Book Review: Mastering Digital Panoramic Photography
Saturday, 16 January 2010 11:07 | 
Author: Brian Opyd | 
I recently had a chance to read through Harald Woeste’s book Mastering Digital Panoramic Photography ($34.95). I found the book to be a good primer on panoramic photography techniques. It covers the photographic equipment you’ll need, a section on software, and an interesting set of real world example projects at the end of the book.
If you are new to the world of panoramic photographer the first chapters are a nice introduction to the tools and techniques you will need to understand to capture images that can be later stitched into panoramas. Most useful was a section outlining some of the VR panoramic tripod heads that are currently available on the market. I found the brief summary of each model with pros and cons valuable and had wished I had read the book before I had purchased a VR panoramic head myself.
Later in the book Woeste discusses image stitching and the various software packages that are available. Again he talks about the pros and cons but does not go into step-by-step instructions. If you are looking for hand holding through the stitching process this is not the book for you. While the book gives some good information you’ll be better off downloading some of the trial versions of the software mentioned in the book and experimenting with the software packages yourself.
One of the more interesting components of the book were the final four chapters. Each chapter gives a play-by-play account of one of four of his real world projects to create panoramic image. He discusses some the challenges presented by the locations and the tools and techniques discussed previously in the book that he used to overcome those challenges.
The book is well written although I think the stitching chapter assumes you have a basic knowledge of some of the terms used by software stitching. As with other books by publisher Rocky Nook I found the example photographs and illustrations were well done and added value to the descriptions in the writing. If you are just getting started in the world of panoramic photography this is a good book to add to your shelf.
Last Updated ( Saturday, 16 January 2010 11:13 )
Panorama Stitching: Autopano Pro 2 vs. Autopano Giga 2 Wednesday, 13 January 2010 19:53 | Author: Brian Opyd |
Over the past several years panorama stitching software has come a long way. I can remember back when I was amazed as the free stitching utility software that came with my Canon EOS back in the early 2000’s. Since then I have recently taken a second look at panoramic stitching software and I have to admit I was amazed how far it has come. One package I had a good look at was the suite of tools provided by Autopano. You can find their website at www.autopano.net. Autopano has two software packages designed for photographers that like to spend time with their cameras and not in front of a computer. The Autopano Pro 2 and Giga 2 software packages have a lot in common. I’ll start with the commonalities and then move on to the differences. Last Updated ( Wednesday, 13 January 2010 20:05 ) Photographing Local Culture: Tips to Find the Best Spots Sunday, 15 November 2009 15:31 | Author: Brian Opyd |
Travel photography can be an excellent way to capture those great moments from all of your travels. One of the challenges that face many photographers new to travel photography is how to capture the moments that really capture the local customs, feelings, or architecture of your destination. If you want to really capture a place I might offer a few suggestions to get you started.
Another great option is to talk to the locals. Find out what they do on the weekends. Ask the locals if there are any festivals or celebrations that might be worth visiting during your visit. If you are a little shy in striking up conversations you can also take a local photography tour. Such tours are usually run by people with local knowledge. During a tour you typically get a bit of instruction as well as help navigating the local environment to get to the best places for the best photographs. A short 3 hour tour can lead not only to a couple of good hours of photography, but if you take a map along and ask the guide for other location advice you may end up going home with an itinerary for the next day as well. If you are looking for tips for a destination where you don’t speak the local language local Expat forums and blogs are a good source of information. Expat forums like http://www.englishforum.ch/ for the English speaking community around Zurich Switzerland often have groups dedicated to photography. Such communities are usually quite helpful to find out about local events, activities, or culture. Try searching ‘Expat’ and the name of the place you and visiting and see what Google gives you. Finally, another great tool to check out locations before you travel is Google Earth. The application is free for download and a lot of photographers have posted their images to the tool. With the Google Earth application you can take a virtual tour of a location and check out images and vantage points before you travel. This is a great what to help you prioritize and help you determine the must see spots before you even start your trip. Last Updated ( Thursday, 07 January 2010 20:48 ) |
Review Of The Lenscoat Lens Cover For Canon EF 70-200mm F2.8 IS Lens Thursday, 07 January 2010 20:36 | Author: Brian Opyd |
Spending your hard earned cash on an expensive lens can be frightening. Enter the Lenscoat line of lens covers to protect your investment from scrapes, dings, bumps, and general harsh weather conditions. The Lenscoat lines of products are made of closed-cell neoprene. The covers are advertised as a thermal barrier to protect optics from rapid changes in temperatures as well as providing a more forgiving surface for your hands when working in cold weather. In addition the covers are meant to provide a light level of protection from scrapes and dings. The Lenscoat line is also sufficient to break up the visual impact of some of the massive ‘white’ monsters such as the Canon 400mm L series lenses when nature photographers are on location.
In summary, the product has potential for larger lenses, but for the 70-200mm it is something that I could live with, or live without. I do not seem much value if you are a careful photographer with a good bag and a willingness to treat your gear with care. If you are the type of photographer that is putting your gear under a lot of wear and tear, the investment might be better suited to your needs. The full line of the Lenscoat products can be found on their website at http://www.lenscoat.com. Last Updated ( Thursday, 07 January 2010 20:43 ) Photography By Brian OpydHe runs through a thorny field. Welcome to Brian Opyd photography.
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If you are looking for a fresh view on things, the most obvious recommendation is to move away from the tourist sites. Yes, if you are in Paris you will want to get a picture of the Eiffel tower. After you’ve bagged that shot, move on and find something out of the way that might be less known, but still representative of the culture. In our French example, a small crepe shop, park, or any back street might lead you to something inspirational. Just wander and see what you can find.
While the Lenscoat for the Canon EF 70-200mm F2.8 runs about $80 from most online stores. This seems reasonable given the total cost of the lens. However, after field testing the product for a month, I feel the return on the investment is minimal.
