Panoramic photography was invented very soon after the popularization of the very first photographic process, in the mid 1800s. As a landscape photographer I am deeply drawn to the panoramic fine art photography style. In my mind it is a better representation of the natural landscape. In this post I explain why panoramic photography is appealing to me. In addition, you will learn why panoramic fine art prints are a great choice for any home interior.
Panoramic fine art photography refers to images and/or prints which are quite wide compared to their height. While narrower formats are probably more common, panoramic photography dates back to the middle of the 19th century.
A photographic print or an image is considered panoramic when one of its sides (length or height) is quite a bit longer than the other. How much longer? While I have not come across a strict definition, I would say it would have to be at least twice the length of the other side. This would be considered a 2:1 (two by one) aspect ratio. Some examples of print sizes in the 2:1 aspect ratio would be: 10×5, 20×10, 30×15, and so on. In comparison, one of (what I believe to be) the most common formats 2:3 would have print sizes such as: 4×6, 8×12, 10×15, etc. in this case the short side is two thirds the length of the long side.
I would consider the 2:1 to be the shortest panoramic image. Therefore, it is worth mentioning other panoramic formats, where the aspect ratio is larger. In other words, the long side of the image is more than twice the length of the short side. Here are some examples:
In addition, sometimes fine art photographers choose unrestricted ratios for their image, to accommodate a certain scene. This means that they choose random length and height, which are not confined to a particular aspect ratio. In addition, while most panoramic images are horizontal (long side is the width), some landscape photographers shoot vertical panoramas as well.
When I first started shooting panoramic landscape photography I did not restrict myself to a certain aspect ratio either. However, I soon realized that it was not sustainable to offer all types of random-sized fine art photography prints to my customers. Furthermore, I did not find it appealing to have a fine art nature photography portfolio of inconsistent aspect ratios. For this reason, I decided to pick one panoramic aspect ratio and stick with it. The one that I chose, and to this day find most aesthetically pleasing, is the 3:1 aspect ratio. Here is an example:
Believe it or not panoramic photography can be traced back to the mid 1800s. It was not long after the invention of photography in 1839, when panoramic images and prints were first made. One of those early panoramic photographers was George Barnard. He “served as the official army photographer for Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman’s Military Division of the Mississippi during the American Civil War”. In fact, the Library of Congress’ earliest vintage panoramic photographs were taken by George Barnard.
The daguerreotype photographic process was the first method used for making panoramic photography. Also, it was the first photographic process available to the public and was used in the 1840s and 1850s. It was invented by Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre. The process did not use photographic film or print paper. Rather, the photographer used metal plates, which were polished and then treated with chemicals to capture and reveal an image. Therefore, the original panoramic photographs were made by positioning two or more daguerreotype plates side-by-side.
It was not much later when specialized cameras for panoramic photography were made for the daguerreotype photographic process. However, Kodak introduced its first panoramic camera in 1899 – the No. 4 Kodak Panoram.
Years ago I discovered how to make digital panoramic images and have been perfecting that craft ever since. After I shot some of my first panoramic photographs and printed them, it was a no brainer – panoramic was the way to go. As a nature photographer, it has literally and figuratively opened my photographic horizon in my journey of fine art nature photography.
In 2007 I was introduced to a software product called AutoStitch. It was “the first fully automatic 2D image stitcher”. This meant that I could take multiple overlapping images of a nature scene and then use AutoStitch to blend them together into one uniform picture. This was an incredible concept which fascinated me. It meant that I could take panoramic images and capture wide nature scenes. It also meant that I could do that and end up with larger digital image files. That would then allow me to print larger fine art photography prints with better quality. It was amazing.
Since then I began to visualize my fine art nature photography approach in panoramic format. I soon realized that many of the nature landscapes I photographed, actually lent themselves better to being captured in panoramic format. In other words, photogenically they fit better in a 3:1 panoramic aspect ratio. What became apparent was that more often than not our natural world seemed to be panoramic. As a result, my eyes and brain have learned to see nature through a panoramic photo lens. This means that when I am out looking for beautiful nature scenes to photograph, my mind first frames them in panoramic format.
I believe that our world of natural beauty is more often panoramic, rather than 2:3 or a square frame. Have you ever seen a “Scenic Lookout” sign while driving through a national park, or a place of natural beauty? Can you recall the view, after you pulled over? Most of the times, was it not wide open, grand, and impressive? How many times have you stood in front of such a view and found yourself struggling to fit it all inside your camera viewfinder? Why did you want to fit it in, in the first place? Was it because you wanted to capture the whole thing in all of its majesty? This is a major reason why, as a photographic artist, I shoot panoramic.
Maybe by now I have trained my eyes to look for those landscapes. On the other hand, maybe the landscapes are mostly panoramic, and people just do not notice. When I am out and enjoying a nature view I cannot help but see the panorama in it. Even this evening, coming back from a long road trip I marveled at the magnificent sunset. Since my car was pointed into it I got to enjoy it for a long time. This was not a photography trip. I didn’t even have my camera with me. However, I kept framing the scene in my mind and kept thinking about how I would have captured it with my camera.
As a fine art nature photographer I shoot panoramic because the 3:1 frame very often corresponds to my visual reality. It allows me to capture the vastness of a landscape in all of its glory. In addition, personally I find the panoramic fine art prints more appealing and pleasing to the eye.
As much as I love panoramic format photography, I do not believe it is the answer to every landscape image. Other formats and aspect ratios, including vertical images, make for great fine art nature photography. Being a landscape photographer I use 2:3 format in both horizontal and vertical orientation. In addition, I have seen many nature photographers take incredible shots in all kinds of image formats and aspect ratios.
Finally, I don’t think a landscape photographer should try to force any format on a landscape. Such an attempt could turn into trying to fit a square peg in a round whole. The composition should be natural and the aspect ratio should be dictated by the landscape view itself, and not by any other rules. As a fine art photographer I strive to find the natural frame of the physical location. However, I cannot help but be drawn stronger to the panoramic ones. When printed on high quality materials and in very large sizes, they truly become, what I call, windows to nature.
In my opinion panoramic photo art prints often fit more elegantly as wall art in comparison to other print formats. The reason I say this is twofold. First, the wall space around the photo print often serves as a natural frame, within which the print fits. When the shape of the wall is similar to that of the image, it becomes a more elegant background for the print. Therefore, the closer the wall shape to the photographic print shape, the more naturally the print fits on it. Second, the print does not stand on its own in a room. It works in relationship with the furniture, the decor, and any other pieces which are part of the room. Longer wall art, such as a panoramic fine art print, often goes well with long furniture in the room. Good examples are couches, tables, long chests, etc.
It is worth mentioning that how elegantly a photo print fits on a wall is as subjective a judgement as judging how beautiful a photograph is. When it comes to art in general, things are not very black and white and there are no hard formulas. Different people see and interpret the same thing in different ways. What appears elegant and beautiful to one person may not be the case for another.
In addition, not every wall is best suited for a panoramic fine art print. By the same token, not every wall is well suited for a horizontal image. For example, I would not recommend placing a panoramic wall art print on a wall like the one shown in the image below.
In my mind, this type of wall is perfectly suited for a vertical 3:2 format image. Notice how the wall space outside this fine art print is very uniform. This is because the shape of the wall happens to be in a very similar aspect ratio as the print itself. Because of this, the wall space becomes a natural frame for the image and when that happens everything blends very well.
A large portion of my fine art nature photography portfolio is comprised of panoramic images and prints. I love shooting in this format and very much enjoy both the process and the final result. Now that you understand more about panoramic fine art photography, I invite you to find the image you want for your wall. Feel free to take a moment and look through my fine art photography galleries. All images are available as a limited edition, high quality photography prints for sale.
Sneffels Range Mountain Ranch | Ridgway, Colorado | LIMITED EDITION FINE ART PRINT 100
Gintchin Fine Art offers exclusive limited edition fine art photography by Lazar Gintchin, a nature and landscape photographer specializing in large format size prints. Each image in Gintchin’s portfolio is a unique and limited edition print. The gallery includes high-quality wall art prints in acrylic and metal mediums, providing a luxurious fine art presentation. With a diverse range of genres to choose from, art enthusiasts can curate a collection that reflects their aesthetic preferences.
