As a working pro, photographer Paul Hoelen says he still learns new tricks in the field. He recalls one day on the River Ohinemuri in NZ when he shot his first multi-row panorama, and explains why the learning never stops in photography.
Last year I was invited by some of New Zealand’s best photographers, such as Mike Hollman, Harry Janssen, Craig Robertson, Blair Quax and Mike Hill for a shared creative day of image making. They chose the deeply historic and scenic Karangahake Gorge, near the town of Waihi, for a stunning day out.
I felt drawn to capture the beautiful sweep and breadth of this curve in the river, yet I quickly realised this wasn’t possible in one capture - it was just far too wide! It represented a perfect opportunity to try out a new multi-row Panorama system. It must have been quite a sight watching five pro photographers trying to figure out how to put the kit together!
I used a level to balance the tripod on a flat plane then switched to manual, choosing an exposure which could be roughly used across all of the images. I set the camera for HDR to take three exposures of 0, +2, -2 stops for each shot, then I locked off the white balance and focus point. I shot three horizontal rows left to right starting from the top, five images in each row with a third overlap across every image. I blended them together in PT Gui Pro and used Silver Effects Pro 2 for the sepia toning.
This represents two elements I feel are really important to aiding development as a photographer, be it amateur or professional: taking time out to spend with other like-minded photographers to do personal work, and challenging yourself to try out new approaches. This is my first genuine multi-row panorama – hopefully it’s the first of many.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 16-35mm f/2.8 lens @ 20mm 1/30 @ f/14 ISO 100. Really Right Stuff PG-02 Pro Omni-Pivot Package Panoramic Kit