The Art of the Panorama
Panoramic Aerial Photography with the Mavic Air 2S, Kissimmee Florida
This lovely morning I was up at my normal time of 5am. After a little reading and enjoying some coffee, headed to the gym a little earlier than normal. Kicked my own ass for about 70 minutes then wiped off (I know…ewwww…just really limited on time) and headed in the Toyota Sequoia down US Hwy 192 in Kissimmee.
I had a plan.
Early morning sun photography with the Mavic Air 2S drone.
In producing the 4k Video Reel for Kissimmee, I noted that I need some kick ass shots like I had taken when shooting the St Cloud 4k Video Reel.
A few areas of Kissimmee are in my mind today.
There is of course, the lakefront. I can’t really fly there. It’s near the airport so that space is restricted to a 0 foot ceiling. That is without prior FAA approval that takes months to gain in a 0 ceiling zone.
Historic Downtown. Same. (Which is a dang shame cause there’s a LOT of great drone work to be had in that entire area).
However, there are a few iconic spots I thought would be beautiful at sun up.
The Old Town amusement area, The Gaylord Palms Hotel, and the downtown lakefront (more like pond front) of colorful Celebration. All these parts of Kissimmee are noteworthy for various reasons. But I thought it would be cool to catch a wide view of them with a camera…from way up in the air..
So a Panorama. What is it?
Sunrise over Lake Toho in Kissimmee - A Panoramic Photograph
Well, it is technically a wide or tall or both shot of an area too big to shoot with a single shot.
The project is shot by taking a series of shots while overlapping them to later load them into a photo processing program (like Lightroom). Lightroom then upon my command will stitch them together into a larger image compiled by the various images shot.
In upcoming videos for my Youtube channel, Robert Anthony Photography, you will see some EPIC panoramic shots I have taken with my Nikon DSLR camera of Bryce Canyon as well as The Fire Wave in the Las Vegas area of Nevada. Don’t miss out on these and be sure to subscribe to my channel for an update when they come out. It’s soon.
Sunrise over Old Town and HWY 192 on the West side of Kissimmee, FL
The key in this concept is the camera needs to stay at the same “level” or I guess it would be plane, while maneuvering around to take the shots. The axis upon which it rotates must remain fixed but it can rotate horizontally or vertically…or both while capturing the images to later be stitched together. Using a DSLR, imperative to have a Panoramic Ball head on top of your tripod.
When I use the Mavic Drone to do panoramic photos, because the areas are so vast, I will very often, as is the case with most of the images you see in this post as well as by clicking over to this gallery, not only rotate the camera horizontally but also vertically, typically taking 9-12 images to ultimate create a single.
I shoot every image in the RAW file format. Yes, the Air 2S will shoot the panoramic images for me in one of it’s smart modes, but it stiches them together in a JPEG format. In doing so, much of the image data is loss in compression, making it much less robust in color and scopes for final editing.
So, as a pro should, I generally (unless I’m having an extra lazy day) always shoot in RAW.
Particularly if there is a chance that at a later date, they will be files requested for professional license or use and will make their way to print.
No time to skimp on file sizes.
After all, if I am going to take advantage of the full spectrum of data a 20mp 1” sensor will provide as is the case on the Mavic Air 2S, it’s certainly best to be shooting in full RAW format.
Enjoy these few sample photos and be sure to check out some of my other galleries to get a load of what a drone can do in photography.
To See the FULL gallery of images, all panoramic taken with the drone of Kissimmee, including what I shot this morning, click this link now.
Until next time….I need that shower now.
rob out
PS, Huge shoutout to the Downtown Diner in Celebration. I ate an amazing breakfast there after the photo session over the pond in Celebration. I recommend it HIGHLY.
