Outdoor Photography How To

Have your ever dreamed about creating spectacular panorama photos that leave everyone speechless, but you don't know where to start? The solution is simple: Watch the following beginners guide that explains everything you need to know.

This step-by-step lesson come from the Photography Explained YouTube channel—a great source for diagnosing common problems, learning new shooting and editing techniques, and evaluating gear. The tutorials are written by an evolving shooter, just like many of you, who understands how to convey information to novices photographer who don't contemplate turning pro.

Today's unnamed British instructor introduces the 11-mnute episode like this: "As an amateur photographer still find my way, I've learned some great tips for creating stunning panorama photos." By the time the tutorial concludes you'll no longer be overwhelmed and you'll confident in your ability to get the job done.

The lesson begins with the why before demonstrating the how, and it boils down to this: "Think about those times you've experienced breathtaking landscape that make you feel tiny by comparison. Often the reason these scenes appear so epic is that they're bigger and wider than you can fully grasp with your peripheral vision alone.

In other words, if you can give viewers an expansive image that fills their peripheral vision, you can create the same awe-inspiring reaction that you experienced yourself in the field. Its true that you can crop a wide-angle shot to arrive at a panoramic perspective, but there are drawbacks to taking the easy way out.

In simple terms you'll face wide-angle distortion and unwanted vignetting that can quickly spoil a shot. And by cropping so severely, "you're going to lose a ton of megapixels at the top and bottom of the frame."

So here's  the correct way to proceed for optimum results: It's as simple as capturing multiple shots while carefully rotating the camera through the scene, and then stitching them together during the image-editing process to arrive a single shot worth of the expression "WOW."

And here's the kicker: "Panorama photography is actually pretty simple. You don't need fancy gear and can get started today with the equipment you already own." So pay close attention as our instructor demonstrates all the steps required for shooting a few images and then merging them on the computer.

The Photography Explained YouTube channel is well worth visiting—especially if you're a beginner who's interested in expanding your skills.

And don't miss the earlier tutorial we featured with a post-processing professional who demonstrates how to add impact to boring landscape photographs by using Lightroom's powerful Color Contrast tools.