Creating an awesome panorama is not the easiest thing and even with all the great tools we have today, like Lightroom CC, it’s still going to be a tough one to create a panorama that stands out from the crowd. Choosing the right subject is very important and I usually recommend staying away from subjects and scenes that have been photographed by a lot of people. Nevertheless, getting something good from something that has been photographed countless times can be a great creative challenge and every now and then it’s a good idea. But if you want a good shot of something popular, you’re going to have to pull out the big guns.
(Success Tip #1: Improve your photography with weekly challenges.)
I love long exposure panoramas and I think they’re a great way to get a killer shot. They have a unique feel to them. They’re a lot more complex than your regular panorama and they’re actually closer to high-end commercial composites.
You’re probably going to need more than five or six frames to create the shot and they’re all going to be long exposures. Planning might be a good idea since this is going to take some time and you want the good light in all the photos. It’s also very important to frame accurately. It’s going to help a lot when you put the shot together.
Speaking of stitching, with all my love for the new Lightroom, it’s just not going to do the job. You’re going to need something a little more complex that can rise up to the challenge. I recommend Autopano Pro. Another trick you can use is to use monochrome. In this case, Macphun is the way to go.
Here’s a great video tutorial from French photographer Serge Ramelli.
Learn more about creating awesome panoramas from these recommended books:
- Mastering Digital Panoramic Photography
- Photographic Multishot Techniques: High Dynamic Range, Super-Resolution, Extended Depth of Field, Stitching