry mountains lay in shadow in the distance. The light was extremely challenging to say the least as I was pretty much looking directly into the sun. I placed the sun just out of shot and used the case of my ND filter to shield the lens from flare and halos.

Apologies in advance for the watermark.  

Many thanks
Enda

[fike]

That is very nice. I have also been experimenting with panoramas with extreme vertical FOV.  Here is an example.  http://www.trailpixie.net/general/ice_tree_mornin.htm

As you can see, on the top edge (in yours it is the bottom) the distortion really creeps in.  In your case, if you are interested, you may be able to reduce that effect be selecting the bottom quarter of the image and using the resize tool to compress the area but only in the vertical axis. 

As for all those ND filters and handling the lighting:  You did a great job working with the ND filters to avoid any blown highlights or lens flare.  Another strategy is to actually put the camera in program mode (normally a big mistake for panoramas) and then shoot each image at a different exposure, but with substantial overlap.  In post processing, you can blend the exposures so that they are imperceptible.  I used this graduated ND panoramic technique on this image: http://www.trailpixie.net/general/sneakoshot_alon.htm

Also, nice B&W conversion.  Lots of detail and pleasant contrast.

[Enda Cavanagh]

Hi Fike
Thanks for your feedback.
I use a Hasselblad H3D back on a Cambo wide DS so there is no program mode Just manual. Jayney. I don't think I've used a program mode in about 25 years . The distortion you see hasn't actually got anything to do with the stitch. The camera is not rotated as you you go from one image capture to the other. You move the lens left or right, up or down. (or a combination of all) The images are practically seamless as you lay one on another so you don't have the image curvature  like on the image you linked to on your website once stitching is made. CS5 makes perfect stitch 99% of the time even when you have patterns cross over between the images. Here is an  article about the Cambo wide DS on LL that will help you.

Here also is a link to an image on my website, which is probably my best example of zero distortion along the length of the image. (Have a look at the top of the sign located along the edge of the image) Click "view larger image" to see it in a larger size. Mind you that was taken with the 28mm Schneider which is rapidly replacing my wife as my favorite thing in the world. (Although my wife isn't a thing ) 

In this BW image the camera is located on a bridge looking more or less straight. As you go to the edge of the image circle when shooting with greater lens movements the subject matter (in this case the rocks at the bottom) may look a bit stretched.  Although with the 35mm lens (24mm in 35mm format) it isn't very extreme.

Enda

[Jeremy Roussak]

I like it a lot; I've tried vertical stiches and found them jolly difficult to pull off.

The only caveat is that the flat water towards the bottom looks peculiar. It is bracketed by lovely blurred flowing water and yet it itself looks sharp and still.

If that's the way it was, so be it.

Jeremy

(I'm glad you apologised for the watermark!)

[Enda Cavanagh]

Hi Jeremy
Thanks so much. Ya the water has that strange appearance because the exposure was quite long and the directional light was so strong. It's not actually HDR artifacts believe it or not. In fact that area was just done with regular layer masks
Many thanks
Enda

[fike]

Hi Fike
Thanks for your feedback.
I use a Hasselblad H3D back on a Cambo wide DS so there is no program mode Just manual. Jayney. I don't think I've used a program mode in about 25 years . The distortion you see hasn't actually got anything to do with the stitch. The camera is not rotated as you you go from one image capture to the other. You move the lens left or right, up or down. (or a combination of all) The images are practically seamless as you lay one on another so you don't have the image curvature  like on the image you linked to on your website once stitching is made. CS5 makes perfect stitch 99% of the time even when you have patterns cross over between the images. Here is an  article about the Cambo wide DS on LL that will help you.

Here also is a link to an image on my website, which is probably my best example of zero distortion along the length of the image. (Have a look at the top of the sign located along the edge of the image) Click "view larger image" to see it in a larger size. Mind you that was taken with the 28mm Schneider which is rapidly replacing my wife as my favorite thing in the world. (Although my wife isn't a thing ) 

In this BW image the camera is located on a bridge looking more or less straight. As you go to the edge of the image circle when shooting with greater lens movements the subject matter (in this case the rocks at the bottom) may look a bit stretched.  Although with the 35mm lens (24mm in 35mm format) it isn't very extreme.

Enda

Nice technique and great results.

Ah, so you are flat stitching with a shifting lens. Cool!  As you mention, you still get distortion on those when you are at the extremes of the shift, and I think that is what I am seeing at the bottom where the rocks and water look a bit stretched.  Irrespective of whether you are flat stitching or using traditional rotational panoramas, you still are trying to flatten a wide field of view that is probably over 120 degrees (that is a wild guess) so when it is flattened onto a screen (sensor), distortion is inevitable.

No program mode either...how very retro of you.  Its nice to see people still moving slowly enough to use this kind of equipment. I am a bit too impatient for that.  Even with manual you can shoot the vertical panoramic with multiple exposure settings, though your post processing workflow wouldn't be as elegantly simple as it is with your edge-to-edge flat stitches. 

[Enda Cavanagh]

Hi Fike
Ya I actually said that in my response about the stretching alright.
There are actual multiple exposures - 2 sets of five (5 up and 5 down) each with a 2 stop difference. Two things my workflow is not is simple nor elegant 

[JohnBrew]

Looks over-processed to me, but it could be my monitor and the fact that it's a jpeg. Here's one of mine (in color)...Texas Hill Country in October.

[jalcocer]

I really like it, not very good with panoramas or even tried a vertical one, but it's really good.