Customer Reviews

Lee Frost’s Panoramic Photography

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In recent years, the very portable Hasselblad X-Pan camera has done a lot to (re-)popularise the panoramic format. In addition, digital cameras allow for easy stitching of separate exposures into elaborate panorama images.

In the wake of these developments, a flurry of books discussing or showcasing panoramic photography have appeared. Lee Frost's book brings us the best of both worlds. On the one hand it is a very thorough and practical discussion of the nuts and bolts of making panorama pictures. But given the profusion of eye catching and alluring images on its pages, it can serve as an excellent coffee table book too.

As there are only a few pages on creating "digital joiners", the book is primarily intended for those photographers wanting to make panoramic pictures with a dedicated (analogue) panorama camera. The book's material is conventionally and usefully organised in chapters discussing equipment, composition, exposure and creative techniques.

The book opens with a very complete survey of flatback, swing-lens and rotational cameras on the market today (including even recent additions - such as the Chinese Widepan and Fotoman cameras). Frost discusses pros, cons and quirks of the many cameras he has used himself. Even an experienced panorama photographer will pick up useful things here. Less conventional solutions - such as using a panoramic adaptor on standard medium format cameras or a panoramic back on a view camera - are included in the discussion too.

The chapters focusing on the practice of taking panorama pictures are all eminently practical and complete. The discussion is hands-on and doesn't avoid specifics: exactly what is needed to carry over the learning to one's own practice in the field. In fact, these sections are recommended reading for any photographer, not just those interested in panorama pictures.

Very interesting also are the closing chapters on presenting and selling panoramics, where Frost gives us a peek behind the curtains on how he runs his business as a professional photographer.

The tone of the book is pleasingly personal (although not quite as personal as Barry Thornton used to be). Despite the wealth of practical tips and hints, Frost manages to convey the excitement of practicing this kind of photography in a narrative that makes frequent reference to specific moments or experiences in his development as professional photographer. That results in a text that is approachable and pleasant to read, though never banal. The personal tone is reinforced by the extensive captions to the photos, in which Frost narrates the specific conditions in which the picture was taken. Very helpful also is that all photos in the book are annotated with camera, lens, filters and film used.

A final appreciative note, perhaps, for the pleasing layout of the book and its careful production.

Better written than most photo books and illustrated by Frost's magnificent images, this book would be useful to any level of photographer -- from someone who has never taken a panoramic image to someone already familiar with the format.

Here's the rub: to get his magnificant images, Frost himself has invested in two specialized cameras systems (Hasselblad Xpan and Fuji GX617) with an arsenal of filters, lenses, tripods, light meters, etc. At B&H in NYC the Hasselblad Xpan with a basic lens sells new for $2650 and a Fuji GX617 set-up is $6000 (although both are readily available on eBay for less). Ouch!

For those readers not ready to make that kind of investment, Frost does have very informative instructions on making panorama by "stitching" digital images with Photoshop or other programs, and on creating panorama-like effects with with non-panoramic cameras without any digital manipulation.

As an owner of a Hasselblad Xpan panoramic camera I found Frost's book both informative and inspiring. I'm headed on vacation in a few days and I'm now going to stock up on film for the camera and put Frost's recommendations to immediate use.

I was disappointed in Corinna Jacobs "Interactive Panoramas," barely more than a compilation of help files with few photographs. That work is a helpful contrast to Lee Frost's Panoramic Photography which is both instructive and beautiful.

The Frost volume is richly illustrated with Frost's own panoramas which are simply beautiful. Many are panoramas from within a few miles of his home, leaving me envious. Others are from treks to Morocco, Turkey and other Asian and African locales. The photographs alone are enough to leave you satisfied.

But Frost provides a marvelous tutorial on every aspect of panorama photography. Primarily film-oriented, Frost does slights neither the digital camera owner or the rank amateur. He provides a number of clever techniques to create pseudo-panoramas.

Overall, rhis book is a very worthwhile addition to the library of any photographer.

Jerry

When I first began to browse this book I thought that there was nothing new here, especially for a photographer with some experience. It was almost a retelling of other "how to" photographic books, covering basics such as filling the frame, foreground interest and the rule of thirds.

However, on reading through it in more detail, it did cover issues specifically related to panoramic images, such as exposure, filters (especially polarisers), and metering. There were a number of helpful tips, such as using blue-tac to secure filters and center ND filters.

There were some omissions, such as stitching backs and pinhole panoramas, but all in all it covered the equipment side very well. The section on digital stitching was adequate but did not cover the issue of lens nodal points and specialized panoramic tripod adapters. There are now photographers creating giant digital mosaics that are at the 1gig file size level using stitching software such as PTAssembler and hardware such as the Panosaurus Panoramic Tripod Head. Imagine turning a Canon 10D into a 100megapixel camera!

In the end I awarded this book four stars only because I could not award 3.5. I admit though that this is an excellent starting point for someone new to panoramic photography, and all in one handy book.

This is an excellent book for those interested in making photographic panoramas. It is a little outdated, but still covers the basics of making panoramas with a digital camera. The author is british, so a little of the terminology seems a bit strange to Americans (in a delightful sort of way). It is chock full of beautiful panoramas and the author's explanations of how he made them are very valuable. Good technique is timeless and this book is crammed with useful techniques as well as a very good photograhic philosophy. Being a photographer myself, I very much appreciate Mr. Frost sharing his valuable experience, opinions and outstanding panoramas with us! Lee frost discusses, and evaluates (objectively), all the panoramic cameras I am aware of, and some that I was not. I highly recommend this book for those interested in this subject and for those who simply want to look at and appreciate his beautiful photographs.

This is a great introduction to panoramic photography! It covers pretty much every way to capture panoramic images from beginning to end. It mostly covers film flat back cameras. It has lots of photos from the cameras and of the cameras. It gives great information on each type of camera and examples of the best. This book is what really led me to get a flat back 6x17 film camera system. Although, if you're looking for information on digital stitching, this really isn't the book for you. It briefly goes over that, but is film camera dominated. I highly recommend this book to anyone who's interested in shooting in panoramic format.

I have always kept an eye out for Lee Frosts titles as they are usually a good read with excellent photography. This one is one of his best. If you are interested in Panoramic photography I suggest you definitely buy this book and also buy "Stretch". Good quality printing and up to date information. Well worth adding to your library.

If you're looking to buy film panoramic camera, maybe you'll benefit from this book, but if you're looking to learn about pano photography stay away. I bought mine for $2.18, so not to big of a loss.
Title is misleading to us who want to learn how to take pano images with DSLR and pano heads.

I bought a 2nd hand Xpan (1st gen) a year ago but never really know what to do with it. It was left on the shelf when I bought a digital SLR.

After going through this book, I'm back to film and I never leave home without my Xpan.

This is a great book for anyone considering panoramic photography or for those who are new to the format.