Carroll Morgan setting up for a panoramic photography shoot

Buckhead photographer Carroll Morgan creates high resolution, large megapixel panoramic photography of the Atlanta and Buckhead skylines.

Before the shoot

The most important non-photographic aspect of my panoramic success—gaining access to the building—begins days or weeks before climbing on their roof.

Access comes from constantly cultivating relationships with building owners, general managers, marketing directors, property managers, residents, or professional people who have contacts who own, manage, or develop properties. When I discover a new potential building, I try to find the decision maker’s contact information and then call or email, asking if he/she would be open to discussing the possibility of my photographing from their property. Sometimes they inform me that property access is unsuitable. (For example, one property had a 20 foot tall parapet!) Or perhaps there is a fee involved or restrictions which make a property undesireable. For instance, my contact at the Atlanta Braves was very nice and agreeable, but access would require at least a $350 fee. Also, I would be disallowed from publishing or licensing any of the Turner Field images. Both were deal breakers.

If my contact is willing to consider my request, I will mention other buildings from which I have shot, and talk about my relationship with the decision makers there. I also assure them that I will respect their property, provide a liability insurance certificate, and meet all their internal requirements. One client expressed concern that I might track melted tar from his roof onto the hall carpets, so I always change out my shoes when coming off his roof.

I also suggest that we meet at the location, so they get to know me. This also enables me to complete a site survey, helping me find the best camera angle, learn how to access the roof, and see what obstacles to avoid while setting up in the dark.

The shoot

A perfect shoot starts with me being on site and setup at least 60 minutes before a sunrise or sunset. I use a Nikon D3s camera, well known for its low image noise capability, usually in a vertical (portrait) orientation.

I use Nodal Ninja‘s panoramic equipment, and I am very pleased to be sponsored by them. I mount my camera and lens on the new Nodal Ninja Ultimate M1-L panoramic head, which sits atop an RD16 Rotator and an EZ Leveler II. The pano head is rock solid. I recently shot a 10 image pano. Each image was exposed for 13 seconds and all were tack sharp!  I am also very particular about levelling the camera; the resultant panoramic image is easier to post-process. The EZ Leveler greatly simplifies the process. A level camera that rotates a repeatable number of degrees and permits a proper and consistent overlap of each image  is very important. I no longer have to think about those mechanics, which allows me to concentrate on the actual image capture, knowing that I will have seamless stitching of the captured images.

During image capture the overall scene is broken down into smaller, individual, but contiguous “pieces” which, during post production, are then stitched into the finished panoramic photo using software. I may only rotate the camera on a single horizontal plane (one pass), overlapping the individual images to allow for good stitching. If I am using a longer lens or the buildings are relatively close to the camera, to cover the scene I may have to shoot 2 or 3 additional horizontal planes by tilting the camera vertically up or down.

To photograph a sunrise or sunset panoramic I have just a few minutes when all the different exposure levels in the scene match well enough to render a great image. For these shots I try to choose a lens focal lenth that allows a single horizontal rotation, because the light level changes so quickly. Of course, I may shoot hundreds or thousands of images before and after the “best” time, because sometimes magic hapens during these times.

Post production

I end up with many small sections of the total scene after the shoot. I add the correct metadata and rename the RAW files. I also fully edit each individual image, usually 8 to 42, that will comprise the final panoramic image. Currently I use Adobe Lightroom to prepare the RAW images and  Adobe Photoshop CS6 beta to stitch them together. There is other specialized panoramic software available, but so far I have been pleased with the results from Photoshop. Exporting the image back into Lightroom, I adjust the stitched image further and output as required.

Photographic art

The result is a unique, vibrant, detailed, incredibly sharp, and never before seen photographic art image. The file size can be 2GB or larger, and most images can reproduce prints as large as the client requires.

Please call me directly at (404) 556-6821 to let me know of a location, discuss assignment photography, or inquire about licensing any of my images for wall art, marketing, or advertising.

(See other images in my panoramic portfolio.)