Using Panoramic Crops to Revitalize Your Photography

When you revisit familiar places, it's easy to overlook new scenes. You might have fixed ideas of what to shoot. This can lead to missing unique moments. 

Coming to you from Andy Mumford, this inspiring video explores the use of panoramic formats to break the routine. Panoramic images, once a staple, have fallen out of favor due to the rise of mobile and Instagram photography. However, they offer a unique way to capture expansive scenes. With the right settings, you can create stunning images that wouldn't fit in a traditional frame.

One effective method is using multiple images stitched together in Lightroom. This is straightforward but doesn't always change how you see a scene. Mumford prefers using his Fuji camera’s cropping feature. This allows him to view the scene in a panoramic format directly through the viewfinder. It helps in visualizing and framing the shot differently. This approach encourages finding compositions with strong horizontal flows and using negative space effectively.

Shooting in a panoramic format makes you look for different elements in your composition. These elements might be overlooked when shooting in standard formats. A panoramic crop can highlight the isolation of a subject or emphasize the vastness of the landscape.

For example, Mumford describes shooting the Brafoss waterfall in Iceland. Typically, he would use an ultra-wide angle lens to capture the entire scene. However, using a 16:9 crop allowed him to focus on the waterfall itself, highlighting its details and flow. Similarly, at a beach during sunrise, the panoramic format captured the scene’s horizontal elements and the expanse of the sky and water, creating a balanced and striking image.

Another technique Mumford uses is shooting with his phone. This method is less serious and more spontaneous, allowing for quick captures of potential compositions. It serves as a sketchpad, helping identify interesting scenes that might be overlooked. Later, he revisits these spots with his main camera to capture the shot in greater detail and quality.

For example, in Lon, Norway, a fresh snowstorm blanketed the scene, simplifying the background. Using his phone, Mumford spotted a red hut surrounded by snow. The panoramic crop emphasized the isolation of the hut, creating a striking image that would have been missed otherwise. The phone shot helped him see the composition, and then, he used his main camera for the final capture.

Using these techniques, Mumford finds new compositions in familiar locations. Check out the video above for the full rundown.

And if you really want to dive into landscape photography, check out our latest tutorial, "Photographing the World: Japan With Elia Locardi!"