After a week of badgering from people wanting to see more of the images mentioned in my last post, I have opted to post this wider view of the area to show the stunning conditions beneath the passing storms.  It was a spectacular scene and one I was ill equipped to shoot at the time (I was out for a hike not a photo shoot). 

Even with my lens limitations on the day, I couldn't let images like this one get away, so I opted for my tried and trusted 'handheld panoramic' technique.  It's something I still use quite often and it really is as simple as the description might suggest.  I take up a good shooting stance (I am the tripod here). Once comfortable I make a series of images across the envisioned shot leaving around a third overlap. In very complex scenes I will often leave half an image as overlap but usually one third is perfect.  

I've made images this way for over a decade and it has always been successful in terms of producing the anticipated result. You must ensure that you leave sufficient space above and below the frame for the slight variances in camera height as you turn, but careful work will require little effort to stitch together later.  

As you can see below (click for larger) the snow was flying from the dark skies over Highwood Pass, but there was enough break in the cloud behind me to illuminate the stunning autumnal larch trees on the flanks of Pocaterra Ridge.