Can I make every parallel row in a scene appear head-on in one photo?

Question

I photographed a scene with many parallel rows (like scaffolding). From one viewpoint, only the row directly in front of the camera looks head-on; the rows to either side show more of their sides due to perspective.

Is there a practical way to create a single image where each row appears as if it were photographed straight on? I’m wondering whether this can be done by stitching multiple images, choosing a particular panorama projection, or by using a moving/rolling capture method that records narrow slices as the camera moves sideways.

user7271 · Answer

There are several ways to achieve this. You can manually take lots of pictures, and make sure all rows get one picture head on and then combine them in post.

Some cameras (not consumer or even prosumer) are pretty much made for this kind of work. This is 1D cameras, that record a single row of picture for each exposure. By moving the camera and taking pictures you can build a continuous panorama where everything is head on. The challenge is to move the camera the right amount and keep control over the angle. The easiest way to do this is to use a dolly rail, where you move the camera along fixed rails. If you match the speed along the rails with how often you take a new pixel row, you can get a nice looking photo.

This technique is also used from aircrafts, but then they rely on very accurate navigation and angular measurements and lots of post processing to get a nice result.

More information on strip photography on Wikipedia.

Can I make every parallel row in a scene appear head-on in one photo?

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