If you anticipate needing to increase image resolution on a regular basis (for any reason, not just making panoramic images), consider one of the programs created specifically for that purpose. A couple of good ones are Pixel Smartscale by Extensis and Genuine Fractals by the Altimira Group, both of which work as a Photoshop plug-in. I particularly like Pixel Smartscale because it doesn’t require a separate file format, but either program is a good choice. As you might expect from the word assembling, this project explains the process I discussed earlier for stitching together multiple photographs to form one large panorama. Practitioners of this method range from the ultra-serious, who invest in special tripod mounts and software packages to make the process as exact as possible; to the casual dilettante, who just wants to make the occasional panoramic image as cheaply and easily as possible. The advantage of this method is that it enables you to create a very high-resolution file. High-resolution files are necessary if you want to make large prints without it looking like you enlarged your file too much. Here’s how you shoot the multiple shots for the panorama that you will then stitch together:

1. Plan your shot carefully. Doing this step right will really make your life a lot easier later on. Try to visualize your composition (a technique pros rely on) and then position your camera and tripod as precisely as you can. Shooting a panorama this way really requires a tripod. You need to position and move your camera as precisely and levelly as you can during the picture taking process.

2. Make sure your camera is as level as possible. There are several ways to make sure your camera is as level as possible. One of the best is to use a level made to mount in your camera’s hot shoe (a place to mount a flash unit). If your camera doesn’t have a hot shoe, or you can’t find such a device, you can use a standard level to level the tripod’s camera mount before mating the camera to it. Be sure to level it in multiple directions. (The camera needs to be level on all axis.) By the way, most of us normally orient the camera vertically and take extra shots. This requires you to make more images, but increases the overall resolution of your panorama.

3. Set up the camera appropriately. Getting the exposure right for a panorama can be a little bit tricky. It’s best to set your camera for manual exposure and set one consistent exposure to use for every image in the sequence. Base your setting on the brightest part of the scene, underexposing a little if you need to so you can maintain highlight detail.

4. Start making photos. Each time you take a shot, rotate the camera to its next position, taking care to overlap your previous shot by about 25 percent. (This gives you some leeway when assembling the image later.) Some tripod heads are marked incrementally so that you can be precise. If yours doesn’t have incremental markers, use landmarks such as telephone poles or tree limbs to help you judge where the overlap is. Many of us prefer to start from the right and work our way left when shooting multiple shot panoramas. This way, when you bring the images into Photoshop or a stitching program, the images are lined up properly at the beginning of the sequence.

5. Mark the end of your sequence somehow, even if you take a shot with your hand sticking in front of the lens. This way you’ll know when you’ve gotten to the last shot of a particular sequence. This is particularly important if you follow Step 6.

6. Always try to shoot at least two panoramic sequences to improve your chances of getting a workable sequence. This is a good time to re-level the camera and tripod if you’ve had any doubts about how well you did that job the first time too.

7. Capture your images to your computer and either import them into your panoramic stitching software or open them in Photoshop. If you’re using a panoramic stitching program such as PhotoStitch or Panorama Maker, follow your program’s directions. You can also create panoramic images by stitching photographs together in an image-editing program with a layers capability such as Photoshop.

Here’s a simple description of how you can stitch images together to form one larger panorama.

1. Open the images in your image editing software.

2. Create a master document for your new panorama. This is a new document you will use to build your panorama. Choose File ➪New. A dialog box opens asking for the dimensions of the new file. Make it slightly taller than the height dimensions of your images and make it as wide as you want.

3. Place the first image in the master file preferably to the left edge of the frame (it’s easier to work from left to right, so choose the left most image in the sequence).

4. Place the next image into the master document. Reduce its opacity so that you can make out details of the first image underneath the second. Using the program’s move tool, superimpose the second image over the first until the two images line up properly. (Note: you may need to slightly rotate the second image to get it to match up properly.)

5. Once the images are properly aligned, use your editing program’s eraser tool (set to a soft edge brush) to erase the line created by the edge of the second image. Try to work to areas where there’s a hard line occurring in the image (say the edge of a building).

6. Repeat this process for the remaining images.

7. Once you’ve aligned all your images properly, save a copy of the master document in an editable form (layers intact) so you can go back to it later if you decide you want to make changes. Then flatten your working version of the file.

8. Crop as necessary. At this point you can tweak the overall contrast (tonal range from brightest white to darkest black), saturation (richness of the image’s colors), and sharpness of the image just as you would a newly captured photograph.

9. Using the cloning tool or healing brush, go over small imperfections in alignment to clean up any obvious stitching areas.

At this point, you have a finished panoramic image. Another way to expand your photographic horizons is to make photographs in weather you wouldn’t normally shoot in. Granted, this means going out in bad weather, but from a photographic standpoint, bad weather is frequently good weather. Bad weather makes for dramatic images. I love going out near the end of a snowstorm. Our normally colorful world has turned monochromatic. This is time to look for spots of color in an otherwise gray landscape. Storms are Mother Nature’s version of working in Photoshop to change the way the environment looks. A creative photographer tries to take advantage of that Dealing with the elements isn’t as hard as you might think, even with today’s cameras packed with electronics. Still, to make the experience more comfortable for both you and your gear, here are some tried and true tricks I’ve followed during a career that has taken me literally from the extremes of Guam to Antarctica. Head, hands, feet—it’s amazing how often these vital areas are under protected. You can bundle up in a huge parka, but if your head is and hands are exposed and your feet are barely clothed, you will be cold. It’s more effective—and easier—if you adopt a head-to-toe approach to winter dressing. Dress in layers (preferably ones that will wick moisture away from your body) and include thermal underwear for both your upper and lower body. Synthetic materials such as Polypropylene and Pile will move moisture away from your skin and help keep your body warmer as compared to cotton, which absorbs water and makes you feel even colder. Wet cotton is about the worst thing you can wear under cold conditions.

Head: I still use the expedition weight Balaclava (refers to a style of pullover wool hat) I used when I served with Operation DEEP FREEZE in Antarctica. This marvelously warm chapeau can be used as a watch cap (rolled up to just cover my head), rolled all the way down to cover everything except my nose and eyes, or pulled under my chin to cover all but the bottom half of my face. I combine this with a polypro facemask to provide extra protection and prevent the itchy feeling wool gives me. There are even more advanced (and complicated) hats currently on the market.

Hands: One nice trick for photographers is to combine a lightweight set of polypro glove liners with a heavier pair of either fingerless gloves or one of the glove/mitten combinations. These wonderful mittens convert to fingerless gloves just by lifting the hinged outer mitten to reveal the fingerless section underneath. The lightweight glove liners allow enough fine control to operate the camera, but still give you some protection against the elements.

Feet: Wear an inner polypro sock liner under heavier wool socks, ideally inside Gore-Tex hiking boots. It’s especially important to protect your feet because they’re in constant contact with the ground. Don’t underestimate how much heat the cold ground can suck from your body, particularly if you’re standing in the same place for an extended period of time.

Concerns are a bit different when you’re dealing with warmer temperatures and lots of rain. Your primary concern then is staying comfortably dry. The easiest (but most expensive) way to do this is with a Gore-Tex rain suit. The advantage to this material is that it keeps rain out but still allows body sweat to wick through the material and away from your body, keeping you more comfortable. Gore-Tex clothing is very nice if you can afford it. If you can’t quite justify the expense, a basic nylon rain suit is cheap and effective. Nylon is just not as comfortable; you tend to feel like you’re in a sauna. Polypro thermal underwear will wick the moisture away from your body, making you a little more comfortable, but you’re still going to be warm. (Maybe too warm.) Carry either a package of paper towels (in Ziploc bags) or one of those super absorbent towels that backpackers use. This kind of item is vital for drying off your hands before using your equipment. The secret to staying comfortable when you are out in bad weather is finding ways to stay warm and dry; your camera wants the same treatment. Too cold and it will malfunction; too much moisture and it won’t work. Your goal as a bad weather photographer is to make your camera comfortable enough to keep working. The following list provides some recommendations:

Fresh batteries: Cold weather reduces the effectiveness of most types of camera batteries. Start out with a fresh set and carry several more for backup. It’s best to keep them someplace warm (like inside your parka near your body). In extreme conditions, it may be necessary to keep switching between battery sets as one warms up and another gets too cold. Lithium-Ion Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) and Ni-cads do better in cold weather than regular alkaline batteries, with NiMH probably being the best choice.

Camera raincoats: Some manufacturers make raincoats designed for specific camera and lens combinations. These can run anywhere from $45 to $200 each and do a good job of protecting your gear. Still, even a working pro can’t afford to buy—or carry—one for every camera and lens in his bag. I have a couple for special circumstances. The rest of the time I just take a plastic shopping bag and some artist’s tape or duct tape and tape the bag over the camera. I make a hole for the lens to poke through and tape around the lens hood to hold that end in place. It’s ugly as sin, but it keeps my gear dry. It’s even easier for a digital point-and-shoot camera. Just take a plastic Ziploc bag and put your camera inside it. Then make a hole for the lens, tape the bag around the lens, and zip the bag’s seal between the ends of the neck strap.

Desiccant packets: These annoying little packets seem to show up in every package of electronics gear you buy. Save these critters and keep a couple in your camera bag. This will help prevent any moisture that does find its way in there from doing too much harm. You can buy larger versions at many camera stores. If you have several equipment cases, it’s a good idea to keep some desiccant packets in them, particularly if you store your gear in your car trunk.

The key to expanding your photographic horizons is to try to break out of your established habits and try something new. Trying new techniques and shooting under extreme weather conditions are a couple of ways to do this. Here are some more ideas to stretch your creativity.

Pick a word: Choose a word and spend an afternoon or a week trying to portray that word photographically. Simple words such as color, fun, small, work very well. Keep this up, and you’ll find you’re developing a growing portfolio of images that are completely different from what you’ve shot in the past.

Pick a scene: Find an interesting location near your home and then shoot it regularly over the course of a year. Document its moods and its changes of wardrobe. Finally, just take pictures. One of the best photographers I ever worked with had what he called his “minimum daily requirement.” He shot at least a roll of film a day, every day. This doesn’t mean going out and firing off 36 quick snapshots. I mean 36 carefully composed and thought out images. He worked every day at becoming a better photographer, and it showed in his portfolio.

With a film camera, this much shooting would be pretty expensive for someone whose job didn’t supply the film. But with today’s digital cameras, you don’t have that problem. You can shoot a quantity of images and capture them to your computer at minimal cost.