A decent camera + a nifty gadget + free software + some other free software + beautiful scenery = my new photographic obsession.
Not my first panoramic image, but it's the first one that wasn't covered under an NDA, so it's the first one I could post online. It's an entirely new level of photo-coolness for me, and I'm really having fun with it.
Full Version: My new thing.
You know, I read the title of this post and got really worried that I might actually have to flex my moderator muscle.....
....heh heh.... I said "muscle"......
........ but such is not the case. Drat.
....heh heh.... I said "muscle"......
........ but such is not the case. Drat.
Well, I think this is worthy of a Neo-moment™:
Whoa.
Majorly detailed coolness, dude!
Whoa.
Majorly detailed coolness, dude!
Made another one. 
Pretty cool, man.
I don't think anyone's going to complain. 
The detail is amazing. Talk about capturing a place and a time...
Yeah, I really like that aspect of it. I've always liked landscape photography, but the fact that you could only get a small chunk of the scenery in the frame just seemed to take it out of context somehow. Taking a full 180-degree slice of the horizon (or more, if you want) and putting it all in one image seems to preserve just a small piece of that "Wow" feeling you get when you look out (or up, or down) at an amazing view.
I'll probably go re-do that shot of Grandfather Mountain in the spring. As you can tell, the fall leaf season is pretty much over at that elevation so the colors were kind of bland - plus it was a pretty hazy day. The coolest part of that photo was just finding the place to take the picture, to be honest. I scoped the whole thing out in Google Earth, picked the angle and heading I wanted to shoot the mountain from, and then picked out a spot where I thought I could get the look I was after. Then I marked the spot on the map and my wife and I spent about 2 hours driving around little backwoods dirt roads squinting at topo maps until we found a way to get to where I wanted to set up the panoramic rig.
After I took that photo (or those photos, really - I shot about 100 from up there) we circled around the west side of Grandfather and headed up to Valle Crucis to check out the Mast General Store, and that was a blast too. If you're ever in this part of the world, I strongly recommend checking it out. Same store operating in the same building since the 1880's - which is realize isn't long for our UK brethren, but that's a hell of a long time around here. There were a couple of guys inside sitting around a pot-bellied stove playing bluegrass on a banjo, guitar, fiddle and mandolin. All the old general store staples still for sale, plus a lot of locally-produced foods and things.
It was a very cool way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
I'll probably go re-do that shot of Grandfather Mountain in the spring. As you can tell, the fall leaf season is pretty much over at that elevation so the colors were kind of bland - plus it was a pretty hazy day. The coolest part of that photo was just finding the place to take the picture, to be honest. I scoped the whole thing out in Google Earth, picked the angle and heading I wanted to shoot the mountain from, and then picked out a spot where I thought I could get the look I was after. Then I marked the spot on the map and my wife and I spent about 2 hours driving around little backwoods dirt roads squinting at topo maps until we found a way to get to where I wanted to set up the panoramic rig.
After I took that photo (or those photos, really - I shot about 100 from up there) we circled around the west side of Grandfather and headed up to Valle Crucis to check out the Mast General Store, and that was a blast too. If you're ever in this part of the world, I strongly recommend checking it out. Same store operating in the same building since the 1880's - which is realize isn't long for our UK brethren, but that's a hell of a long time around here. There were a couple of guys inside sitting around a pot-bellied stove playing bluegrass on a banjo, guitar, fiddle and mandolin. All the old general store staples still for sale, plus a lot of locally-produced foods and things.
It was a very cool way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Very cool, 'Card.
What is it with delapitated and rusted out buildings that only you can find...
QUOTE (Xiomburg @ Nov 20 2007, 04:03 PM)
What is it with delapitated and rusted out buildings that only you can find...
Have you BEEN to West Virgnia/North Carolina?!? That's just what they HAVE, Xi. 
The way that building racks and sags could easily give the Leaning Tower of Pisa a run for it's money. I'm honestly surprised that the glass hasn't popped out of most of those windows by now. 
When I start doing things like this, I think I've officially started going overboard with this whole panoramic business.
Mmmm.....the guy that makes those panoramic mounts lives in Springfield MO. I might have to take a trip down there if he has a store.
The Panosaurus guy? I honestly don't know if he has a storefront or not. Good guy, though. I've lost and/or destroyed bits and pieces of my Panosaurus twice now, and both times he just sent me a free replacement part. Of course, they weren't anything big or expensive, but still... I thought it was pretty cool.
You really should give it a shot if you're interested, Rat. Everybody has this idea that making panos must be either highly expensive or insanely complex. The fact that even I can make them should serve as overwhelming proof that neither is true. I think the head itself cost me about $70, the software I stitch the images together with was free, and everything else you need (camera, tripod, remote shutter) was stuff I already had.
As far as the complexity... I'll admit the initial set-up was kind of a bitch, but it probably wouldn't be nearly as difficult for someone who could do the math. I'm critically and chronically math-impaired, so I ended up just using trial-and-error with the adjustments and taking pictures until the perspective-thingies lined up about right. The nice part is that once you get it set up to work with your camera, you just tighten all the screws down and you never have to mess with it again.
Even the onsite procedure is pretty simple. The hardest part is probably answering the questions of all the people who show up wanting to know what you're doing.
Basically, it works like this:
1. I set up my tripod, and make sure it's level. (usually they have bubble levels on them)
2. I hang my camera case from a rope under the tripod to add some weight to it - helps keep it from moving around while I'm taking pictures.
3. I unfold the Panosaurus and attach the camera to it.
4. I attach the Panosaurus to the tripod and level it up. (it also has a bubble level on it)
5. I turn the camera on and attach the remote shutter cable.
6. I look at the LCD screen and fart with the Panosaurus' up/down adjustment until I get about as much sky and about as much scenery in the picture as I want.
7. I start from the right, about where I want the right side of the panoramic image to be, take one picture, turn the Panosaurus 10 degrees to the left (it has a little compass deal in the base), take another, and so on.
8. I usually take about 20 to 24 pictures. I try to get a little to the left and a little to the right of where I want the final image to be, because I always end up cropping off the edges.
9. I go home, load the images on the computer, feed them to Autostich, and it wallers them around for about 15 minutes and eventually spits out a panoramic image.
10. I load the final big-ass image in The GIMP, crop the edges, tweak the brightness and contrast and things, save it, and upload it to Wikipedia.
...and that's really about it. See? No voodoo.
You really should give it a shot if you're interested, Rat. Everybody has this idea that making panos must be either highly expensive or insanely complex. The fact that even I can make them should serve as overwhelming proof that neither is true. I think the head itself cost me about $70, the software I stitch the images together with was free, and everything else you need (camera, tripod, remote shutter) was stuff I already had.
As far as the complexity... I'll admit the initial set-up was kind of a bitch, but it probably wouldn't be nearly as difficult for someone who could do the math. I'm critically and chronically math-impaired, so I ended up just using trial-and-error with the adjustments and taking pictures until the perspective-thingies lined up about right. The nice part is that once you get it set up to work with your camera, you just tighten all the screws down and you never have to mess with it again.
Even the onsite procedure is pretty simple. The hardest part is probably answering the questions of all the people who show up wanting to know what you're doing.
Basically, it works like this:
1. I set up my tripod, and make sure it's level. (usually they have bubble levels on them)
2. I hang my camera case from a rope under the tripod to add some weight to it - helps keep it from moving around while I'm taking pictures.
3. I unfold the Panosaurus and attach the camera to it.
4. I attach the Panosaurus to the tripod and level it up. (it also has a bubble level on it)
5. I turn the camera on and attach the remote shutter cable.
6. I look at the LCD screen and fart with the Panosaurus' up/down adjustment until I get about as much sky and about as much scenery in the picture as I want.
7. I start from the right, about where I want the right side of the panoramic image to be, take one picture, turn the Panosaurus 10 degrees to the left (it has a little compass deal in the base), take another, and so on.
8. I usually take about 20 to 24 pictures. I try to get a little to the left and a little to the right of where I want the final image to be, because I always end up cropping off the edges.
9. I go home, load the images on the computer, feed them to Autostich, and it wallers them around for about 15 minutes and eventually spits out a panoramic image.
10. I load the final big-ass image in The GIMP, crop the edges, tweak the brightness and contrast and things, save it, and upload it to Wikipedia.
...and that's really about it. See? No voodoo.
That sunrise(?) scene is my new background 'Card. Amazing stuff, I have to say. Even to my railroad-tie level of art appreciation ability this is something you don't see much of (especially on the internet). I'll bet anything that if you had these printed you could sell them.
*saved*
Very, very nice, 'Card. I've been saving up some camera questions...looks like you're the man to ask.
Very, very nice, 'Card. I've been saving up some camera questions...looks like you're the man to ask.
Great shot 'Card.
I need to get off my butt and get a new camera.
I need to get off my butt and get a new camera.
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