[AU335]

Took some pics while on my cruise in the Bahamas and they surprisingly turned out pretty good...Shot with a point and click 10.1 ( All i had on hand)

[M_Six]

The sunset (sunrise?) one is awesome.

What's the big red house in the third pic?

[AU335]

Originally Posted by M_Six

The sunset (sunrise?) one is awesome.

What's the big red house in the third pic?

Im not sure. That picture was taken in Key West. It was a standout building in real life also

[dcstep]

Very nice. I like them all, but the middle one is a real standout.

Did you use any stitching software? Are those handheld or with tripod?

I tend to keep the horizon from splitting the frame, but for panoramas I think that it works very well. How does everyone else react to those horizons?

Dave

[TheLegacy]

very nice

[AllydNYC]

Very nice on the 2nd picture it made me sh!t bricks.

[scollins]

Originally Posted by dcstep

Very nice. I like them all, but the middle one is a real standout.

Agreed! Awesome picture!

I tend to keep the horizon from splitting the frame, but for panoramas I think that it works very well. How does everyone else react to those horizons?

Dave

I think the middle picture would be even better if the horizon was in the lower 1/3rd of the photo. The clouds have the most contrast and interesting detail, while the water is more featureless. I just cropped the image a little to get an idea of how it would look. The third picture I think is fine with the horizon where it is at, because there is a lot of detail above and below the line. The first picture could also stand to have the horizon moved (I think down again?)

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by scollins

Agreed! Awesome picture!
I think the middle picture would be even better if the horizon was in the lower 1/3rd of the photo. The clouds have the most contrast and interesting detail, while the water is more featureless. I just cropped the image a little to get an idea of how it would look. The third picture I think is fine with the horizon where it is at, because there is a lot of detail above and below the line. The first picture could also stand to have the horizon moved (I think down again?)

I agree with you change, but both are great. For the first picture, I really like all the light reflection detail on the left side of the picture, so I think that I'd move the horizon up higher in the frame, showing more water detail.

Dave

[scollins]

While cropping is not the same as adjusting the point of aim (captures more details in the area of interest), we can play around with it to show how the pictures might look different:

Original
Horizon cropped to be lower
Horizon cropped to be higher

[dcstep]

Interesting demo Scollins. Thanks

[scollins]

Originally Posted by dcstep

Interesting demo Scollins. Thanks

Well, if I wasn't being really lazy, I should have made all three the images the same dimensions (would need to crop the original but maintain the horizon on the center line.)

Still, really great pictures AU335, so don't think I/we are being critical in a negative manner.

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by scollins

Still, really great pictures AU335, so don't think I/we are being critical in a negative manner.

Yes, please, we're just exploring the horizons' impact on these great images. I actually think it works very well in the middle, which is part of the reason that it came to my mind.

Here's something for all of us the think about. For panoramas, I level my tripod before putting the camera on and almost invariably, the horizon is in the middle. With the tripod level, then you can crank the front of the camera up and down to explore the best horizon. I do a lot of sunsets, so the horizon is usually lower in the frame, OTOH, scenics with lots of interest in both the foreground and sky, then you've got a decision. My first instructor said to NEVER divide the frame with the horizon and we worked with the rule of thirds for our compositions; however, now that I'm well beyond the 7th grade I'm seeing those "rules" broken with great success.

BTW, in another thread here, someone has a night skyline with a perfectly still-water reflection. Clearly, that horizon belongs in the middle of the picture for the most dramatic impact.

Dave

[M_Six]

Depends on where you want the major focus to be. On the sunset image, the clouds are stunning and should be give their space. On that nighttime Chicago image, the reflections are impressive and should be prominent, as dcstep said.

In this pano of Chicago, I wanted the city itself to be the focus and to avoid the artificially induced curve of the straight pier just below the tripod. If the horizon was any higher, you'd see the pier. Any lower and the sky would dominate, which was also not my intent. This is one of the many areas where we digital photogs have it so much better than the film days. We can play around with horizons in post processing, whereas with film you'd have to get it right in the original framing (more or less).

[dcstep]

Mark, that's very effective. The sky has some really interesting detail and you give it just enough emphasis without taking the focus off the skyline. The walk along the left nicely adds depth.

Have you played with combining HDR with panorama? (Talk about the convenience of digital). For instance, with HDR you could bring out more detail in the skyline while keeping the water and sky at the levels they are now. I'm just beginning to mess with panoramas and HDR and just seems like they might go together. It's a good thing that harddrives are cheap, since my RAW images are about 25MB each.

Dave

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by dcstep

Mark, that's very effective. The sky has some really interesting detail and you give it just enough emphasis without taking the focus off the skyline. The walk along the left nicely adds depth.

Have you played with combining HDR with panorama? (Talk about the convenience of digital). For instance, with HDR you could bring out more detail in the skyline while keeping the water and sky at the levels they are now. I'm just beginning to mess with panoramas and HDR and just seems like they might go together. It's a good thing that harddrives are cheap, since my RAW images are about 25MB each.

Dave

I haven't played with HDR, although I should start experimenting. I bought PS CS3 a few months ago and have done little with it. My bad. I need to get going with it.

[bmwturbopower]

Very nice set koy. To bad we all had bad Spring break weekends