28 Jan Land Of Hope And Glory
Before you leap to your feet and wave a flag, this is not about that sort of emotion. Nor is it the last night of the Proms.* This is about panoramas. Those wide pictures that spread out over coffee tables, railway stations, and lounge room walls. The ones that are wider than they are tall - and by a considerable margin. The boundaries of what is considered a panoramic shot seem to vary with different authors or equipment companies, but I just take them to be anything I have to turn my head to view. Bear in mind I wear spectacles and they tunnel my vision somewhat - you may be able to see in a more panoramic fashion just when you gaze on the landscape unaided. Panoramas used to be hard work - you can see examples of them taken in the wet plate era - or even earlier - and made up of multiple shots stacked side by side. There may be differences of tone, of texture, of exposure between panels, and the distortions of the lenses may be compensated...