My love affair with panoramic photographs was sparked at a young age when my uncle showed me a huge image he pieced together with multiple 3R photographs. It was of a mountain he had snapped. And it was breathtaking. My uncle had captured the mountain in all its glory with a series of over 10 images.

In the early years when every one still used film, my uncle had snapped multiple sections of a mountain and painstakingly put it together like a jigsaw, except with overlapping layers.

I had tried to do what my uncle did. But it was not easy to do, at all. And I gave up trying. Until the panoramic function on smart phones and apps were invented.

Before I got my hands on an iPhone 4S, I used the 360 Panorama app to take panoramic photographs. But the quality of the camera was shoddy. Now, taking a panoramic photograph is so easy. All I need to do is to swipe my finger across the screen, scroll to pano mode, press the capture button and just follow an arrow to produce a panoramic photograph.

Since then, I’ve taken quite a number of panoramic photographs. And these are my 10 favourite images.

#10 – View of the Burj Al Arab from Pierchic, Dubai

I wish I snapped more of the pier and included more of the water on the right side of the image as well. That would give it more of a panoramic look and help balance out the image more. (PS: The food at Pierchic is really good. But remember to make reservations 2 days ahead of time)

#9 – Medieval Village of Lacock, Wiltshire

I was fascinated by the houses in the small town of Lacock. When I stepped into a tiny pub for lunch, I had traversed across time and travelled to the past. The entire town is an interesting juxtaposition of old and new.

#8 – Arabian Desert, Dubai

My first desert experience was a thrilling one. While this photograph doesn’t quite capture the beautiful sand dunes we had to cross to get to this location, just the vastness shown in the image reminds me of the journey it took. I am not a fan of sand. It gets everywhere! But that day, the sand didn’t bother me one bit.

#7 – Ancient Road to Fira, Santorini

My best friend attempted this ancient route from Oia to Fira on Christmas morning while I chose to stay in the little cave house we found through Airbnb. I was happy to be reading my books and reflecting on the year that had passed. When he came back, he told me about the beautiful views he saw along the route and convinced me to hike part of the way to Fira to catch the sunset. It was a bit of a challenge, but so very worth it.

#6 – Brooklyn Bridge, New York City

Taken using the 360 Panorama app, I had to crop off much of this image, as such, it doesn’t quite scream panorama. I suppose this is ranked #6 because of my love for New York City. But besides that, I also love the double exposure of the ghostly flag while everything else was clear and sharp.

#5 – Fira, Santorini

This panoramic photograph is in the list because of the father and son I captured on the right side of the image. We were in Santorini in late December, well past the island’s tourist season, as such we were able to capture sweeping views of the island and the caldera without other tourists in the photograph. This father and son pair walked into the shot and took their time to enjoy the view. But truth be told, I didn’t mind it at all. Because they made an otherwise common landscape photograph, special.

#4 – Ancient Thera, Santorini

We only had an hour to explore Ancient Thera and 60 minutes is definitely not enough to finish exploring the place! We stood on the edge of the cliff, enjoying the views captured in this panoramic photograph. Looking at this photo, I feel a sense of peace and tranquility wash over me. I will one day return and spend more time here, but for now, memories are all I have of Ancient Thera.

#3 – Leeds Castle, Kent

As it was my second time to Leeds Castle, I made sure to check out parts of the grounds that I didn’t explore before. I love this photo of the castle because of its reflection in the moat and the beautiful white and yellow flowers blooming in the foreground. In 2011, I opted to explore the aviary. A good decision apparently as they closed it in 2012. I wanted to explore the maze but didn’t have time the first time. And in 2014, I also didn’t have enough time to find the maze. But that’s ok. This just gives me another reason to go back to Leeds Castle.

#2 – Temple of Poseidon, Cape Sounion

My best friend and I came across a friendly Greek taxi driver the day before we were scheduled to fly back to Singapore. He left us a name card and offered to bring us around for a flat fee if we were interested. He had been very informative during the one hour city tour he gave us in his taxi so we decided to take him up on his offer. We had explored much of Athens already and so he suggested we go see the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion. Best. Suggestion. Ever! Thank you Theofanis!

#1 – The Battle of Britain Memorial on the White Cliffs of Dover, Kent

I had been looking for a photograph from my previous travels to post in my Snapped! series and I stumbled upon this. After writing the entry, I was inspired to search for other panoramic photos in my collection and thought it would be grand to share my top 10 favourite panoramic photographs. This image ranks #1 on my list because I love the colours captured it in! The sky seemed to bleed into The Channel and the bright crisp green of the grass soothes me and brings a smile to my face. Who says England is dreary and grey? Here’s proof that it isn’t always cloudy and grey in the UK.

What do you think?
Are you a fan of taking panoramic photographs? What difficulties do you face when taking a panoramic photograph? Is there an awesome app one should download to take panoramic photographs with? Share with us a panoramic photograph you’ve taken and tell us why you chose to capture it that way.

Related articles

• 8 Guidelines To Taking Panoramic Photos With Any Camera (digital-photography-school.com)
• Best Panoramic Photo Apps (appadvice.com)
• The Tools and Techniques of Panoramic Photography (bhphotovideo.com)
• Panoramic Photography Tutorial (photographylife.com)
• Panoramic Photography: 30 Breathtaking Photos (hongkiat.com)
• 360Cities: World Panoramic Photography (360cities.net)
• Panoramic photography: tips for making high-res images from multiple pictures (digitalcameraworld.com)
• 40 Inspiring Panoramic Photographs (photography.tutsplus.com)
• How To Make an Incredibly Easy Panoramic Photograph With Any Camera (howtogeek.com)

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