Broaden your horizons

Learn how to shoot and stitch together stunning landscape panoramas

Panoramas are always a big hit with landscape enthusiasts. They’re the perfect way to capture a sprawling vista without using an ultra-wide lens, or cropping your image (and therefore losing lots of data). In this project we’re going to show you just how easy it is to shoot and create stunning panoramas.

To capture a panorama you first need to shoot a sequence of images, moving or rotating the camera slightly between each shot. You’ll need to use a sturdy tripod, and ensure that it’s perfectly level. For the best results you should also shoot in portrait orientation, turning the tripod head a little for each shot and allowing for some overlap between frames. Then, at home, you can merge your images together in post-production, which is actually a straightforward process.

We trekked up Helvellyn in the UK’s Lake District for our photo (and of course we took all the necessary safety precautions and equipment needed for hiking in the mountains). However, simply getting up high and capturing an expansive view doesn’t necessarily make for a spectacular panorama – a broad sweep of very similar-looking mountains in the far distance can easily end up looking boring rather than spectacular.

The key is to find a location with interest and detail at different heights, and to ensure that there’s something to look at in the foreground and middle ground, as well as in the distance – keep an eye out for lakes, trees, buildings and anything else that will bring the scene to life. As with shooting standard landscapes, a dramatic sky – as opposed to a clear blue one – will also help.