Life is Music™

Although I typically prefer to get the perfect focal length directly from my camera to avoid any major cropping, there are times when a cropped panoramic view can increase your photo’s power and beauty significantly.  This is especially true in nature or landscape photography where a wide angle view is typically present and since the human eye sees panoramically, duplicating this will oftentimes produce a stunning image.

Here are some tips I have for creating a quality panoramic image from one single shot, rather than stitching several shots together and editing with a program.

1. Quality – Since you will be cutting some of the data away, your initial photo should be taken in the lowest ISO possible to ensure that after the crop there is still quality data available to keep the photo sharp and unpixelated.  The original image should be sharp all around and exposed properly as any major editing after the crop can be amplified which will adversely affect the image’s quality.
2. Wide angle – The most stunning panoramic images have a severe wide angle.  To achieve this you will need to invest in a quality wide angle lens.  Wide angle is typically considered 24mm or less with 8mm being the widest possible.  For my digital slr I use a Nikon 12-24 f/4 G but there are many other quality wide angle lenses on the market.  If you are using a point and shoot, go as wide as possible.
3. Level - When shooting any landscape image that involves the horizon, the original image should be perfectly horizontal.  Again, any major editing of the image like straightening will have adverse effects on the quality after cropped.  To achieve a perfectly level photo always use a tripod.  If a tripod is not feasible (like trying to photograph in a canoe), use two hands with elbows in, slow your breath and keep the camera steady.  Take several images to ensure you have a few to choose from.  Like everything in this world there are exceptions, but keeping things level will work best and help ensure you get a dynamic panoramic image.
4. F stop – For nature and landscape photography I like to see everything in focus from front to back.  To achieve this you need to use a small aperture which will maximize depth of field and keep everything in focus rather than blurring areas that are not within your focal points.  Each lens has a sweet spot where everything will be perfectly sharp.  On my Nikon 12-24 f/4 G I have found this to be at f/10.  Depending on available light, I start at f/8 and will work all the way to f/22 to achieve the desired result.  The small aperture needed to keep your image sharp will slow shutter speeds, so once again a tripod is necessary especially when shooting in low available light like at dusk or dawn.  I also recommend using a wireless remote to eliminate camera shake on the tripod.
5. Composition – In composing a strong panoramic image, try to avoid framing the photo too close to the edges of the main subject.  Giving the image room to create a wide sweeping effect will amplify your subjects and create a more dynamic image.  Keep in mind the general rule in photography of thirds and remember that a panoramic image is cropped, so take advantage of the little vertical space you have.
6. Cropping - When it comes to cropping, less is more in my opinion.  If the rules above are followed you should now have a quality wide angle image that just needs to be cut down.  There is no golden rule when it comes to cropping, but  generally anything that has an aspect ratio of 2:1 (image being twice as wide as its height) or larger is considered panoramic.  Look at the main subjects and any symmetry or patterns to create the perfect panoramic crop.  Once again try to keep in mind the general rule of thirds in photography while doing so.  Try to minimize cropping the width and focus on cropping the height above and/or below your main subject.  Just as I mentioned earlier, the less editing you do (including cropping) the sharper the final product will be.  Experiment with different crops before settling on the best.

So there’s a little tutorial on creating a panoramic image from a single wide angle shot.  If you take your original image at the lowest possible ISO, compose a nice wide angle shot with a small aperture, keep everything level, and focus on cropping the height rather than the width you should create a quality panoramic image.  Have fun!

After looking through some images from a recent camping trip I decided to crop down a few images to panoramic views.  Here are some examples and the cropped panoramic images I created from them.  For the most part I followed the rules above.  The second image was not taken with a wide angle lens, but I was still able to effectively get a wide angle shot since I was quite far from the subject and nothing on the lake was obstructing my view.

cropped panoramic

original image - ISO 200 f/8 1/25 sec @ 24mm

cropped panoramic

original image - ISO 200 f/10 1/80 sec @ 50mm

cropped panoramic

original image - ISO 200 f/11 1/160 sec @ 12mm

The sun was shining brightly; it was a glorious summer day in Minneapolis.  On Saturday, June 20th the studious indie-rockers, The Decemberists, headlined 2009’s version of “Rock the Garden”.  The new and improved set-up proved to be a success with the stage facing the grassy natural amphitheatre where the old Guthrie Theatre once stood.  Sponsored by The Current 89.3 and the Walker Art Center, a sold-out crowd of nearly 10,000 rocked through the mid-day sun to benefit one of Minneapolis’ greatest treasures, The Walker Art Center. 

Opening the day was the local electronic rock band Solid Gold, who played a fine set in the peak of the heat.  Then came New York art-rockers, Yeasayer, and finally just as the sun was beginning to relinquish, the eclectic southwest Latin tinged band Calexico took the stage with a very impressive set.  After Calexico The Decemberists had their turn.

Dusk was just setting in when keyboardist Jenny Conlee took the stage alone.  She sat down quietly and held the keys in an organ tone for what was the prelude of The Decemberists’ rock-opera, The Hazards of Love.  Soon the rest of the band impressively well-dressed in dapper suits and ties took the stage and the crowd absolutely erupted.  Leading the band, singer and guitarist Colin Meloy settled in to “The Hazards of Love 1″ and from there they worked through the entire album with the ever-enthusiastic crowd following attentively.  Becky Stark, beautifully draped in a virginal white princess dress played the part of Margaret and was introduced in song four, “Won’t Want for Love (Margaret in the Taiga)”.  She swayed like a goddess with equally pure vocals and from that point forward I knew this was going to be far more than any old rock concert.

Shara Worden, in a clinging black dress and chopped black hair stormed the stage as the evil queen for her entrance in song eight, “The Wanting Comes in Waves Repaid”.  She went straight to the edge of the stage crouching low with her fist pounding down as a slight riot ensued amongst the masses with fists pumping hard and heads banging as Chris Funk and Colin Meloy ground away steadily at their guitars.  The energy was absolutely unbelievable, and wow that woman can wail!

From there Meloy took his turn in the pounding and rhythmic “The Rake’s Song”, one of the heaviest of the night as the females Conlee, Stark and Worden all hammered on tom drums.  The tune flowed into “The Abduction of Margaret” and ‘The Queen’s Rebuke The Crossing” where Shara Worden once again had the crowd stirring as she howled and jerked across the stage impulsively.  The set then calmed as Meloy strummed through “Annan Water” and Becky Stark returned with the voice of an angel for “Margaret in Captivity”.  “The Hazards of Love 3 (Revenge!)” and “The Wanting Comes in Waves (Reprise)” once again made the enthusiastic crowd sway as the story concluded.  The set ended in perfect fashion with Meloy’s mellow and lovely “The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned)”, and then band put down their instruments and walked off the stage.

It didn’t take long for the band to come back (sans Stark and Worden).  Colin Meloy first gave thanks to the The Walker Art Center and Minneapolis for providing a wonderful evening before bringing in “Leslie Anne Levine” from the band’s 2002 debut, Castaway and Cutouts.  The band then touched on all of their albums while working through five other songs.  The bouncing “Billy Liar” concluded with Meloy conducting a four-part chorus with the crowd.  After that Meloy explained he was going to play “the worst song he ever wrote” entitled “Dracula’s Daughter”.  Becky Stark and Shara Worden came back in changed attire to end the remarkable show with an explosion.  The band covered Heart’s classic 1976 hit, “Crazy on You” with both Stark and Worden ruthlessly nailing the vocals as the rest of The Decemberists played spot on obviously enjoying every moment of it. 

The Decemberists have never failed to impress me and this night was no exception.  With a wondrous performance combining both music and theater, they provided the perfect art.  And art is what we were there to celebrate.  It was a gorgeous summer night in the city and it could not have ended on a higher note.

The Decemberists – Walker Art Center, June 20th, 2009 setlist:

Prelude
The Hazards of Love 1 (The Prettiest Whistles Won’t Wrestle the Thistles Undone)
A Bower Scene
Won’t Want for Love (Margaret in the Taiga)
The Hazards of Love 2 (Wager All)
The Queen’s Approach
Isn’t It a Lovely Night?
The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid
An Interlude
The Rake’s Song
The Abduction of Margaret
The Queen’s Rebuke/The Crossing
Annan Water
Margaret in Captivity
The Hazards of Love 3 (Revenge!)
The Wanting Comes in Waves (Reprise)
The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned)
———
Leslie Anne Levine
Engine Driver
Billy Liar (with four-part chorus by crowd)
Dracula’s Daughter
O’ Valencia!
Crazy On You (Heart cover)

Nirvana singlehandedly changed music.  Not only did they kill off 80’s hair-metal, they opened the flood gates to a punk influenced style of alternative music that critics were quick to brand as “Grunge”.  This was all done by three flannel shirt-wearing, corporate-hating, punk-loving gentlemen from Seattle.  Much to his consternation, Kurt Cobain, a blond haired Fender Jag-Stang wielding high school dropout lead this revolution.  Alongside were friend & bassist, Krist Novoselic, and drummer, Chad Channing (soon replaced by Dave Grohl).  Together they altered music more than any band in the last twenty years.  If you were too young to have experienced this 90’s rock revolution first hand, you may never get it.  I for one was in the prime of my youth soaking it all in.

1. Nevermind - Choosing an album that sold well over 10 million copies as my favorite may be a real kick in the you-know-what to my street cred.  Oh well.  Nevermind is easily Nirvana’s best.  Soon after its September 24th, 1991 release the album unexpectedly exploded behind its first single ”Smells Like Teen Spirit”.  By the time January 1992 came around, Nevermind was at #1 on the Billboard charts knocking off Michael Jackson’s, Dangerous.  That’s how hard this album hit.  1992 saw the release of singles “Come as You Are”, “Lithium” and “In Bloom” and for two hundred and fifty-two consecutive weeks Nevermind stayed on the Billboard 200.
   Still on Sub Pop Records after the release of their debut Bleach, Kurt Cobain began writing songs for the follow up tentatively titled “Sheep”.  The band recruited producer Butch Vig for this effort and in the middle of recording Cobain’s voice blew out.  Instead of finishing the sessions, the band used the recordings as a demo to shop to major labels and Geffen Records ended up the winner.  In May of 1991 the band got Vig back on board and re-recorded the songs that would make Nevermind.  Butch Vig’s production is gorgeous with Cobain’s guitar incredibly warm while still retaining its heaviness and the drums are front and center.  Not everyone liked the production though including Cobain who went as far as saying “the polished sound was an embarrasement”.  Nevermind is considered one of the best rock albums ever and I wholeheartedly agree.  I must also give thanks as this album and Dave Grohl’s drumming inspired me to pick up the drumsticks.
2. In Utero - In Utero was Nirvana’s amazing follow up to Nevermind.  Although Cobain often denied it, it was apparent many of the songs and the imagery of the album were based on his personal life and new found fame.  The band’s intent was to create a less polished sound than Nevermind and to do this they hired producer Steve Albini whose reputation of recording live and using a studio’s natural acoustics preceded him.  It only took six wintery days to record In Utero in a Cannon Falls, MN studio in February of 1993.  During the sessions Nirvana stayed on a strict self-imposed schedule keeping all outside interference at bay including executives of their own record label.  Albini recorded the music live with vocals and solos added later and the final product was what Nirvana wanted.  The record company on the other hand requested changes deeming the the album unlistenable.   Nirvana agreed to remix “Heart-Shaped Box” and “All Apologies” with producer Scott Litt in Seattle and the vocals were also raised slightly across the entire album.  In Utero was released September 14th, 1993 debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200 and since its release it has sold over 5 million copies worldwide.  “Scentless Apprentice” and “Radio Friendly Unit Shifter” are my favorites.  Unfortunately In Utero ended up being Nirvana’s finale and a sad fact is we’ll never know where they could have gone.
3. Bleach – Bleach was released on Seattle’s Sub Pop Records on June 15th, 1989.  The album title came from a San Francisco AIDS prevention poster advising junkies to bleach their needles that said, “Bleach your works”.  The album was recorded in Reciprocal Recording Studios in Seattle for a mere $606 and the fee was paid by friend Jason Everman who received credit in the liners as a guitarist without playing a lick on the recording.  The album featured Dale Crover on drums on songs “Floyd the Barber”, “Papercuts” and “Downer” and the rest of the drumming on Bleach was done by Chad Channing.  Bleach is the noisiest and most punk influenced record by the band with Cobain’s lyrics nonsensical at times.  Four years after its release in 1993 Kurt Cobain told Spin magazine, “I didn’t give a flying fuck what the lyrics were about” claiming that 80% of the lyrics were written just before recording.  There’s even an ode (albeit perverted) to the Andy Griffith Show with the song “Floyd the Barber”.  “About a Girl” and “Big Cheese” are great songs as is unforgetable bass grooving “Love Buzz”.  Bleach didn’t sell many copies until Nevermind exploded on the scene and Geffen Records rereleased it with the additional track “Downer” that didn’t make the Sub Pop record.  It’s a fun album and a great sign of things to come.
4. Incesticide - Although Incesticide is a compilation of demos, outtakes and radio broadcast recordings and not an actual album, I’ll throw it in here as every major fan of Nirvana will undoubtedly have this in their collection.  Incesticide was released December 15th, 1992 on Geffen Records with very little advertising but still debuted at #51 on the Billboard 200.  The material that made up this compilation was recorded from 1988 - 1991 and much of it was widely circulated among fan circles as b-sides and singles before their release on Incesticide.  Kurt Cobain had full control over all of the album’s art for the first time while painting the cover himself and giving credit in the liner notes as “Kurdt Kobain”.  Incesticide can be split in two halfs with the first half being the strongest, but overall there is something for everyone here.  The cover of Devo’s “Turnaround” is fantastic as are the Vaseline’s songs “Molly’s Lips” and “Son of a Gun”.  The final track titled “Aneurysm” is one of the finest tracks Nirvana ever recorded.