The Magic In Panoramic

Photo: Jens Olof Lasthein

I love good panoramics- they're some of the most eloquent and elegant forms of expression to be found in all photography. Most people think "panoramic" when they have an elongated landscape in mind, and that, of course, is one of its strengths. But to truly appreciate panoramics, you must truly immerse yourself in the format, just as you would a rangefinder, a Holga, a view camera. You gotta devote yourself to it, use it day in, day out, regardless- for those situations it most naturally lends itself to, as well as those you wouldn't ordinarily consider in everyday shooting... and then some. Otherwise you remain the casual imbiber, like myself, with only the rare keeper to speak of. There's a lot more real estate to deal with, so it demands a different mindset- switching midstream on assignment from a 2:3 or 3:4 ratio to panoramic and back is not always the most fluid of transitions.

Photo: Jens Olof Lasthein

I own a "true panoramic" camera, that is, a camera with a rotating lens- a 35mm Widelux, to be precise. It is fairly compact, designed and built like a WW1 tank, and just as fidgety and eccentric. It has three shutter speeds which can be frustrating, a viewfinder that shows about 65% of the entire image (I kid you not), and distortion that can be uhhh... mind bending. That distortion can absolutely kill many a shot (it can be that severe), other times (particularly in open spaces) it's barely noticeable, and at other times still, it can actually add to or enhance a shot. In some ways, it's similar to shooting a Holga- you never really know what you're gonna end up with; unlike the Holga however, you can get razor sharp results.

Photo: Jens Olof Lasthein

That unpredictability (and more limited exposure control) has prevented me from truly mastering the panoramic (not that I've truly mastered anything, for that matter). For every unique shot that I might steal with my panny, I might very well be giving up even more possibilities with my regular and more versatile SLR- so I tend to use it only on "special occasions."

Fortunately, that hasn't stopped more talented and adventurous souls than I from going forth and creating some absolute miracles- and on a regular basis! Utterly depressing as his work can be, I thought no one could best or even equal Boris Mikhaiolov when it came to everyday panoramic mastery, until someone by the name of Jens Olof Lasthein just happened to come along. What the latter creates via a panoramic within the "ordinary," everyday rhythm of life is nothing short of breathtaking. And he does it with such consistency, routinely ignoring the camera's inherent weaknesses, and instinctively playing to its strengths so that it all appears so utterly... effortless. Though in all fairness, maybe it's more the fact that Lasthein's images, as opposed to Mikhailov's do, in fact, offer some degree of hope- and in drop dead gorgeous color.

Photo: Boris Mikhaiolov

Photo: Boris Mikhaiolov

Other present day panoramic masters and practitioners include: Joseph Koudelka, McDuff Everton, Bruce Haley, Michael Ackerman and Michael Spano...

But wait! There's more... almost forgot the incredible series of 9/11 crowd portraits by the world's greatest museum guard- the one and only Jason Eskenazi. These are truly some of the most memorable, dynamic and sensitive images from that historic period of time when the shock was still raw, and our future still within our grasp.

Photo: Jason Eskenazi

Photo: Jason Eskenazi

Photo: Jason Eskenazi