The images from the Linhof Master Technika camera are still awaiting my darkroom session for development, and will be up very soon, and can also be seen at danetravisjones.com when they are complete.
A few days ago, I went to the Oregon coast with a friend and took the 4x5 Ebony and Hasselblad cameras, but also ended up taking some panoramic images with my iPhone 5. Considering the size and limitations of the iPhone, I am more than impressed with the capabilities of this amazing piece of technology. Properly used, the panoramic setting is able to capture some very impressive images. This example is overlooking Treasure Cove, just to the south of Oswald State Park.
In the image, a couple can be seen to the lower right side of the frame, and my friend can be seen in red, just on the other side of the fence posts in the lower center. This helps to give a sense of scale to this grande scenic location.
Driving south just a few miles, the weather changed into cloud cover, which is very typical of the Oregon coast. Here are a couple of images taken under that canopy of soft light. The panoramic feature is truly effective at capturing an extreme linear horizontal.
Last fall, I made some panoramic images out on a farm, and found the ability to see more along the horizon very useful as well. When using the panorama mode on the iPhone, the camera sets exposure at whatever the camera is pointed at first. In other words, whatever the camera starts exposing at will determine the exposure level. In difficult or varied lighting, one has to be mindful of what is most important for proper exposure concerning image details. In the image of the interior of the farmer's market, I made sure the camera started exposing at the far left of the frame, being neither bright sun, nor dark shadow. On occasion, some trial and error is necessary to achieve the proper exposure for a given composition.
The panorama feature is typically best utilized with a static, non-moving subject. If the subject moves as you are panning around, very interesting (and sometimes grotesque) results can occur with people or animals. This happens to be a great way to make very funny, or mysterious images that can fool the viewer if one is not familiar with the process. Some hilarious and creepy examples can be found all over the internet, and that is a subject for a completely different blog entry.
Another important point is to make sure you follow the horizontal tracking of the image so that you don't end up with uneven edges of black space at the top and bottom of the frame. This doesn't necessarily ruin an image per se, but it shows poor, or rushed technique, and does take away from an otherwise beautiful scene.
Have fun with that iPhone, and remember that experimenting is always a great way to ensure superior results!
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