Final Panorama

Here is my final panorama (both before and after I have adjusted the sky.) I am really pleased with how it turned out. I think it captured the sense of atmosphere I was trying to get with its bold colours, dramatic skyline and intense pattern of lights.

My camera settings for this picture were: 1/13 sec; f/13; ISO 400

Day To Night Attempt

Following my original idea I wanted to create a panorama going from day to night. Unfortunately once I got back it on the computer it became clear that it was going to be very difficult to stitch and wasn't going to look as good as I hoped. Firstly, not using a tri/monopod meant that I wans't able to keep the camera in the same location so the angles don't aline. The only way I could get it to join was using the warp tool but that also disfigured the rest of the photo. And secondly I didn't take as many photos of the transition between day and night as I should have done so the fade isn't subtle.

Below is my rough stitch I did by hand.

Panoramas

Before making my final panorama I experimented with a few different styles and locations to generate ideas.

I think this scarf picture would have worked really well as a full panorama with its vibrant colour. It would have also had an eye catching pattern. However as you can see when it came to stitching it didn't work because the scarves were being moved.

This panorama uses a slight dutch tilt. The grey hue and impending cloud looks really dramatic but I would have liked to of included more of the crowd.

I created this panorama by adjusting the clarity whilst in camera raw. Originally I really liked it and was going to submit this as a final piece. However after looking at it over the course of a few days and gaining peer feedback I changed my mind. It does look over edited and looks quite tacky although it does have that dramatic, tense feel I wanted.

Polarising Effect

I'd seen some edited photos I liked that looked like mini planets. I thought that it would be a good challenge to attempt as well as hopefully improving my skills on Photoshop.

To create the effect I needed a photograph that would wrap around and join up. This is the closest one I had (a holiday snap from America.)

All I simply had to do then was flip the image upside down and use the Photoshop polarise effect. This pulls the image into the centre and creates this planet like effect.

This is the final outcome. It took a few re-attempts to line up. I had to completely delete the sky and create my own using a gradient because it wouldn't stitch. 

David Hockney Inspired Pictures

I was looking back through my blog at the photographers I'd looked at for inspiration. I looked at David Hockney's My Mother, Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire again and it gave me a few ideas to practise with.

Here is my first panorama I tried out. 

As you can see it is one I have stitched by hand which is why it's quite rough and the colour's don't mix particularly well. However it was time well spent I thought because it gave me a chance to experiment and better understand panoramas.

Here is my second one - a circular panorama

I was quite impressed with how this turned out. Fortunately it didn't require any stitching from me either. Using the Photoshop photomerge tool it joined it all together for me. It did make me feel confident though that I was overlapping a good amount.

Chandeliers

These two pictures were from my trip to the Guild Hall I spoke about in the last post. These were two of my favourites. I had to take them hand-held because I had no tripod and nothing to rest on them so it was important I got the aperture and shutter speed balance right.

I think they came out quite good considering they were hand-held. I did take some brighter ones but I prefered these darker ones. I think there more in keeping with the victorian-esque style of the building.

Development Photos

Over the past few weeks I've been practising using different camera techniques hopefully so that I can implement some of them into my final panorama.

Shallow Depth of Field

To achieve these photos I had my aperture on a low setting. Because it was nice, bright day I was able to keep my shutter speed fast so they are crisp focus.

Shutter Speed

In these two pictures above I had to use a quick shutter speed to capture the birds in flight without them blurring. I really like the second one with the reflection as well as the elderly couple that bring a story to the picture.

This series of three pictures were taken at the Guild Hall in Worcester. I took a picture of one of the chandeliers and it came out blurred because I left the shutter open for too long accidentally. I then remembered what we'd done in class and thought it would be a great opportunity to try this technique out.

I have recently added this picture to the list. Its Steven Gerrard taking a corner kick at the Liverpool Vs Reading game I recently went too. I was quite pleased with the final result because I didn't have long to get the camera set up. Its a little bit too blurred though and out of focus. It would have looked better if I'd had a tripod and quickened the shutter speed slightly so it isn't so blurred.