Lomography

My top 6 panoramic experiences after 5 months with the Sprocket Rocket!

The Sprocket Rocket is my first Lomography camera. I was already a fan of panoramas while shooting digital, so it is not surprising to be attracted to it when it was launched. This camera however goes one step further by having the ability to shoot sprockets as well!

Anyway, after a few rolls of shooting with the Sprocket Rocket, it is not hard to identify its quirks. By keeping in mind these characteristics while shooting with a panoramic camera, one can use them to their advantage and produce great photos.

1. Shooting people in their context/setting

Panoramic cameras often manage to shoot more things than just the subject you aimed for. Sometimes it creates a distraction, but a little planning in mind beforehand about the background helps a lot. In the first photo, I shot the two Thai women collecting clams along the beach at Krabi during low tide. The background helped a lot in completing the image; had I shot them against the sea, it wouldn’t have as much effect.

2. Barrel distortion

Especially prominent in horizons, this creates a subtle fisheye-like effect. When composing, try to position the horizon or any straight lines near the long edges of your camera. Watch them bend!

3. Cityscapes

This is a no-brainer, isnt it? Nothing is better at capturing landscape or a cityscape than a panoramic camera! However, no matter how tall a building is, I still prefer to compose them horizontally. Shooting vertically captures the whole building, but it doesn’t add as much context. Try composing the empty space with clouds!

4. Filling the frames

As mentioned in number 1, panoramic cameras captures a lot more than the subject. When composing, look for busy subjects or crazy patterns. Go close so no borders can be seen and let the subject fill the entire frame!

5. Leading lines

While composing your image, try to look for any objects/structures that creates a line leading from the side to the centre of your image. Roads and rivers are some of them, but I personally think anything overhead has a stronger effect (not to mention the shadow cast provides a good opportunity for MX)! This works on generally all formats, but the panoramic format enhances the whole effect.

6. Friends

Last but not least… Shoot yourself and your friends! I found out that most of the time in group shots, people usually stand in a line or two. Using something like a Fisheye captures also the top and bottom of the group photo, but panoramic cameras present a more natural perspective, depending on which one you prefer.

That’s the 6 panoramic experiences from my point of view so far! What about yours?

The Sprocket Rocket is the first wide-angle camera dedicated entirely to sprockets. And with dual winding knobs for easy multiple exposures, there is no limit to your analogue creativity with this panoramic wonder. See the Sprocket Rocket in our Shop!