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Panophotography - The Art of Panoramic Photography

Probably since the camera was first invented, photographers have endeavored to take wide-angle panoramic photographs... ones that can catch an image even wider than our own field of vision. The ability to do that has never been easier with the advent of digital photography. This page will display some of the panoramic images we have made using our Olympus D-490Z digital camera.

"Normal" Panoramas

These images were created by digitally stitching together two or more frames taken by the camera. Any of them may be clicked on to display it at full size.

Aldea Mar

This panoramic photo shows the Aldea Mar condominium community in Venice, Florida as seen from the beach. It was taken in April of 2001 near sunset and is composed from 4 individual frames. There is very little distortion of the image (see the York Beach photo below). The closer you are to the subject, the more acute your angle of rotation needs to be. This results in higher quality compositions.


York Beach - Short Sands

This is York Beach, Maine taken in September of 2000. One of the problems of taking very large panoramic photos is distortion at the frame edges. The wider the view, the more distorted. This composition encompasses about 180º of view, while the Aldea Mar photo is about 90º. Both are composed of the same number of images though--four. But since the subjects were futher away in this case, there was distortion. The bright sunlight also played havoc with the frame edges as you can see where the blue in the sky changes shade.


360º Panoramas (QuickTime VR)

Our digital camera has technology which, in conjunction with the software that came with it, can produce not only wide panoramic images, but also a special movie called a QuickTime VR (Virtual Reality). The QTVR movies are actually a series of photographs taken in 360º. You become the center point of the image. You can turn the vantage point of the photo in any direction to see what's next to you, or what's behind. You've got to see it to believe it!

If you are not familiar with QuickTime, click here to see some important information. If you know you have QuickTime installed... the excitement awaits next...

Aldea Mar - Venice, Florida

Taken in April of 2001, this QTVR was taken of the Aldea Mar grounds from the shuffleboard court, which is near the beach. When it starts, you will be facing the pool, with the beach behind you.

Vermont Countryside

This QTVR was taken in September of 2000 at the Interstate 89 southbound rest area at Sharon, Vermont.

Other QTVR Movies

Apple Computer (the maker of QuickTime) has a web page set up with dozens more examples of QTVR movies taken by different people. These were made with new Cubic VR technology which creates a movie in all directions... up and down as well as side-to-side. I can't afford the equipment to do that! Check them out here.


QuickTime Information

In order to see these images, you will have to download the FREE QuickTime Player software from Apple's website, if you don't already have it. If you don't, you will receive a little error message when you try to look at the QTVR. You may even be prompted to download the software right then and there (depending on your browser settings). If you prefer, you can download it now...click the button below and a new page will open to the QuickTime download web site. The download may take a while depending on your Internet connection... it is about 4MB. After downloading, read the next section below to see if it applies to you.



Microsoft Internet Explorer for Windows, versions 5.5 SP2 and 6.0 no longer support Netscape-style plug-ins, such as the plug-in installed as part of QuickTime 5.0.2 and earlier versions. Consequently, Windows customers using these versions of Explorer may be unable to view QuickTime content in the browser. Mac users and Netscape users are unaffected.

To restore compatibility, Apple has provided an ActiveX control. Please visit http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/qtcheck/ where you will be prompted to download and install this control if you do not already have it.


Instructions for using QuickTime

When you click on any of the QTVR thumbnails above, the page will clear and the movie will begin downloading. Be patient as they are about 500 kB each (but worth the wait). Once it is finished downloading:
  • place your mouse cursor anywhere in the picture.
  • Click and hold down the left mouse button.
  • With the mouse button held down, move the mouse in any direction... the view will pan in that direction.
  • Move the mouse back to where you started or let go of the mouse button to stop the panning.
  • You can zoom the image in and out by clicking on the + and - signs at the bottom of the image.
If you are ready... let's try some out! Click here to go back to the movies!


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