SuperPanos – a artistic images approach excellent for movie

I gave a chat on this topic at The Photography Show 2026 on the NEC and thought readers of 35mmc may take pleasure in a lower down model of the discuss. SuperPanos are a method I’ve been enjoying with on my TYCH digicam for plenty of years now and with out fail have produced fascinating outcomes for me.

I’m going to stipulate what a SuperPano is, Cameras which can be utilized to create them, movies that work effectively for SuperPanos and eventually how greatest to scan your pictures. I’ve obtained some examples to share, though for the additional pictures I used within the discuss I solely had permission from the photographers to make use of them within the discuss.

What is a SuperPano?

It is a made up phrase, a portmanteau of “mash-up” of two phrases. Superimposed and Panorama. In brief it’s a picture combining each of those strategies. You are in all probability all aware of a number of publicity pictures. Quite a typical approach in each analogue and digital images. I favor to do these in digicam fairly than resorting to photoshop strategies.
This approach represents the superimposed a part of a superpano.
What makes these pictures totally different to a single publicity picture is the complexity they provide the viewer. Your mind has to place in further effort to grasp what the picture is exhibiting you.

Some of you could have tried window body panoramas, particularly when you personal a half body digicam. Exactly as you’d think about this can be a panoramic {photograph} taken on a steady strip of movie the place every body follows on one from the opposite. The ensuing impact when introduced precisely because it seems on the movie is that of trying by a window body.

I like to do that approach handheld, letting go of the precision and perfection and accepting a barely disjointed look.
So what occurs whenever you mix all these strategies collectively, superimposing a panoramic picture with a window body model?

This is the primary sort of SupePano I skilled when certainly one of our prospects shared his picture with me. My execution will not be fairly as putting as his, however hopefully you get the thought. Multiple exposures are overlapped as you execute a panoramic picture. In this case an area landmark offers the visible curiosity. A little bit of imprecision provides simply sufficient confusion to the picture that it’s important to work at deciphering it.

Cameras for SuperPanos

You want a digicam that permits each a number of publicity an partial body advance. In idea most handbook cameras ought to enable this, however in follow it may be very tough.
Trying to impact a partial wind while holding down rewind buttons will not be straightforward. Using a conventional SLR could be a actual problem as you’ll want to perceive how the digicam movie advance mechanism works to achieve success. The plethora of 3D printed cameras may appear to tick all the suitable containers, however you in all probability need one with optical glass (fairly than a pinhole) in any other case the method of making a SuperPano can be very lengthy!

You really want a digicam that helps a number of exposures AND provides you full management of movie winding (i.e no interlock between indexing and shutter launch)
Indexing means whenever you take an image the digicam forces you to advance the movie and received’t enable one other shot to be taken till the movie is in place for the subsequent body.

Which cameras would I like to recommend? Obviously our personal TYCH cameras are an important choice. HOLGA, Lomography, 3D printed and Vintage 120 cameras may also work effectively. You do nonetheless should be cautious with classic 120 cameras that they don’t have a shutter / movie advance interlock. Having a digicam with a sign of how far you will have superior the body may be a bonus. A digicam that clicks as you advance just like the Lomography Diana F+ can assist. The variety of clicks for every body can differ throughout the roll. The TYCH cameras have a ¼ body marker hidden on the body indicator wheel, particularly to assist with partial overlaps. For classic cameras you will should work out how far every flip of the wind knob advances the movie, including some markings with tape can assist!

Film Choice for SuperPanos

Negative movies, Colour negatives are inclined to work effectively as the color within the picture can assist viewer determine the topic extra simply. Black and white works fantastically, however a transparent topics with excessive distinction helps the viewer interpret the picture.

Slide movie typically doesn’t work so effectively because it doesn’t have sufficient dynamic vary to deal with the inevitable areas of below or over publicity. Ilford HP5 Plus, Kodak Tri-X 400, Kodak Portra 400, Gold, Ultramax, Fuji 400, Lomography Colour Negative are all nice movie choices for SuperPanos

That doesn’t imply you shouldn’t attempt different movies, it simply provides to the problem.

Making a SuperPano

There a couple of totally different strategies for making your superpano pictures. The easiest strategy is staying in a single spot, take pictures from left to proper with partial advancing of the movie in between every publicity. Deciding on overlap upfront (exact, variable or at particular factors within the panorama), and being assured you understand how to realize that overlap along with your digicam.

Do you’ll want to underexpose? This typically depends upon what number of layers to mean so as to add to your image. Lots of layers of publicity profit from underexposure, in any other case your negatives can turn out to be too dense.

A special strategy is Creating a narrative panorama. This works extremely effectively, particularly when you can have a central topic. It wants extra planning to verify your closing picture is balanced. I created this instance on my native excessive road, telling the story of the totally different outlets that I take advantage of regularly.

Scanning SuperPanos

Most labs will scan particular person frames. Automatic machines can miss frames or scan with mounted gaps in between frames lacking elements of your panorama. Whilst I’ve managed to efficiently reconstruct lab scanned panoramas it’s hardly ever straightforward.

This implies that scanning at dwelling is commonly a favoured choice. Digital digicam scans might have stitching in photoshop, except you may settle for decrease decision pictures. The picture beneath exhibits the setup I take advantage of for dwelling scanning my black and white superpanos. A pill as a lightweight supply mixed with a pixl-latr to carry the movie flat – oh and a superb macro lens on my Nikon Z6

Flatbed scanners are the perfect strategy. If you will have a flatbed scanner, possibly an Epson you might be all set. Just bear in mind, negatives may be extra dense than a accurately uncovered picture. This could be a actual downside with color unfavorable, so in case your model is a lot of layering you’ll need to underexpose your pictures to get straightforward to scan outcomes.

The instance above was so dense I used to be unable to scan efficiently at dwelling. Thankfully the lab scan was greater than ok to piece collectively a delightful lead to photoshop.

To end up listed here are a few examples taken with TYCH cameras that hopefully will encourage you to attempt the approach your self. For this picture at Lizard Point in Cornwall, I wished to seize the best way my sense of vertigo affected the view for me, so I made a decision to tilt my frames at totally different angles while making this picture.

This instance was extra of an accident. I dad supposed to create a SuperPano of all of the rides on the honest. The outcomes for the entire picture had been a bit disappointing. As is commonly the case with this method, the accidents may be higher than the intentional pictures. The begin of my panora turned vertical made an important picture.

Share this put up: