Epson Pano Awards

We are happy to announce an exhibit showcasing the work of panoramic photographers worldwide, sponsored by Epson. Deadline for submissions is Friday April 15, 2011 - get all the details at the official Web site.

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

NPy (in five words or less)

Meet Me On The Equinox
Death Cab for Cutie

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne
(When Spring Hopes . . . Eternal)

Take in . . . The Panocturnists!

Intake by Troy Paiva

The Panocturnists, our 21st Online Exhibit of NPy (and the reason for this Blog, the Flickr Group, etc.) is NOW LIVE! Have a look-see and leave a comment here - tell us what you think, what improvements could be made, rant if you want!

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

A Panocturnist Study

The image below, "Brick Wall and Fence, Railroad Avenue," appeared on Dan Mitchell's Blog the other day - linked here. From a Mare Island (MINSy) shoot from a few weeks back, done in partnership with the SF Bay Flyway Festival

This image rather nicely combines three (3) areas of Photography that we just love - Night Photography (NPy), B/W photos, and the panoramic format. Oh-h! - did I mention it was done on Mare Island - make that FOUR!

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

It's the Lens, baby . . .

Released last October, the introduction of a Fisheye Optic by the Lensbaby folks - moving, as they say "beyond the realm of selective focus . . ." - offers photographers a Creative Effects SLR lens system. Specifically, the Fisheye features an ultra-wide 12mm focal length, 160 degree fisheye angle of view from infinity all the way down to one-inch from the front of the lens. That should do it!

Read review of lens here.

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

Shooting Panoramas at Night

 Waiting at the Crossing, Lincoln, NE 1993 — by Chris Faust

Check out Joe Reifer's Blog -"Shooting Panoramas at Night: A Contest, and Gear Meditation." BTW, the Contest he's referring to is our very own: The Panocturnists - and the discussion of the limitations of Pano-NPy, with an extensive hardware survey, is excellent.

BTW2, Deadline for entries - by fax or email - to The Panocturnists is TOMORROW, January 30! Entry form is here. Look foreward to hearing from you.

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

The Panocturnists

Today, on his Night Photography Blog, Andy Frazer really digs into the topic of "Panocturnes" - Panoramic Night Photography - an area that sits at "the intersection of two unusual segments of photography." Discussing (dismissing?) the trend toward "ultra-long' night photographs, Mr. Frazer further points out that while Panoramic NPy presents challenges, it also can present opportunities (like The Panocturnists, perhaps?).

Mare Island Panocturne by Andy Frazer

He also provides some links to some of the more visible practitioners of the genre (is it too early to call it that?), on the World W I D E Web, including our own Joe Reifer.

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

A Panocturne from the Death Valley trek

Image Copyright 2009 Tim Baskerville

Panoramic NPy of Porters Brothers Store in Rhyolite, NV - done on our recent Full Moon Night Photography Workshop in Death Valley. Medium format, Fuji Tungsten-balanced slide film. More on our DV Flickr Group.

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

Use panoramas to open up tight spaces

Quick link here - to a how-to-pano piece by Rick Sammon (from the current issue of Digital Photo magazine).

Image Copyright Rick Sammon

As Rick points out, we usually see panos used to interpret the 'grand' expanse of land/cityscapes, but they can be extremely useful and effective in less expansive environments.

(from The Nocturnes NightNews feed)

Asking the tough questions . . .

As is the case many times, interesting presentation/discussion over at Mark Hobsons's The Landscapist Blog these days - here, here, and there.

Man +/-? nature # 1

Some very thought-provoking comments around some unusual diptychs there. With unequal proportions (one image being roughly 2:1, the second 1:1 providing a 'broken' - by the dividing frameline, at least - panorama). The work is of the usual high standards, the main question is: Are the graphics ( + / - ? ) necessary? I'm thinking not, but I'm torn - this is a common dilemma among artists - do you 'hammer home' the idea (your point, agenda, political, environmental, whatever) or does one leave it more up to the individual viewer - ask the tough questions, and leave it at that. More questions than answers.

For instance, when The Nocturnes presented "The Nocturnes: Not Ready to Make Nice" (our most overtly political show to date), participants stayed away in droves, which is kind of ironic, given the hoopla around the Dixie Chicks, Ms. Maines earlier comments, and the subsequent song, NRTMN. One might describe the situation as another case of "Just Shut Up & Photograph."

What do you think?

(from The Nocturnes NightNews feed)