Panoramic Photos
I have long been a fan of panoramic photos.
Back in the 1980s I had a Horizont camera – this was a Russian camera based on a Zenit with a swinging lens that gave about a 150 degree angle of view – I’d have liked a Widelux but for financial reasons had to stick with the Horizont (at the time approx. £150 v £1000).
Fasy forward to the present day and the wonders of modern technology make it all so much easier – whether by stitching together multiple images, cropping high resolution photos to a panoramic format or just switching your iPhone to Pano mode.
My favourite format is the Xpan panoramic format introduced originally by Hassleblad in collaboration with Fuji in the late 1990s – again think £££s – and this remains one of the most unique formats in photography. Originally producing a 65mm x 24mm negative on 35mm film (rather than your traditional 36mm x 24mm negative) – an aspect ratio of 2.7:1.
This wide format allows you to produce striking, almost cinematic compositions; the ultra wide frame suits striking landscapes, busy street scenes or architectural photos.
Personally I love the format for landscape photos – think big Scottish skies, dramatic landscapes and expansive scenery.
Various manufacturers make cameras capable of shotting in panoramic formats – some are genuine panoramic cameras and others achieve it through electronic trickery – but I have not yet taken the plunge.
For now I’ll have to stick to stitching together multiple images in photoshop or some nifty cropping of large format full frame digital photos – either way hope you like the results.
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