70 Brilliant Polar Panoramic Photographs
Having a chance to see our world in a whole new light can inspire us to create better work, as one begins to appreciate the world we do have. One of the most inspiring forms of photography that doesn’t involve a lot of manipulation are panoramas. They allow one to capture the world, but through a series of photographs.
A unique variation of the panoramic photo is the polar panoramic, sometimes referred to as the stereographic projection photograph. Sure, they might be hard to remember, but this technique is fairly popular and is easy to reproduce on your own.
An Introduction to these Techniques
Most panoramic photos do not require any additional camera accessories, although they sometimes help. You may need to purchase Photoshop if you don’t already have it or use one of the other pieces of software out there that can replicate the technique.
The effect produced can be defined as “the area close to the point opposite the center of projection becomes significantly enlarged, resulting in an effect known as little planet.” Pleasing panoramas often result from these, as there is excellent shape preservation.
Panoramic photography has been around since the 19th century, when panoramic cameras used curved film holders and drives to scan a line image in an arc to create an image over about 180 degrees. Today, software help creates this effect more than the ability of the camera.
Tutorials to Create this Effect
We have provided a series of tutorials and useful links below to help you create this effect using photos you may have taken. If you simply want to view the photos in the showcase, scroll down.
- How to Make a Polar Panorama with Photoshop from Instructables
- How to Create Your Own Planets Using Your Panoramas from Photojojo
- 6-Step Guide to Create a Polar Panorama in Photoshop
Brilliant Polar Panoramic Photography Showcase
In this showcase, we share some of the best photographs that exhibit this technique. Most of them have been created using Photoshop, as true “stereographic” cameras are quite expensive to truly create the effect. We hope you enjoy the showcase. As you can see, this technique can be used in a wide variety of scenes.
Note: Photos link to a page where you can find a full resolution and additional details about the location where the photo was taken.
Additional Resources
The links we have provided below will provide additional information about the techniques described above, but don’t necessarily provide information about how to create the effect.
Conclusion
What are your thoughts and ideas on the photos showcased? What additional advice could you give our readers, if you have used this technique before?
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